Arnold Schwarzenegger at His Prime in 1975 — A Tribute to Bodybuilding Greatness

The second half shifts to the Arnie of the sixties (Schwarzenegger in his late sixties), on a bicycle, doing hanging knee raises, showing exercises to those around him.

In the early months of 1975, Schwarzenegger took a role in the film Stay Hungry alongside Jeff Bridges, during which he lost some serious weight. When his shooting wrapped up, he had barely 3 months to prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia. Challengers like Lou Ferrigno and Serge Nubret had established themselves as real threats to his reign.

Schwarzenegger trained 6 days a week, twice daily on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He gained around 50 pounds in 90 days to compensate for the weight he had to shed for the movie. And, probably to no one’s surprise, he beat Franco Columbu.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1975: The Mr. Olympia Win That Changed Bodybuilding Forever

The entire preparation of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the 1975 Mr. Olympia was filmed and released as a documentary known as Pumping Iron, directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore. Its release in 1977 was a huge feat for the sport of bodybuilding as it came into the mainstream and made Schwarzenegger its star.

Within a few years, he landed Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator.

Schwarzenegger won the Mr. Olympia title seven times in total; his record was only broken in 1991 when Lee Haney won his 8th consecutive title.

He was once called the most perfectly developed man in the entire history of the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. Lately, he started a program known as Arnold’s Pump Club, consisting of an online newsletter and a podcast dealing with nutrition, exercise, and well-being.

The 1975 footage made him a celebrity. The decades to come proved that it was never only about the competition.