“Invited Ego-Bruising Pain… and It Worked.”: 7x Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger Devised a Creative Strategy To Never Skip Leg Days

It is no secret that 7 times Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger has sturdy legs. Although best recognized for his well-sculpted body and proportionate but thick biceps, he was also a man with chiseled quad muscles. Arnold began his weightlifting journey around the age of 15, eventually moving to America at age 21. The Austrian Oak had his eyes set on the target and knew that bodybuilding is the way.

But, not many fans are aware of the fact that Schwarzenegger absolutely detested hitting the leg days. However, Arnold’s tree trunk legs were made with grit and dedication. And, Arnold knew that to be a well-rounded physique athlete, he had to be great in all the departments. So, he resorted to a pretty unique way to ensure he trained his lower body quite often.

Arnold Schwarzenegger resorted to shorts to overcome a weakness

Arnold “Austrian Oak” Schwarzenegger was not the kind of man to hide himself or his weaknesses. In his early competitive days in the USA, he knew that his lower body needed more work, and to quit slacking in that department, he devised a genius plan. He cut all his training bottoms into shorts.

Not only did it make everyone else aware of Arnold’s potential lack, but also reminded him about the same. Arnold knew that rather than showing off his already developed aspects, he would need to concentrate where work was left. Arnold once illustrated more about his plan, saying: “I continued to wear the cutaway sweatpants that invited ego-bruising pain … and it worked. I trained them first every workout.”

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But, other than tweaking his outfits, Arnold also adopted a new training schedule to assist his muscle development. He would hit his legs every day, both at the beginning and the end of his workout. And, he even used his personal experience and intelligence to outline a few pointers to overcome lagging muscles. In an article on Bodyuilding.com, he provided his master plan to hit the muscles well.

How Arnold set standards of bodybuilding

There is no denying that Arnold was the name that brought the sport of bodybuilding to the mainstream. He helped popularize it among the masses and a large part of that had to do with his greek god-like body. Arnold in his prime had a 58” chest. He did both weights and cardio and a commitment to plain training made him so great.

And, most importantly, Arnold never slacked. He was not afraid or weary when it came to putting in the work which made him, HIM! To quote the man himself, “If you want to win, there is absolutely no way around hard, hard work.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Here’s Bodybuilding Legend Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Exclusive Training Guide