Arnold Schwarzenegger still raises eyebrows with his one-of-a-kind bodybuilding tenure that blossomed into an acting career. On the December 23, 2024, episode of the 2 Bears 1 Cave podcast, Schwarzenegger reflected on using mental warfare against Lou Ferrigno during his Pumping Iron days. He also broke down his heated rivalry with fellow action star Sylvester Stallone.
Not only did Arnold Schwarzenegger represent the golden era with a timeless physique, but he captured seven Mr. Olympia titles while competing actively. He skyrocketed to fame in acting, eventually becoming the highest-paid talent in the world.
He shared the big screen with the 6’5″ mass monster Lou Ferrigno, who competed against Schwarzenegger and co-starred in the iconic bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron. Tension was always a factor in Schwarzenegger’s endeavors, including his physique rivalry with Sylvester Stallone at the height of their careers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Looks Back on Lou Ferrigno & Sylvester Stallone Rivalries
During the podcast, Schwarzenegger reflected on the psychological warfare ‘two-pronged agenda’ he used to get in the head of Lou Ferrigno, one of his biggest threats on the bodybuilding stage.
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“It was a two-pronged agenda. One was to win, and the other one was to be entertaining for Pumping Iron. I was trying to show people how we can slowly talk an entire family into losing. It started off early by telling them about –I would drag them in by talking about my mother because they are Italians and they love family.”
After meeting Ferrigno and his family, he told them that his mother wouldn’t be able to see him compete, so he claimed he had already won the event a day before stepping on stage. This left Ferrigno confused leading into their battle.
“I called my mother and they said oh we’re looking forward to seeing her one day and all that stuff, I said she comes to America regularly, I told them that I told her I won even though the competition is tonight.
I told them I don’t know if I can reach her or not after the competition so I told her I won and they said congratulations. It made them all look at each other. That stuff was all kind of a mind-fuck type of thing, just to play with their minds a little bit and Lou got all confused,” he explained.
He said he lost Ferrigno’s trust after the incident, which still lingers almost 50 years later.
“Lou has never really trusted me ever again since that moment,” he shared.
He also discussed the catalyst for his on-stage rivalry with Stallone.
“I was really stupid. A journalist asked me some questions about Sly off the record. And I did not know that she had a tape recorder in the side of her purse running. Then, printed the whole thing. It was not meant to be like that but then of course, he was very angry. That kind of flared up the competition.”
After the ‘trust was gone,’ he and Stallone fought tooth and nail to present their best physiques in Hollywood action films like Rambo 2 and Commando.
“At that point, the trust was gone. Okay, let’s make this an open thing. Let’s go all-out. For years, we were trying to outdo each other with movies but I think as he said in an interview, and I totally agree with him that it was actually healthy even though we went a little bit beyond what we should have done.”
“It was healthy because it did motivate me and that felt like yeah, the guy is really ripped in Rambo 2, Stallone redefined definition because he was so disciplined with his diet.”
Due to Stallone’s dieting discipline, Schwarzenegger admits he was always trying to catch up with his incredibly low body fat percentage.
“That motivated me, I did my next movie Commando, and thought okay, I have to go and look like that too. I always had a body fat of around eight or nine percent, but went down to seven percent. I’m sure he was down to five percent.”
“I got pushed by him,” adds Schwarzenegger.
At 77, Schwarzenegger highlights that he enjoys alcohol in moderation following his recent heart surgery. While he prefers not to dwell on death, he understands it’s an inescapable part of life.
“Eventually I got to the point where after my heart surgery and stuff like that, I couldn’t really handle the alcohol anymore that much. Now I do it in moderation,” he shared.
“I try not to [think about death] because it sucks, right?” said Schwarzenegger. “I understand it because the funny thing about it is I think the better off we are and the more fun you have in life, the more pissed off you get that eventually this is going to be taken from you.”
Having reached the highest peaks in both bodybuilding and acting, fans continue to discover new details about Schwarzenegger’s remarkable life. He remains one of the most influential voices in fitness and hasn’t forgotten the rivalries that shaped his legacy.
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