Arnold

New York Times

Bestseller: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic candid memoir of his extraordinary bodybuilding career and the secrets behind his success.

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

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The weight lifters shone with sweat; they were powerful looking, Herculean. And there it was before me—my life, the answer I’d been seeking. It clicked. It was something I suddenly just seemed to reach out and find, as if I’d been crossing a suspended bridge and finally stepped off onto solid ground.

Five-time Mr. Universe, seven-time Mr. Olympia, and Mr. World—all before he became a major movie star and then governor of California—Arnold Schwarzenegger, nicknamed the “Austrian Oak,” is the most famous name in bodybuilding. This is his classic bestselling account of his experiences in bodybuilding—his discovery of the sport as a teenager; his parents’ pressure to give up on it; his obsessive determination and ambition; and his rise to international celebrity. In addition, Arnold shares his fitness and training secrets—demonstrating with a comprehensive step-by-step program and dietary hints how to use bodybuilding for better health. His program includes a special four-day regimen of specific exercises to develop individual muscle groups—each exercise illustrated with photos of Arnold in action.