In the 1977 film Pump Iron, Arnold Schwarzenegger described “Pump” as a “pump” – or as “the greatest feeling” you get when blood is flowing to your muscles during a workout. It’s similar to sex.
Now, at 78 years old, Schwarzenegger says he stands by this explanation – but he wants to add some important context.
“When we talk about pumps and all this, there’s a scene in ‘pumping the iron,'” he says on a Zoom call on the pier after the Vatican climate conference with Pope Leo XIV. “We used sex as a kind of tool to lure people into things like bodybuilding. But…what I was really saying was that it makes you feel good not just physically, but psychologically.”
Schwarzenegger doesn’t feel like taking anything for granted. In 2002, the bodybuilder turned actor Governor had his hip replaced. Currently, as part of his role as Chief Movement Officer for Zimmer Biomet, he is participating in the Wuy Be Back campaign, raising awareness about collaborative health and online tools that connect people with pain to local doctors.
Schwarzenegger’s hip replacement was scary, he says. Joint issues in general were tough for him. Still, he doesn’t regret the hard training he had to do to become Mr. Olympia seven times. To him, it is just a piece and a parcel with a path to greatness.
“When you compete, you don’t have a choice,” he says. “It’s like saying to a car racer…’The risk is you’ll get killed.’ How do you avoid that?”
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s advice to new lifters
Not everyone needs or should train to be Mr. Olympia. According to Schwarzenegger, those who are looking to join the gym for overall health and well-being should follow principles aimed at gradually gaining weight and gaining weight.
“If you want to exercise for health and fitness, I highly recommend warming up. And if something hurts, stop and don’t go heavy,” he says. “But when you compete, you have to let go of this kind of principle. You still have to warm up. Yes. And that’s what I did.
What sport or activity you choose to train for is also an important consideration, he says. But whatever you choose, odds are resistance training will help you with it.
Above all, he says, no matter your age, keep moving.
“That’s the most important thing: staying active,” he says. “Sometimes people stop being active because of pain, injury, wear and tear, arthritis, joint problems, joint damage. … I’ve experienced this a lot.”
What is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s training now?
Schwarzenegger says he is thankfully no longer in pain, more than 30 years after his hip replacement. He can’t do heavy squats anymore – he once told Men’s Health he could do 610 pounds – but he can still get a good workout.
Through all the changes his body has gone through, Schwarzenegger says one thing has remained the same.
“Even today, when I drive to the gym on my bike, I feel like I’m driving in black and white. When I drive, I feel like I’m driving through a color movie,” he says. “The way you look at the world, it all changes after training…Eventually people will learn that there’s more to it than just the appearance of the body and muscles.”
