“Arnold Would Never Know How”: Uncrowned Bodybuilding Legend Once Revealed How Arnold Schwarzenegger Saved His Life

Kai Greene has won many titles including the Arnold Classic. Greene was a top contender for the Mr. Olympia title. While the trophy ultimately eluded him, Kai became very popular among fans. However, as revealed by Greene in 2016, none of this would have been possible without the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Kai credits all of his success to the man from Austria. However, when Greene was training to become a bodybuilder, Arnold didn’t even knew him. Then how did the ‘Austrian Oak’ help Kai Greene so much?

Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired Kai Greene to turn his life around

Kai Greene didn’t have an easy upbringing. Greene grew up in foster care and residential treatment centers and was also getting into trouble. However, in 1991, his teacher gave him the ‘Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Kai’s teacher also showed him the movie ‘Pumping Iron’.

Kai credits these two things with changing his life. Kai said, “Arnold would never know how those two significant episodes — seeing ‘Pumping Iron’ and reading his book — changed my life. In fact, I believe they probably saved my life.”

Regarding ‘Pumping Iron’, Kai said: “Before the movie I felt unempowered,”. However, after watching the iconic film, Kai realized, “I had to start making the right choices.”. ‘Pumping Iron’ is a documentary on Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie shows how Arnold Schwarzenegger won the 1975 Mr. Olympia. It’s widely regarded as arguably the best bodybuilding documentary ever and has inspired generations of bodybuilders.

While talking about the book, Kai that he was 16 and didn’t know how to read. “But the book gave me a reason to learn to read,” said Kai. He wanted to absorb all the knowledge in the book. So he said it was Arnold’s book that inspired him to learn to read as well.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger is an icon for all bodybuilders. Kai green is living proof of just how influential Arnold was in developing the sport. Greene also acknowledges that, in extension, it was Schwarzenegger himself who turned Kai’s life around. Since neither the book nor the movie would exist without the seven-time Mr. Olympia.

Kai Greene’s rivalry with Phil Heath

The bodybuilding world has seen many iconic rivalries. Kai Greene vs. Phil Heath is one of them. The pair competed against each other on the Mr. Olympia stage many times. However, the rivalry reached its peak from 2013 to 2014. Kai Greene came close to beating Heath, but fell short every time.

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While Kai Greene never won the coveted Mr. Olympia title, he still became very popular. Every time Greene battled Phil Heath, fans would get hyped. However, none of this would’ve been possible without the ‘Austrian Oak’. Arnold’s book and documentary are the reason fans got to witness the three-time Arnold Classic winner compete on stage in the first place.