Was It Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone Who Ignited the Physique Transformation Craze in Hollywood?

Hollywood has thrived on action and superhero franchises for the past few decades. The 1980s and 1990s were known for their comedy and drama flicks. But it was also the same time when the audience’s interest was shifting towards the action genre. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone reigned at the box office with their high-octane action adventures for almost two decades before they passed on the crown to others. 

Christian Bale, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Dwayne Johnson rose to the occasion to define the 2000s action scene in Hollywood. Between the 2010s and 2020s, the action and adventure genre garnered over $300 billion combined, as per Cutting Room Music. There was also a building craze for the ripped physiques of heroes in the movies. But who was the pioneer of a muscular physique on screen? The two names that come to one’s mind are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. 

Who introduced the physique game into Hollywood? 

The 1950s saw a rise in the bodybuilding arena, and some of the famous names from the sports slid into the cinema field to portray muscular roles in the movies. Gordon Scott from Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle, Steve Reeves in Hercules, and Reg Park in Hercules and the Captive Women pulled the curtains up for the muscle show in Hollywood films. In the 1960s to 1970s, Bruce Lee and Clint Eastwood were known for their lean fit physiques. 

In 1976, Sylvester Stallone aced a jacked physique for his boxing film Rocky, now a cult classic. The following year, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pumping Iron was released, and the documentary became crucial both for bodybuilding and The Terminator actor. Film enthusiasts are now willing to witness ripped physiques on screen. However, the journey had just started. 

The initial reluctance to a celebrated transformation

The Governator was initially rejected from Hollywood owing to his bodybuilder’s frame. But Conan the Barbarian, 1982, proved that the audience’s appetite for action drama was fast changing. The Terminator and Sly’s First Blood further solidified the love for jacked frames chasing villains on screen, with movie buffs yearning for more over the years. But who pioneered the physique game, Arnie or Sly? 

Arnold Schwarzenegger v/s Sylvester Stallone

The fierce battle between The Terminator icon and Rocky star to outperform each other at the box office didn’t let them rest. They competed on every level, on intense action stunts, weapons, destruction, chase sequences, and even the best physique. 

While Schwarzenegger was a Mr. Olympia-winning bodybuilder before his Hollywood career, Sylvester Stallone could be safely called a precursor of current Hollywood action heroes. Sly focused on fitness was mainly to portray ripped characters on screen. The 77-year-old trained with Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu in 1976 to acquire the desired physiques for Rambo and Rocky movies. 

Columbu once stated, “For Rocky, [Stallone] wanted a lot of stuff in the shoulders and forearms so that when the camera came in [the muscles] really look big.” However, the requirements for Rambo are different, “Stallone wanted that working, wiry look. He wanted to look muscular, tight, like a jungle man. We did a lot of stomach work.” So, Sly truly focused on maintaining his physique for movies.

For Arnie, maintaining a chiseled physique for movies was a continuation of his bodybuilding game. However, Schwarzenegger’s role was crucial in helping people understand the principle of training like a bodybuilder through his book Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding and journals, which would eventually help many to maintain a ripped physique for their movie roles.

The ones that followed Arnie and Sly

One of the greatest physique transformations in Hollywood was when 110 lbs Christian Bale in The Machinist turned to 220 lbs Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins in 2004. Chris Hemsworth’s fitness game impressed many when he portrayed the Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor, in MCU films. And lately, Zac Effron opened up about his strict diet and training rituals for The Iron Claw movie. 

Read More: “Like Schumacher Telling You How to Drive”: Lee Priest Explains How the Legendary Bodybuilder With Best Legs Helped Him Overcome His Weaknesses

The transformation stories of Hollywood continue to impress fitness enthusiasts. Instead of choosing between Sly or Arnie in this battle, it would be safe to say they complemented each other to change Hollywood’s destiny. While actors like Chris Hemsworth trained in his basement gym with Schwarzenegger’s ripped posters, his physique transformations for each role seemed similar to that of Sly. So, now matter what one says, the legends’ legacy continues to inspire beyond time. 

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