“Definitely Come Back With a Vengeance”- Arnold Schwarzenegger Once Revealed the Bodybuilder Who Could Convince Him to Make a Comeback

A fierce competitor and an incredible champion, Arnold Schwarzenegger achieved everything that he set his foot in. Despite having multiple obstacles in between his goals, he did not let them slow him down. Arnold followed bodybuilding closely and won his seventh Mr. Olympia title in 1980.

Arnold was the first bodybuilder to win a record seven Mr. Olympia titles, out of which six were consecutive. Legendary bodybuilders like Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman, who won eight Mr. Olympia titles, took bodybuilding to new heights. But after three decades after Arnold’s retirement, there was only one bodybuilder with whom Arnold wanted to compete.

Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to compete against this champion

Armond Schwarzenegger is famously known for his fiercely competitive spirit. The legendary bodybuilder never shuns away from challenges and competition, but it fuels his spirit to win. He hosts the Arnold Classic every year to spread the message of sports and fitness. Many sports people and celebrities attend the multi-sport festival. During a seminar in the 2019 edition of the festival, a piece of advice that he gave to another champion bodybuilder Phil Heath stood out from the whole conversation.

Phil Heath tied Arnold with seven Mr. Olympia titles. He won the title from 2011 to 2017 consecutively. In the 2019 edition of the Arnold Classic, The Austrian Oak urged Phil to make a comeback to the sport. Speaking to Phil, Arnol said, “I think that if Phil feels that he is at the height of his career and if he feels like he has a year or another two years in him, I would definitely come back with a vengeance.”

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Arnold went to praise Phil immensely. According to Arnold, Phil was very difficult to defeat when he was in his peak form. Speaking on the progress that Phil made over the years as a bodybuilder, Arnold said, “I’ve watched Phil over the years and there’s no one that can touch him when he’s on”.

Arnold’s shocking comeback

Arnold announced his retirement from bodybuilding in 1975 to focus on his acting career. The champion bodybuilder had even told the media that he did not have any plans to return to the sport. His retirement news came as a shocker to his fans. Arnold’s film career did not see much success at that time, due to which he was not getting the opportunity to play a lead role. Surprisingly, he was selected as the lead actor in the film ‘Conan the Barbarian. It which was his first film under a lead production house.

To portray the role of Conan, Arnold needed to have a heavily muscular body. He started training for the film with a rigorous six days a week routine. After a rigorous routine, while the shooting dates were near, Arnold had developed an unbelievable body form. One of his friends suggested he should participate in the Mr. Olympia contest, as was in competition form. Arnold was contemplating the decision to take part in 1980, Mr. Olympia. However, his decision came in a Zen moment.

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Arnold participated in the event, which came as a shocker to viewers all over the world. Ultimately, he won the contest, marking his seventh Mr. Olympia win.