A recent interview with Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show led to a big revelation from bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s hard for most people to imagine Schwarzenegger as anything but a bodybuilder. However, it turns out that Schwarzenegger had very different dreams for himself.

When asked by Stern whether he ever imagined bodybuilding would eventually lead to acting, Schwarzenegger had a surprising reply. He admitted that his dream was to make bodybuilding a ticket into the movies. Moreover, he shared how he dreamed of elevating bodybuilding as a sport.

“My dream was for me to make this a ticket into movies. And, number two, to lift and elevate the whole bodybuilding sport. And, both of them have been very successful,” he says during the interview.

He goes on to reveal how, due to the major success of modern bodybuilding, his own career has benefited greatly. Moreover, he reveals how his movies, like Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator, immensely helped his career in ways he did not imagine.

At the end of the day, Schwarzenegger successfully achieved not one but both his dreams. Furthermore, he also financially benefited, becoming one of the most successful men in the industry.

Similarly, modern bodybuilders are becoming extremely creative, exploring various avenues for financial success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Shares How Modern Bodybuilders Are Making Big Money

During the interview, Schwarzenegger reveals something that momentarily stuns everyone. He shares that modern bodybuilders are now making over $1 million a year.

Astonished, Stern asks how they do that. Schwarzenegger reveals the various creative avenues that they are exploring nowadays. These include-

• Endorsements
• Seminars
• Food supplement endorsements
• Personal food supplement brands
• Organizing their own bodybuilding competitions

With the advent of the internet and social media, modern bodybuilders have a lot of avenues to earn money. This can be through coaching programs, fitness apps, social media channels, and YouTube.

He goes on to reveal how successful bodybuilding has become, which is what he always dreamed of since he got into the sport. Schwarzenegger also attributes his own success to this, sharing how more and more people are now lifting weights or going to gyms.

Whether it is a military base, a gymnasium, a police station, a fire station, a high school, a university, or a sports team, “everyone is using weights.”

“It has gotten huge. This whole crusade, this bodybuilding crusade, has become very successful. And because of that, because now everyone is doing it and everyone is working out, it has also benefited me with my career. Because all of a sudden, people started paying attention to that.”

What started off as a niche sport has now developed massively. The pride and joy at successfully fulfilling his dreams are evident on Schwarzenegger's face.

Do you think social media has made bodybuilding more profitable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil