Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most celebrated bodybuilders in history. However, life has not always been rainbows and butterflies for the seven-time Mr. Olympia winner. Arnie has had his share of setbacks and failures too, and it was from failing to keep up that he got stronger and kept moving. 

In his daily Newsletter Arnold’s Pump Club, Schwarzenegger motivated fans to stay fit, presenting them with a New Year challenge. However, in his recent issue, he also talked about how it is okay to think about why you fail, but maintained how one should not dwell on it and shared a story of his failure to motivate those in his village. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about the time he lost to Frank Zane

Bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger shared a tale from 1968, when he had just won his second Mr. Universe contest in London. He had gotten a telegram from Joe Weider and was invited to the Mr. Universe Show in Miami. Arnie wrote, “This was the moment I had been waiting for. My ticket to America was in my hand. I was 21 years old, and all the people who told me I’d never make it to America were about to be proven wrong.”

He was so on top of the world that he did not even go back to the place where he lived to pick up his belongings. He straight away flew to America, thinking that he had already won, and Joe Weider would want him to settle down in California forever. However, things did not go as Arnie had thought they would. The 7X Mr. Olympia champion lost to Frank Zane.

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He wrote, “Frank Zane beat me. I was shocked, I was depressed, and I was all alone. I had just left everyone I knew and everything I had in Europe for this.” He was completely shattered going through all the stages of grief. He thought himself to be a loser and that he would have to go back to Austria. Back to his old life. However, the feeling of being a loser was temporary. He came back stronger and here’s how.

Arnold Schwarzenegger cried all night, but came back

After the loss, Arnold Schwarzenegger cried all night. In the morning, he woke up with a clear head. Reality hit him and he figured that Zane had won because he was better than him. Which meant that he had to work harder to win the next time. Arnie wrote, “And just like that, I went from misery to a mission.”

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He moved to Venice near Gold’s Gyms and invited Frank Zane to stay with him and train him. They became friends, and soon he won 10 more world championships. He concludes, “None of that would have happened if I had gone along with the horror stories my brain was telling me and given up and gone home”.

What are your thoughts on Arnie’s story? Let us know in the comments section below!