Arnold Schwarzenegger's struggle with body image

Arnold Schwarzenegger is former Mr. Olympia and one of the most famous body builders in the world. He opened up about body image during his prime physical shape and how he struggled greatly.

While in an interview with Cigar Aficionado, Arnold spoke up about his life-long struggle with body dysmorphia. He stated that even while he was competing and winning the Olympia championships, he struggled with how his body looked in the mirror. He said he "never saw perfection" and that "there was always something lacking" which led him back into the gym to continue working on his physique.

He states that he still struggles with this "not big enough" mentality and continues to fight to deal with the issues.

"When I look in the mirror, I throw up."

Although he's taking steps to deal with his body dysmorphia (in this case it is muscle dysmorphia), the feeling still has not went away. He states that he now deals with these issues by doing everything he was doing 20 years ago to make sure he does not disappoint himself. He said in the interview "i could not look in the mirror and say, 'you know something, you're a f**king loser; you cannot even do the kind of sets and exercises and eat the kind of food you wrote down' I didn't want to face that.'

personal notes:

• to me it seems like he is not dealing with the muscle dysmorphia at all because he's still critiquing himself to the point where he has to push himself like he did 20+ years ago.

• using Arnold shows other lifters and body builders that they are not alone and that even the most prized man in the industry struggles with how he looks and feels about himself.

Mens Health Staff. (2021, June 2). Arnold Schwarzenegger opens up about his negative body image problems. Men's Health Magazine Australia. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.menshealth.com.au/arnold-body-issues/