Arnold

by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Douglas Kent Hall, Douglas Hall, et al.

Book Overview

Five-time Mr. Universe, seven-time Mr. Olympia, and Mr. World, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the name in bodybuilding. Here is his classic bestselling autobiography, which explains how the "Austrian Oak" came to the sport of bodybuilding and aspired to be the star he has become.

I still remember that first visit to the bodybuilding gym. I had never seen anyone lifting weights before. Those guys were huge and brutal....The weight...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671797484
• ISBN13: 9780671797485
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Inspiration of Arnold

Arnold is a very gifted motivator. He can easily inspire anyone to change their lifestyle on the spot. He could demand that you don't eat donuts to improve your health and you would stop eating them. How does somebody do that? Here in `Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder" you get 130 pages of everything you could ever want to know about what makes Arnold tick, right up until his 1970 IFBB Mr.Olympia three titles in one year grand slam. If you are looking for a complete modern biography with his films and political achievements, then you may want to go elsewhere, but this book is from the horse's mouth about how he got famous in the first place. I wouldn't doubt much of what is written as it is not too outlandish and has tons of supporting photographs that document his historical record. Some of his peak measurements are a little bit embellished but that is only cribbing when you get into the mind of the Austrian Oak. Arnold's first visit to the gym is always a great story to hear again, about how he felt weights for the first time and the pain of training to failure. This book has some really early photographs of Arnold at 16, 17, 18 and 19 that show his progress. Yes he was gifted, but he used his gifts and he used them well. He describes how even his cop dad and worrying mother tried to desperately talk him out of bodybuilding and how Arnold developed his own psychological conditioning that many people confused with some sort of psychopathology. This was at a time when bodybuilding was looked down upon and that people who trained that way where called freaks and where believed to be muscle-bound. Arnold talks about his early life with his bodybuilding friends, how he lost his faith in God, put faith in himself instead, how he disciplined his lifestyle, his early love life, how we treated women, what he did at school, how he discovered his idol Reg Park, how he become an army tank driver, how he spent some time in a military prison, how he trained at home, his first contest and how we won, the media's response, his first sponsorship disaster, the homosexuals who tried to seduce him, his first job as a gym manager, his routines, his first plane trip to compete, meeting his idols, his training partners, his business partner Joe Weider and what he did to make it to the top. It is all here and is as every bit as inspirational as you could hope it would be. If you have any doubts about what you can do, then this book will iron them out for you and get you in the mood for more. There are photographs in this book that you will not find elsewhere but if you have his "Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" then you will find a few photographs that are shared between the two, but I was still surprised at how many photographs here I have never seen before. The stuff with Arnold as a teenager is absolutely mind blowing. His biceps are like basketballs. If it is inspiration you want then I can not recommend this book enough. The eye candy is astonishing. W

Why I gave this book to my son...

When I finished my first year of college, I had dropped to 135 pounds (at 6 feet and 2 inches...more than 100 pounds lighter than Arnold and the same height). I was over motivated in my studies of chemistry in a premedicine curriculum and finished that first year exhausted with mononucleosis but with a 4.0 average. But, I decided I would take a different strategy my second year of college. I bought this book (the summer of 1979) and studied it carefully. Here's what happened... I spent the summer resting and then started school at 145 pounds. I determined to follow the book to the letter (even the going to bed and getting up at the same time...which doesn't make for the best social life for a college sophomore). I also watched my thoughts carefully and practiced some of the techniques that Arnold suggests as well as experimented with a few of my own. When I finished that school year, I weighed 198 pounds and still sported a 29 inch wasit. People who saw me the summer after my second year of college who hadn't seen me since the previous summer, sometimes didn't recognize me. I gained 53 to 63 pounds of muscle in one year (depending on when you start counting) and did it eating the diet described in this book. I even started with 6 weeks on the non-weights/calesthenic routine before lifting the weights. Then I spent the rest of the year doing the "beginner" routine. Oh, I didn't touch any anabolic steriods but supplemented with brewer's yeast, descicted liver, vitamin C, and Bee Pollen. I took to heart the advice about record keeping and about eating at the same time with strict adherence to the diet recommended. Now, at the age of 45, I still train almost daily, and still use some of the techniques I learned from this book (and teach them to my patients). Still have the 6-pack (though my sons joke with me when I blur out to a "4-pack" and start telling me to get in shape). Here are some of the points that have been especially helpful... 1. Always leave yourself a little hungry when it comes to exercise (stop before you would like so you want to come back the next day). But, when in the gym train very intensely. 2. Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate (it helps intensity and forces growth). 3. Don't let anywone get in the way of your most improtant dreams. 4. Eat and go to bed at the same time daily as much as possible (the body thrives on regularity). 5. Keep records. The records motivate you. 6. Use strict form. My oldest son's hormones just kicked in (turned 13) and so I bought him this book (still have my old copy, but it's a trophy now that's torn and stained with sweat from 20 years ago and it's not for loan). I think men should celebrate their strength and their intelligence at whatever level nature has allowed them. In this book, Arnold teaches the development of brain and brawn. Having followed Arnold (like many others) since he was more of a cult hero, it came as no surprise that he would gain a position of

Revealing Autobiography Of Big Arnie!

When this book was first released in the late 1970s, Arnold had yet to embark on a serious movie career, with only the starring role in "Pumping Iron" under his belt, and that being a limited success at that, playing only in art cinema houses and in limited distribution. It was long before his actual starring role in "Conan" (which had been rumored for years in bodybuilding circles before it finally came to fruition in the early 1980s. So it is interesting to read of the specificity of his plans and his supreme confidence in himself and his ability to succeed at anything he chooses in this well-scribed ghostwritten autobiography published long before.Those of us who had become familiar with Arnold and his progress in the public domain knew the world was hardy prepared for this steamroller of a human being, a man for whom the normal rules simply do not seem to apply. Other famous bodybuilders had tried to use their muscles and brawn to jump-start a Hollywood career, and although several such as Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott had been major stars in action films during the 1960s, neither was able to translate what was in actuality a brief spurt of public interest in men with superior physiques into a sustaining career. Yet from the beginning there was something about Arnie that defied the rules other mortals belabored under. Using the modest investment cash gained from the sale of his small gym in Munich to start himself, Schwarzenegger bought an apartment building and soon bought more property, growing up into the booming California real estate market in a way that propelled him into the ranks of the wealthy long before he ever read a movie script. Similarly, he and bodybuilding buddy Franco Columbo started a masonry business in Santa Monica, putting their brains and brawn to active work, and raking in the resulting financial dividends, reinvesting them to make the money work as hard as they did. This was no ordinary muscleman, and indeed, no ordinary young man. As George Butler reveals in his book "Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Portrait", Arnold was more focused and driven than anyone he had ever been introduced to.Instead, what we are treated to here is the real man behind all of the miscalculations and misrepresentations of the media, a man extremely driven to succeed in America, and willing to make the sacrifices to do it. Many people have underestimated him, only to find out later that there is much more to the man than an Austrian accent and a huge bicep. If a guy with a last name like Schwarzenegger can so beguile the public to become one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s and 1990s, than perhaps we do have to recognize that America is still the land of opportunity. The latest rumblings have him interested once more in running for political office, most likely for the Governorship in California. Yet it is perhaps too soon to assume he is finished as a movie star. He is currently filming "T-3', the third of the Terminator movies, and has

The Austrian Oak's inspirational story

Actually, Arnold wrote this book long before his Hollywood career took off. He tells an honest story about his life and career as a bodybuilder back in a time when bodybuilding was considered strange and obscure. Arnold helped shatter all the myths and stereotypes about the sport and realistically tells us how gruelling and demanding the sport really is. He is correct in accessing that certain body types have a better chance at succeeding while others have many obstacles to overcome. Sheer muscle mass is only part of the sport. Just as important is definition and symmetry. Arnold was blessed with just about perfect body symmetry so he was a natural. This doesn't mean he didn't work hard. In fact you'll gather inspiration as you read about him always pushing himself and striving to do better. Arnold is also not shy about some of the seedier elements that were around at the time he was in competition. Promises of contracts, endorsements, and money could disappear as fast as the unscrupulous businessman who took advantage of them. This is a great book about a great man and brought bodybuilding the dignity it deserves.

Great motivational piece for any aspiring athlete

The book is an autobiography of Arnold, up through the mid-70s. It is interesting to be inside the mind of a super-athlete such as Schwarzenegger. He conveys how and why he rose to become what many believe to be the greatest bodybuilder of all-time. He writes about many of the distractions of the early days -- girls, school, parental disaproval, a year of army duty -- and how he dealt with these and managed to stay focused on his dream to be the best at the sport. Within five years he became Mr. Universe. He perservered to become more than just a great bodybuilder. He became a superstar. After he had beat every other bodybuilder of his time, he decided to do away with competing and accomplish his next set of goals. He went into acting, and as we all know, became an international moviestar. In addition he went into the promotion side of bodybuilding, running competions such as Mr. Olympia, Mr. Universe, and of course, the Arnold Classic. He also set up many gyms in several countries. The second half of the book is a rough guide on how to begin a progressive resistance program, additional motivational advice, nutrition and the like.Throughout the book he demonstrates the many benifits he obtained from bodybuilding -- optimal health, discipline, mind control, etc. Basically, I found it very inspirational to read. However, I would suggest not to solely rely on the information in the second half for workout planning. Though it is good information, it is somewhat brief, and it is WHAT WORKED FOR HIM. Everyone varies in their response to weight training (i.e. how quickly their muscles grow) due to genetic predispositions, such as natural metabolism level, and and I would suggest getting additional, more comprehensive information, such as Gold's Gym Mass Building Training and Nutrition System, or check your local bookstore and do some browsing through the selection to see what appeals to your interest.