Uncensored

It’s kind of amazing to look back and realize that the last time Arnold Schwarzenegger competed in a bodybuilding contest was 1980—36 years ago. Before a lot of readers of MUSCLE INSIDER were even born. Yes, he’s done a great deal since. He became a major Hollywood actor, rising to the very top of the list, and according to the New York Post, his US ticket sales have totaled some $1.6 billion. Subsequently, he became a major political figure by being elected governor of California. He has evolved into not only a major celebrity but a totally iconic figure as well, one of the few individuals totally identifiable to the public simply by his first name—such as Napoleon, Cher, or Madonna.

“I’ll be back,” said the Terminator. And Arnold has kept coming back time after time.

So it’s totally understandable why Arnold has remained so famous and had such a long career. But what’s surprising is how famous he has remained as a bodybuilder. With so many champions since Arnold was on a bodybuilding stage, and with the group of massive mastodons we see on the Olympia stage today, why is it that Arnold’s bodybuilding success is still so celebrated?

It’s important to remember how bodybuilding was regarded when Arnold first took up the sport. The bodybuilder known best to the public in the 1950s and 1960s was Steve Reeves, star of the movie Hercules. That movie inspired a whole industry of Italian-made gladiator and muscle flicks starring people such as Arnold’s idol bodybuilder, Reg Park. But despite this, the public didn’t have a very high regard for the muscle guys. In the 1967 movie Don’t Make Waves, “Blonde Bomber” Dave Draper was cast as a not-very-bright bodybuilder being conned and confused by Tony Curtis in an effort to steal his girlfriend (the ill-fated Sharon Tate).

But Arnold got good reviews for the movie Stay Hungry, co-starring with Jeff Bridges and Sally Field, in which he played a highly intelligent, personable bodybuilder. But what made the most difference was the book and movie Pumping Iron, which helped him become an international celebrity. This in turn led to Conan the Barbarian, the Terminator films, True Lies, and all the rest of his movie successes. Arnold’s bodybuilding fans have all applauded these successes, because Arnold was a bodybuilder and his fame and accomplishments made bodybuilding look good and helped them to take pride in the development of their physiques.

His fans haven’t lost their interest in Arnold, and he in turn hasn’t turned his back on them. He has never denied or denigrated his years as a successful physique competitor. Arnold has continued to cooperate with and appear in bodybuilding magazines. He has published two editions of Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding with the intent of sharing his knowledge of training, diet, and competition with other aspiring bodybuilders. He has also continued to sponsor and promote his annual contest in Columbus, Ohio, which has added a host of events to bodybuilding, fitness, and figure, such as judo and weightlifting, and evolved into today’s Arnold Sports Festival.

So Arnold’s fans have remained true to him in part because he has been true to them in return. He has continued to “dance with the one who brung him.” He hasn’t forgotten his roots or the fact that his Mr. Olympia physique was his passport to fame and fortune.

So Arnold doesn’t have to tell us “I’ll be back.” Because he never left.

For more behind-the-scenes info about Arnold from the actual photographers who shot him, check out this article!