Arnold Schwarzenegger?and his family struggled with poverty in Austria. Despite his father being the police chief of his town, Thal, the family struggled. Schwarzenegger had to earn his keep since he became a teenager. Young Arnie dreamed of leaving such crushing circumstances to find success in America. He chose?bodybuilding?as his vehicle for success.

Despite facing his father’s criticism, the legendary bodybuilder passionately pursued his sport. Even before arriving in America, Arnie had won the Mr. Universe contest. However, he made exponential progress under IFBB co-founder Joe Weider’s tutelage. Arnie trained with world-class bodybuilders and conquered the sport, winning seven Mr. Olympia and five Mr. Universe titles. However, the 76-year-old made a surprising confession while appearing on a podcast earlier.

Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t take things too seriously

Earlier, the seven-time Mr. Olympia featured as a guest on Marc Maron’s podcast. The stand-up comedian was a regular on late-night talk shows like?The Late Show with David Letterman?and?Late Night with Conan O’Brien.?During the podcast, the Hollywood action star and the musician spoke about Arnie’s self-help book,?Be Useful: The Seven Tools for Life.

During their discussion, the pair spoke about the 76-year-old’s rivalry with Sylvester Stallone during the 80s and 90s. Maron correctly guessed that Schwarzenegger had a great sense of humor. It was his sense of humor that compelled him to star in comedies.?“I always thought it was funny,”?said Arnie.

Despite competing with all his zeal, Schwarzenegger found some aspects of bodybuilding funny.?“I was also able to laugh at myself, at the stupidity of it all. The competition and bodybuilding,”?confessed the 76-year-old. While he never showed it on stage, the bodybuilding legend found the act of oiling up for a pose?“in front of 5,000 people”?quite funny.?“Look, I’m the most muscular man in the world.’ It’s so stupid,”?Arnie told the stand-up comedian. However, his outlook toward the sport might have given him an edge.

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A natural on the bodybuilding stage

Competing against others is an exhilarating experience, and athletes often get nervous. However, because of Arnie’s humorous outlook, the champion bodybuilder might not have felt nervous like his peers. In?Pumping Iron (1977), Schwarzenegger constantly cracks jokes and makes fun of his rival, Lou Ferrigno. However, Ferrigno had no response.

Schwarzenegger was notorious for playing such mind games with his opponents. During the docudrama,?he even confessed to giving his best friend, Franco Columbu,?“wrong advises.”?Hence, it’s safe to say that Arnie’s sense of humor helped him goof around with opponents while they felt the pressure of competition.

What did you think of the seven-time Mr. Olympia’s humorous take on bodybuilding? Tell us in the comments.

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