After immigrating from Austria to the States in 1968, the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger set on his voyage of becoming the epitome of the bodybuilding realm. From winning 7 Mr. Olympia trophies to becoming the icon of the fitness industry, the Austrian has covered every alcove of the bodybuilding world. Nonetheless, the Terminator credits the major chunk of his successful career to the valuable counsel and support of the Canadian bodybuilder and the creator of the Mr. Olympia event, Joe Weider. 

Joe Weider was like a father figure to the Austrian. The co-founder of the International Bodybuilders Federation helped the Terminator to rise to fame in the early years of his vocation. However, it was not his muscular prowess that impressed Weider, but it was a cognitive trait of the Terminator that galvanized Mr, Olympia’s founder.

An intriguing trait of Arnold Schwarzenegger that impressed Joe Weider 

In his memoir, Total Recall, the 7x Mr. Olympia pulled off the curtains from the anecdote from his heydays and talked about the quality that helped him find a spot in Joe Weider’s good books. As per his autobiography, when he came to the States, the Austrian aspired to make his own money, and he requested Weider to help him find a suitable job. The bodybuilder said to Weider, “I don’t want to hang around. I don’t want to take your money for nothing. Give me something to do where I can learn”.

On this, Mr. Olympia’s founder stated, “You want to work, you want to build yourself, you are German, you are a machine, you are unbelievable. You are not like these lazy bastards!”. Schwarzenegger’s drive to earn money on his own impressed Weider, and he started taking the 7x Mr. Olympia champion with him to various construction sites and meetings to teach “how the business worked”.

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Interestingly, the Austrian expressed his heartfelt gratitude toward Weider for teaching him a hoard full of valuable life lessons during his prime. He also opened up about how Weider’s mentorship helped him on both his personal as well as professional fronts.

The Austrian credits his accomplished vocation to Joe Weider

While talking about his trait that impressed Weider, the Terminator also penned his unfeigned gratitude for Mr. Olympia’s creator and regarded him as a father figure. “Right from the beginning, I felt that he looked at me as the son he never had. I felt that this was a unique opportunity to learn. My own father gave me advice about being disciplined, tough, and brave, but not advice on how to succeed in business,” added Schwarzenegger.

He further wrote, “I was always searching for mentors who could pick up where my father left off. Having Joe around was like having a father who appreciated what I was trying to do”. Clearly, Joe Weider played a prominent role in shaping the Terminator’s career as a bodybuilder.

Nevertheless, whenever he gets an opportunity, Schwarzenegger goes above and beyond to express his encomium for Weider. They indeed shared a staunch father-son dynamics, don’t you agree?

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