3x Mr. Olympia Legend Confesses He Was Forced to Leave Gold’s Gym Due to Arnold Schwarzenegger: “It Was All About Him”

During the golden era of bodybuilding, Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach was renowned as the Mecca for bodybuilders. From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Frank Zane, many legendary bodybuilders used to train there. However, the former Mr. Olympia Frank Zane revealed the reason why he left Gold’s Gym during his prime. And he said he left because of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It’s not a secret that Schwarzenegger and Zane were two of the greatest rivals during the late 1970s. Zane recently, during an interview with Sal’s Classic Bodybuilding Archives, discussed his life during the 1970s, when he was winning the shows and the impact the Pumping Iron film had on him.

Franz Zane confessed why he left Gold’s Gym in 1977

While discussing his life back then, he recalled that Gold’s Gym was a well-equipped place, even though it was not fancy. It had everything bodybuilders needed. But things changed when the “Pumping Iron” project started. He revealed that he was not interested in being part of this documentary movie.

The God of Aesthetics felt the documentary, which was supposed to be about bodybuilding, turned into a showcase for Schwarzenegger. In his words, “You know this really isn’t about Pumping Iron you might as well call it pumping Arnold because it was all about him.” He felt a little distressed that the documentary’s focus was only on The Terminator and the cameras invading his workout space. Zane decided to leave Gold’s Gym. He looked for a gym with a more genuine and focused atmosphere and found temporary comfort at Vince’s Gym. However, the distance from Santa Monica became a problem, so he started exploring other options.

Eventually, “I preferred training at World Gym which I did most of the time,” said Zane. He further explained, “It was sort of hard to train once they showed up with their cameras and everything and I was just interested in working out.” Moving to the World’s Gym allowed him to focus on his passion for bodybuilding without the distraction of cameras. In one of his old videos, Zane also revealed the reason why his relationship with Schwarzenegger ended abruptly.

Zane’s revelation of their rivalry

The former Mr. Universe, who once defeated Schwarzenegger at the Mr. Universe contest, shared that their rivalry started after an interview. They used to train together at Gold’s gym and help each other during training. The feud began before the 1980 Mr. Olympia when Arnie returned to Olympia and defeated Zane.

READ MORE: Dissing Mr. Olympia Founder as a “Size Freak”, 81-YO God of Aesthetics Rejected Being Bigger to Focus on Symmetry: “Couldn’t Weigh Much More Than 190 and Look Good”

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