Every person has their own strengths and weaknesses. The same goes for the athletes in various sports. But what matters is knowing both well and using that knowledge to get the best out of oneself. In the case of bodybuilding, one such athlete who was aware of his weakness, which could cost him multiple titles, was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is undoubtedly one of the best bodybuilders of all time, and once he expressed some internal conundrums regarding his physique. Though he has won seven Mr. Olympia and millions of hearts, in his latest book, he discusses one of the crucial struggles he had with a certain body part.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s weak body part
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In his latest book, “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life”, Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about how a balanced body is useful for winning a competition. Although his upper body, with its humongous muscles, has always been the talk of the community, the bodybuilder has shown which part he thought he was always lacking. He stated in his book, “Unfortunately because they are slow-twitch muscles that are built to take a beating since we use them every time we walk, calves are notoriously difficult to develop. A lot of guys in those days struggled to build mass there, so they either just accepted their fate or they forgot about them.”
Furthermore, he also stated that it was usually a hidden part of his body. Therefore, it was specifically hard to look at. Schwarzenegger further wrote, “I could see that mine weren’t big enough. Calves are basically the biceps of the legs. I had 24-inch biceps. I did not have 24-inch calves. In my mind that threw my body out of proportion, which jeopardized my chances of winning Mr. Olympia and officially becoming the greatest bodybuilder in the world.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger has always been precise with his opinions. Thus, when someone once inquired about his feelings after getting defeated, his reaction was unexpected.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reaction after getting defeated
In a recent talk show, Arnold Schwarzenegger was featured with Lee Haney. When Schwarzenegger was asked how he coped with Lee Haney breaking his streak of the highest number of Mr. Olympia wins and winning eight titles. Arnie replied with something amusing. He stated, “You have two feelings. One of them is, you feel, like okay; someone now has broken your record.” He then added, “There’s a part that says, sh*t, what the hell just happened here?”
Bodybuilding is the art of exhibiting the beauty of one’s body. It is not only judged by the upper body but also by the overall build. Thus, having a balanced body is one of the prerequisites for any contest winner. Do you think Arnold Schwarzenegger acted well on his weak point? Let us know in the comments below.
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