Leisure

There is no doubt about it—Arnold Schwarzenegger is a machine.

Everything about him is big. Heck, look at the size of his book.

He makes up his mind what he wants to go out and get, and—make no mistake about it—gets it.

I grew up over a decade behind him, but have always followed his life with great interest. I have always been into bodybuilding and powerlifting and health and fitness; have always been fascinated with strength. Have tried to live my life by the phrase: “A sound mind in a sound body.” So, when I found out about a kid from Austria (I’m also part Austrian—not that I knew that when I discovered Arnold) who took the world by storm, it really captured my interest. My stepmother at the time bought me ARNOLD: The Education of a Bodybuilder, and I was captivated (this link has the 1977 version of the cover I have and prefer to the newer covers). The man was massive and pretty nearly perfectly proportioned. And strong—he wasn’t just for show, he powerlifted, too. The other fascination about him was that he was the first bodybuilder I’d read about that went out and did things outside bodybuilding—he  worked out his mind and body and got into real estate. Had incredible initiative. Actively lived the axiom “a sound mind in a sound body.”

So, this is where my fascination with “The Austrian Oak” began. The Education of a Bodybuilder book obviously didn’t have much more than his meteoric rise within the bodybuilding world at the time, but he was clearly a force to be reckoned with. Now, I’ve never liked certain things about how he’d gotten to the top of bodybuilding, like messing with other competitor’s minds by outright lying to them and making them doubt themselves, but I understand why he did it (you could call it “psychological warfare”). I also don’t like all the violent films he makes and have stopped watching them years ago, though have to admit to having seen many of them. One of them is even a favorite of mine, the first Terminator (yeah, I’m not perfect either). But…I like how he created a vision for himself, stuck to it, and battled “insurmountable odds against him” to make something of himself. I also like how he’s made a positive difference for others across the world. Arnold is clearly a “world personality.” There’s nothing “parochial” about the man. I liken him to how some can whisper, or talk low into phones, and others cannot. There’s no whispering with Arnold. Everything about him is huge. Over the top.

Reading Total Recall was fascinating. He goes into great detail about his life and how he got there, and now that he’s in his 60s, there’s so much more to tell than in Education of a Bodybuilder. In this book, he not only details his successes, but also his failings and  foibles…but I have to admit, it got kinda old after a while, because he paints the picture of a man who [seemingly] rarely made mistakes, seems to have correctly and successfully second-guessed nearly everyone he’d ever met, and nearly always came out on top, smelling like a rose, and did the right thing. Granted, he had his dumb moves, and arrogant words flying out his mouth, usually when he was trying to be funny or cocky in his early days—and at someone else’s expense—but he admits to eventually smartening up (and then, of course, there’s the “big secret”…). Also I found it annoying when he “quoted” exact verbiage people were supposed to have said, 20-30 years ago. Now, I understand there’s got to be some kind of leeway when writing memoirs, about putting down words that supposedly came out of many people’s mouths (like, “…yes, you’re right, Arnold, we really should do it this way or that way…,” or “…Arnold, you really are an Olympian god and know better than anyone else…”), but it got annoying at the praise that seemed to have been heaped upon Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold is also good with numbers, something I never remember hearing about, or had, but had forgotten, so maybe he really does have a really good memory. Either way, I think all this self-described praise could have been downplayed some, in the beginning.

There was also a definite air of arrogance. And maybe that’s what people of his caliber—the über successful—all possess, don’t know, but it, too, grew tiring. And another “off feeling” I got was that this book (and I certainly could be wrong)—all of it (except Chapter 29)—seemed to me to be about making up for Chapter 29, which is titled, The Secret, and is about his affair with his housekeeper and their resulting child. I found the chapter interesting; like everything else in his life, he approached the subject head on and took total responsibility for what happened, but the chapter felt a bit “clipped” and trite, and was liked he couldn’t finished it fast enough. I’m sure it was kinda embarrassing to write. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole of the book was to somehow make up for that major misstep in his life. I expected more out of Chapter 29, but, instead, it felt truncated.

The chapter on his Governorship was enlightening. I’m not into politics, no longer live in California, no longer have lots of trips there (but had when he was in office), but it was interesting to read his take on what I’d seen and heard while there under his rule; to see all the behind-the-scenes crap that gave rise to the publicly manifested outcomes. Politics—it’s amazing anything gets done. He comes out and says that politics has gone the route of selfish party line antics, no longer doing what is needed for the good of the country. We all see that.

I liked Chapter 30’s “Arnold’s Rules.” It shows you can take chances, can buck the system. It’s always interesting reading anyone’s “rules” for living, especially extremely successful people.

Yet…Arnold is not a perfect man. And I don’t even think he claims anything near that.

In fact, I can’t think of one Human I know who can be described as “perfect.” But…Arnold’s energy, who he is…definitely burns hotter than most. He takes chances, not just little ones, but big, honkin’ ones. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. And it seems part of his life is in learning how to better deal with that intense energy he wields. He loves people, he’s outgoing, loves challenges, has his own “contradictions,” and loves helping others. Thinks ahead. Waaay ahead. And as much as I may have grown tired of his constant self-described deification early in the book, I do think he probably does have better ideas than most others out there. He’s intelligent. Street smart. Cunning. He seems to have proven all this throughout the course of his life.

And he’s also far from dead.

At 64, he has taken a position with Flex and Muscle and Fitness magazines, as the Group Executive Editor. He has also launched the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. He continues to act in movies, such as The Last Stand and in a planned future Terminator 5 film (which, yeah, I’m looking forward to…).

Though I had issues with his arrogance, self-deification, and the like, I really did enjoy reading his book, and looking into his life. But, I have to admit, reading it and analyzing it was like taking swipes at a life-long sacred cow for me, because I looked up to him for most of my life. But whatever you may think of the man, he has lived a fascinating life, and continues to live one. It ain’t over til it’s over. I think the “bigger you are” in life, the larger your mistakes. Or, at the very least, the more visible your mistakes. I don’t know any perfect people. We all have issues we’re dealing with. And I don’t think, overall, Arnold is an “evil” man. He’s made mistakes, one fricking huge one with his family and his housekeeper, but throughout the book (which I do feel—the more I think about it since finishing it last month—perhaps was written to show, yeah, he fucked up, he’s not perfect, but…) it does show he’s not evil. Perhaps misguided at times, but not evil. Depending on where you’re “coming from,” you will like or dislike the guy. I don’t think there’s much in-between, but I could be wrong. He’s definitely testosterone-fueled…but he if he’s anything else, he is “learning” his way through life. I don’t think this book will convince readers one way or the other, if they’re on the fence about him. But it will certainly give you more aufklärung as to just who this Arnold Schwarzenegger is.

He is a conqueror.

A statesmen.

An actor.

A father.

He is…the Terminator.

Nothing stops him.

Related articles

• Arnold Schwarzenegger named executive editor of bodybuilding magazines (gantdaily.com)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Going Back to His Old Job as a Magazine Editor (complex.com)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to world of bodybuilding (news.yahoo.com)