Arnold Schwarzenegger may have won the Mr. Olympia title seven times, yet there was a time when he lost and felt so devastated that he reconsidered his career. The star moved to America when he was just 21 years old. Since then, not only did he commit himself to the country but also to the sport.
However, in 1968, following in the footsteps of his inspiration, Reg Park, the Austrian Oak dipped his toes into Mr. Universe. While he was positive that he would sweep the competition, unfortunately for him, he lost to bodybuilding veteran Frank Zane. In an earlier newsletter, Schwarzenegger described how he felt about bearing this loss.
Schwarzenegger’s confidence about winning the show wasn’t foundationless. Before landing in America, the former bodybuilder won the Mr. Universe championship in London and banked on his physique. That earned him an invitation to participate in the Mr. Universe at Miami by the father of bodybuilding, Joe Weider himself. However, things didn’t end up the way he thought they would. Schwarzenegger recalled how he spiraled down into a sea of negative thoughts.
“First, the denial: how did that little guy beat me? Then the mental beating and the worst-case scenarios: I’m a loser, why did I ever think this was a good idea? Weider won’t want to work with a loser. I’m going to end up back in Austria yodeling by next week.”
The icon ended up crying and sleeping it off. But once he woke up, he had a better understanding of what happened. He realized he needed to fine-tune his physique more, according to American aesthetic preferences. Soon enough, he got to work, and to his surprise, Weider still wanted him to stick around in the country.
“One of the first things I did was invite Frank Zane to stay and train with me. I wanted to learn from the person who beat me, and Frank was a great guy.”
After this, Zane and Schwarzenegger went on to share a great friendship. At the time, the bodybuilding veteran was a math teacher-turned-bodybuilder. And the ‘Terminator’ star sought help from him in more ways than evident.
Arnold Schwarzenegger got some tutoring help for college
When Schwarzenegger came to America, he enrolled himself at Santa Monica City College. However, apart from language barriers, the Austrian Oak also struggled with college algebra. That’s where Zane stepped in.
In an old interview, the veteran laughed about how Schwarzenegger struggled with college math. And with him being a tutor, he helped his competitor out with the dreaded subject. On-stage rivalry aside, both shared a healthy friendship that lasted the test of time. And that’s how bodybuilding over the years gifted fans with the spirit of sportsmanship.
