What's Going On Here? Arnold Explains

In speaking and interviewing Arnold Schwarzenegger regularly since 1995 I never cease to be amazed by his recollections – Total Recall perhaps? -- of all aspects of his life and career. Nowhere is this more true than when he reflects on those iconic days in Gold’s Gym, Venice, which has earned immortality by being called The Golden Era. Here’s a few Arnold memories from that time as he reviews some classic Artie Zeller shots.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

In this shot, from left: Denny Gable (furthest away), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kent Keuhn and Danny Padilla.

ARNOLD SEZ: In Gold’s Gym, Venice, we used to generate a special kind of energy. When you're the one working out, all the other guys are looking at you, so it gets your ego going. They were not only looking at you to support you, but to bust your ass if you didn’t do the required reps or complete a full range of motion. If I chickened out by not going all the way down on flyes, Ed Corney would scream at me, “C’mon girlie, why don't you just put your high heels on?”

WE’RE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER SHIRT

In this shot, from left: Dave Draper, Serge Jacobs, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Frank Zane.

ARNOLD SEZ: So here is Frank Zane posing and I am checking him out between doing donkey calf raises with Dave Draper. See I’ve got a towel around my shoulders so Dave can put his sweaty ass on my back. And the guy second from left is Serge Jacobs – multiple Mr. Belgium champ -- who was a wonderful guy. He was like Mr. Style, because he was the best-dressed bodybuilder I ever saw. I never concentrated on fashion and I’d ask him what I should wear. He said, “Striped shirts are in now.” So off we go driving all over Santa Monica looking for striped shirts in size 58” chest. We drove a long time.

THAT ‘70s SHOW

In this photo a tanned Arnold explains what’s going on in the image he’s holding, while Peter McGough does his Casper The Ghost shtick.

ARNOLD SEZ: This is a typical scene in Gold’s -- all the guys milling around training together. Usually I’d get up by 7.00am at the latest, eat breakfast, go for a short run – one mile or so -- and then go to Santa Monica City College for a two hour class in Business Administration. I’d get to the gym around 10 in the morning and then we’d train for 2 1/2 hours. After that we’d have lunch before attending another class at school, then back to the gym at five for the second session of the day. It seemed all the other guys wanted to train when I did. If I switched my time to train at seven, they trained at seven. If I switched to 9, they'd switch. They weren't being sycophants. I think they got a certain energy from being around me when I worked out. I was always making a noise and laughing about the pump, and urging them, “Forget 35 sets for the back today, we're doing 40. Come on, sissy man, there is no such thing as pain, let's go for it.” So I think, and I hope, that I brought this energy and joy to the workouts.

DANNY BOY

In this photo, from left: Paul Grant, Ed Corney, Danny Padilla (on bench), and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

ARNOLD SEZ: Here’s Danny Padilla struggling to get off the bench -- I think someone stole his ladder. Danny trained smart. One time I was watching him do cable flyes and asked him, “Why do you not go out all the way down to the arms outstretched position and instead only do a three-quarter movement. He replied, “Because I'm aiming for the inner pecs; the three-quarter movement makes the stress on them more concentrated and intense. Then we do the most muscular shot and Boom! The striations pop out like snakes. Try it and find out.” So I tried it, and the next day I was sore. I told Danny, “My chest keeps cramping and I never get that the day after a workout.” He said, “I told you so. You gotta train like the midgets.”

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