Reaching the top in a professional field and staying there for nearly a decade isn’t an easy task. But Arnold Schwarzenegger did it with ease. In his bodybuilding career, Schwarzenegger has been up against many sensational bodybuilders. From The Chemist, Frank Zane, to the Hulk, Luo Ferrigno, he has defeated them all. However, there was one bodybuilder that the Austrian Oak found hard to beat.

In his recent newsletter, Arnold Schwarzenegger answered three questions sent to him by his Instagram followers. Arnie gave a hilarious start to his first answer, as the question was by none other than his co-star Travis Van Winkle. Winkle asked Schwarzenegger for the time- duration after which one can replenish their body with protein post-workout. Followed by that was another interesting question. Nick Miller asked Schwarzenegger who he thought was his toughest competition during his bodybuilding career.

Who gave Arnold Schwarzenegger the toughest fight?

In his latest article in his newsletter, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed who his greatest opponent was. The 7x Mr. Olympia started by saying it isn’t an easy call. However, the name he picked was of the Cuban-American bodybuilder Sergio Oliva. Schwarzenegger said, “I think the answer has to be Sergio Oliva, who won Mr. Olympia twice in a row before he beat me for his 3-peat in 1969. He was the dragon I had to slay to get to the top.”

Explaining the reason, Schwarzenegger said, “His body was incredible. Really, take a second and go google him. Just a monster, and a sweetheart of a guy.” Though the two were friends off-stage, it took everything in Schwarzenegger to beat Oliva on stage. Schwarzenegger admits to having tricked Oliva to win his first Olympia in 1970.

Read More: “Had to Sign a Contract”: $450 Million Worth Arnold Schwarzenegger Once Made a Bizarre Deal to Keep His Supervillain Costume, Revealed in 2015

The Austrian Oak confesses to tricking the Myth

When Arnold Schwarzenegger made his Mr. Olympia debut in 1969, he was brutally destroyed on stage by the 3x Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva. Therefore, going against him in the following in a neck-to-neck competition made Schwarzenegger use some tricks that were up his sleeve.

Confessing how tough the competition was, Schwarzenegger said that compared to Mr. World, the two had longer comparison sessions in the Olympia that year. It was because the judges were unable to choose a winner. Narrating how it went down, Arnie added, “We were pouring sweat hitting and holding our poses, and I finally had to pull the trick on Sergio and tell him I thought we should just leave the stage. Once he walked off, I hit another pose, and from then on, I never lost again.”

Watch This Story: From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Chris Bumstead – Here Are the Top 5 Most Aesthetic Bodybuilders to Ever Compete in Mr. Olympia

Though some might not like the way he got his first win, Schwarzenegger proved his worth by staying on top for the next six times he participated.