(1) `Pumping Iron was an Inspiration

Arnold Schwarzenegger

(image credit)

I was a small, skinny kid.  In 7th grade, for example, I remember weighing just over 70 pounds.  I was a conscientious, resourceful kid, and took it upon myself to get bigger and stronger.  It was the 1970s, and I discovered Arnold Schwarzenegger.  To say that he was an inspiration is an understatement.  I was enthralled, and I learned a lot about how to train with weights, how to eat for size and muscle, even how to pose in a bodybuilding contest.  One diet, for example, had me drinking a gallon of milk a day.  I definitely got stronger and more muscular, but nowhere near the level of competing.

I knew Arnold Schwarzenegger, before he became such a Hollywood star.  He talked about pursuing success on the big screen with the same forthright and vision that he poured into bodybuilding, but I didn't care about that pursuit.  I just cared about the latter.  I even had the book Pumping Iron already on hand, so when the film was released in 1977 I was stoked.  I was enthralled, as I knew many of the bodybuilders in its cast already.  It was about my inspiration coming to life.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD