Arnold Schwarzenegger, the seven-time Mr. Olympia, is no stranger to the bodybuilding realm and is known for the wisdom he has gained over the years. The 76-year-old former bodybuilder recently reminisced about his bodybuilding days back in the 70s. He highlighted that meditation helped him overcome all the challenges he faced back then.
The 70s were a booming era for Schwarzenegger, as he stepped into the Hollywood industry while still preparing for the Mr. Olympia championship. This was just the beginning of many great endeavors for the former bodybuilder. Howeverm, during this period Arnie struggled to maintain a balance between everything happening in his life at the same time.
One day, the Terminator suddenly ran into a guy he had seen on the beach many times before. The guy ran meditation classes and convinced Arnie to take a class with him, as he was not in a good place back then.
Schwarzenegger highlighted that the guy mentioned meditation: "It's the only answer; he just says it's one of many."
After taking the class, the Austrian Oak tried meditating at home for approximately twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes at night. This helped the Terminator overcome all the challenges he faced at that moment, and he said:
"I would say within 14 days 3 weeks, I got to the point where I really could disconnect my mind and, as they say to find this few seconds of this connection and rejuvenate the mind, and also learn how to focus more and to calm down, and I saw the effect right away."
Schwarzenegger believes that there are various forms of meditation
The former bodybuilder highlighted that he often studies or works hard as a form of meditation. The Terminator shared that this requires an ultimate amount of concentration and can only be performed for around 45 minutes to an hour. But playing chess serves Schwarzenegger the best.
Playing chess for just fifteen minutes charges the Austrian Oak's brains and helps restores all his energy. This allows him to jump back to his work and keeps him fresh. The Terminator also uses his workouts as a form of meditation, as he builds a mind-muscle connection while working out. This keeps his brain calm and focused on his goal.
Mediation is a practice that can help you keep calm and make you more productive. It even helped the bodybuilding legend overcome the challenges he faced in the early days of his career. Will you also consider meditating after learning about Arnie's experience? Let us know in the comments.