Former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger has worked hard to build a positive fitness community on the internet over the past few years. This year, at the Arnold Sports Festival, he gathered members of this community (village, as he likes to call it) from across the globe under the same roof. They came together for an insightful session on the importance of inclusivity in fitness. And in his recent Instagram post, Arnold talks about how the pump village matters to him the most.
Schwarzenegger began his daily newsletter, ‘The Pump Club’ a few years ago, which included various anecdotes, insights, advice, and science-backed observations. The goal of the newsletter was to spread the message of inclusivity in fitness. In a recent social media post, he reminisced about one of the highlights of the festival, where he saw his work come to fruition.
The post contained a series of pictures of Schwarzenegger addressing a seated crowd in an auditorium. This meet, he claimed, was one of the segments at the event where members of his ‘Pump Club,’ had gathered to see their idol. They interacted with him while he got to greet and hear them in person.
Schwarzenegger would often conduct online AMAs to interact with fans. This meeting was a pleasant change for the star, who now also has his fitness app up and running. Apart from the newsletter, the users of this application could also have exclusive access to perks, and many of the attendees seemed to be users.
“One of the highlights at this year’s @ArnoldSports was bringing together The Pump app village in person for the first time.”
Throughout the weekend, this meetup seemed to hold a special place in Schwarzenegger’s heart. Launched during the new year, his ‘Pump App’ had already witnessed several transformations and heard success stories. But at the Arnold Sports Festival, the star had the good fortune of hearing these anecdotes in person.
“Talking to all of you, hearing your success stories, and seeing you connect, I realized we’ve succeeded at building the positive corner of the internet.”
The event’s success was a testament to how hard Schwarzenegger worked towards it. Multiple events and many trophies later, athletes are proud of the community. And now, the star has recently announced bigger plans for the upcoming season.
Arnold Schwarzenegger breaks rules for Arnold Classic 2025
After Hadi Choopan won the Arnold Classic 2024, Schwarzenegger took over the stage to announce something that shocked everyone. The prize money for the competition had consistently been less than what the Mr. Olympia organizers had set. This was due to a promise the star made to Joe and Ben Weider.
But now, he announced that the winning prize next year would be a whopping $500,000. This is $100,000 more than what Mr. Olympia offers. In a full disclosure post-Arnold Classic, Schwarzenegger revealed that the move was intended as a challenge for the Olympia organizers to raise the stakes. It might be a competitive move, but 2025 now promises more intense battles and challenges on the bodybuilding stage.
