“Could Care Less What Women Thought”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Dismissed the Idea of Bodybuilders Deadlifting to Impress Women During an Interview in 1990

Before the emergence of Arnold Schwarzenegger on the big stage, the sport of bodybuilding was seen as more of a hobby. The popular opinion was that bodybuilding would never become a mainstream sport that would help make athletes make a living out of it. But Schwarzenegger’s reign as the Mr. Olympia champion changed everything.

Mr. Olympia became one of the most anticipated sporting events of every year, with more and more people looking to make it big in the sport. As the male side of the sport evolved, it gave way to various trivial aspects, becoming a part of the sport too.

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger train to impress women?

Having been one of the most celebrated bodybuilders of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger would grab the attention of people around him. As he became increasingly famous, Schwarzenegger would often be seen alongside women in numerous photos. He would go to work out in open gyms where he would attract a crowd, often dominated by the presence of women. So many ponder if he cared about having the attention of women?

In an interview in 1990, Arnold answered this million-dollar question. Interviewer, Barbara Walters, asked Arnold about the impact his huge muscles had on the women he would meet. Schwarzenegger said that he did not think anyone trained for the World Championships in any sport to impress women. “I think the bottom line is to win. I could care less what women thought of the whole thing, I didn’t train for the women.”

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Adding to his statement, Schwarzenegger also joked about his muscles being an advantage. He said he never experienced a situation when someone was not impressed by his otherworldly physique. “A lot of women, of course when I went out, said, ‘I just want to make sure you understand that I don’t like it just for your body. I love your brain. I say, ‘yeah, sure, that’s a good one!'”

The female fans would go crazy for Arnold

While Arnold made it perfectly clear he had no ulterior motives with his bodybuilding training, the ladies were still in awe of his physique. Schwarzenegger’s first girlfriend, Barbara Outland Baker, once revealed the most common reaction of his female fans.

In an interview, Baker discussed how she thought Arnold and Maria’s divorce would affect him. In the same interview, she revealed what it was like to have female fans of Schwarzenegger come to meet him. “Women would come at him, they would feel his chest and beg him to take off his shirt. It was incredible. They had no shame.”

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But all that changed when Schwarzenegger married Maria Shriver in 1986. Many fans were left heartbroken at the news, while some others were ogling over how the couple complimented one another. The couple stuck by each other’s side for many years before finalizing their divorce in 2021.