#574: Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More) (Repost)

This episode is brought to you by Viore Clothing, spelled V-U-O-R-I. Viore. I've been wearing Vore. At least one. item per day for the last few months and You can use it for everything. It's performance apparel is

But it can be used for working out. It can be used for going out to dinner. At least in my case, I feel very comfortable with it. super comfortable, super stylish, and uh I just want to read something that one of my employees said. She is an athlete. She is quite technical, although she would never say that. I asked her if she had ever used or heard of Viore and this was her response. I do love their stuff, been using them for about a year. I think I found them at REI, first for my partner, T-shirts that are super soft but somehow last as he's hard on stuff. And then I got into the super soft cotton yoga pants and jogger Sweatpants.

I live in them and they too have lasted. They're stylish enough I can wear them out and about. The material is just super soft and durable. I just got their Clementine running shorts for summer and love them. The brand seems pretty popular, constantly sold out. In closing, and I'm abbreviating here, but in closing With the exception of when I need technical outdoor gear, they're the only brand I've bought in the last year or so for yoga running loungewear that lasts and that I think look good also. I like the discrete logo. So that gives you some idea. That was not intended for the sponsor read. Uh that was just her response via text. Vori, again spelled V-U-O-R-I, is designed for maximum comfort and versatility. you can wear it running, you can wear their stuff training, doing yoga, lounging, weekend errands, or in my case again, going out to dinner. It really doesn't matter what you're doing. Their clothing.

Is so comfortable. And uh look so good and it's it's non offensive that you don't have a huge brand logo in your face. You'll just want to be in them all the time. And my girlfriend and I have been wearing them for the last few months, their men's core short, K-O-R-E. The most comfortable lined athletic short is your one short for every sport. I've been using it for kettlebell swings, for runs, you name it, the Banks short. This is their go to land to see short. is the ultimate in versatility. It's made from recycled plastic bottles. And what I'm wearing right now

Which I had to pick one to recommend to folks out there, or at least to men out there, is the Ponto Performance Pant. And you'll find these at the link I'm gonna give you guys. And you can check out what I'm talking about. But I'm wearing them right now. their thin performance sweatpants, but that doesn't do them justice. So you gotta check it out. PONTO Ponto Performance Pant. For you ladies, the women's performance jogger. is the softest jogger you'll ever own. Vieori

isn't just an investment in your clothing, it's an investment in your happiness. And for you, my dear listeners, they're offering 20% off your first purchase. So get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet. It's super popular. A lot of my friends have now noticed are wearing this. And so am I. VoriClothing.com forward slash Tim. That's V U O R I clothing.com slash Tim. Not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but you'll also enjoy free shipping on any US orders over$75 and free returns. So check it out. Vory clothing.com slash Tim, that's V-U-O-R-I Clothing.com slash Tim, and discover the versatility.

of Viore clothing. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time what I would take if I could only take one supplement. I've been asked this for years. The answer is invariably AG1 by Athletic Greens. I view it as all in one nutritional insurance. So you can cover your bases. If you're travelling

If you're just busy. You're not sure if your meals are where they should be. it covers your bases. I've recommended it. Since the four hour body which was God. Eons ago, 2010, and I did not get paid to do so. With approximately 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients, you'll be hard pressed to find a more nutrient dense formula on the market. It has a multivitamin, multi-mineral greens complex, probiotics and prebiotics for gut health, and immunity formula.

Digestive enzymes and adaptogens. You get the idea. It is very, very comprehensive. And I do my best, of course, to focus on nutrient dense proper meals, but Sometimes you're busy, sometimes you're traveling, sometimes you just want to make sure

that you are getting what you need. AG1 makes it easy to get a lot of nutrition when whole foods aren't readily available. It's also NSF certified for sport, making it safe for competitive athletes as what's on the label is in the powder. It's the ultimate all-in-one nutritional supplement bundle in one easy scoop. Right now, Athletic Greens is giving my audience a special offer on top of their all in one formula, which is a free vitamin D supplement and five free travel packs with your first subscription purchase. Many of us are deficient in vitamin D. I found that true for myself, which is usually produced in our bodies from sun exposure. So adding a vitamin D supplement to your daily routine is a great option for additional immune support. Support your immunity

and energy by visiting athletic greens dot com slash Tim. You'll receive up to a year's supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your subscription. Again, that's athleticgreens.com slash. Tim. Optimal minimal.

At this altitude I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking. And I asked you a personal question. No, it is. A cybernetic organism, living tissue over metal mental skeleton. No Hello, ladies and gents, this is Tim Ferris, and welcome to a very special episode of the Tim Ferris Show.

Where each episode I attempt to deconstruct world class performers to find what makes them tick. The tools and tricks. that you can use in your daily life. Ranging from

Professional athletes to chess prodigies to billionaire investors to in this episode. That's right. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The man himself, the governator, the terminator, the man who killed The goddamn predator.

People. This was an amazing experience for me. Of course, there are many things that I associate with my upbringing, if you want to call it that, in the eighties, guns and roses, but of course, there's commando, there's predator. The list goes on and on. This man is a force of nature, and I had the opportunity, the rare opportunity to visit him at his home in southern California at the kitchen table. We dug into everything and I really wanted to

dig into areas that had not been explored widely in any other interviews that I could find. And that ranges from the art of psychological warfare. He is a master. How did he apply that? What phrases did he use? Questions did he use to get inside the head of his opponents. We cover that. What was his most lucrative movie? I'll give you a hint. Twins. How the hell

Did that happen? Well There's a lot. that goes into the backstory of that. How did he make millions of dollars fresh off the boat? before his acting career took off. A lot of people don't realize he was a millionaire before his acting career took off.

How did that happen? We dig into it. How did Arnold use meditation for one year and just one year to completely reset his brain and prime the stage for massive success? And of course, mailing cowballs to politicians, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. This was an amazing episode. I want to let you get right into it. The show notes, links, all that good stuff. will be found at four hour workweek all spelled out.

Four hour work week. dot com, click on podcast, or you can just go to four hour workweek dot com forward slash Arnold. Please.

A wild romp. Through the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I I wanted to start with a thank you for welcoming me to your house, number one, but number two.

I've felt awkward. all morning because I don't know how I should address you. And I wanted to ask you how I should address you. Well you can address me there any way you want. You can call me governor?

Yeah. Governor? Schnitzel. Arnold. Okay. But I think Arnold. I'll go with Arnold. It's it's I felt like my first year in Japan when I was fifteen because I didn't know how to address anybody.

Uh So I figured we could start with uh A favorite topic. Well it's become a favorite topic as I've been thinking about this, which is Big balls and cowballs and bull testicles. So you've got to

Mailed. Uh sculptures of bull testicles. to people before, is that right? Well, there was one

Incident uh And uh particular that was when I was governor. And there was uh you know one of the the leaders, legislative leaders.

Daryl Steinberg. Uh and Ivy both had the huge challenge. Uh California was hit by an enormous Uh you know. Economic decline. There was a worldwide recession that was hitting us in two thousand and eight.

And everyone kind of was caught by surprise of what the fact it had that all of a sudden we had twenty billion dollars less in revenues, therefore we had to make big cuts. in education and in various different areas that really hit the vulnerable citizens. Um of California. And so when we did the budget.

I basically sent him up before we negotiated. You know, a set of balls. And uh And uh you know, kind of just be the note that say I hope you have that. Maybe negotiate the budget because that's what we both need, but that would be all in this building need.

Uh in order to get this budget done because it's not gonna be a British budget because People will hate it. They will hate us, you know, they'd be making those cuts, but it's all the money we have. And so I he didn't take it lightly. Did he take it well or did he take it seriously? No, no, because he took it seriously. He he kind of like What happened is is I've like you said I've done it before. And um It's kind of things that I do, you know, I do always uh you know, pranks and people and jokes and stuff like that.

Uh, but it's always kind of meant with a sense of humor. Right. You know, so it's always when you and I always have this uh tendency that when things get really intense And when people start, you know, freaking out, I try to make a joke or something to to lighten things up and just say, Look You know. Ten years from now we're gonna look at this day and laugh about it. Right now it's very serious and now we you know, we have to you know really concentrate on this and we have to do something that we don't feel comfortable, whatever the situation is. In this case at the capital This was the situation. It was a terrible situation that we were in economically. And I thought they would l loosen it up before the the legislative leaders come down

uh you know, to my office and we start negotiating and it just didn't go very well. I mean he felt insulted and he felt hurt and he felt how could I do this and all this stuff. Uh you know, so I said I said, look I'm sorry, I did not mean it that way. I don't think it's as serious. It was m meant to be a joke. Those things happen, you know. Yeah, you've you're no stranger to adversity, of course. I mean you grew up in a very small village in Austria. Uh you had I think uh the splash toilet, or what was the uh the nickname for it? The uh basically uh chamber pot. Exactly. Uh and basically it's it's like an outhouse, but it is in the house. And uh you know you uh sit there. And uh you know and you hear Uh maybe a second later after

You know I You go number two, you hear then the plotch. You know, so that's why they call it splotch the toilet. And uh and so that was a common thing. Um in in in uh old buildings. Our building was like two hundred and some years old. And um th there was

Uh you know, there was no uh uh Flashing toilet. And there was also no running water in our house where I grew up. And so we had to get basically the water. From around the hundred the

to two hundred yards away. Uh from a well that we had to pump. And uh winter and summer. Didn't make any difference. And uh we had to carry the buckets of water.

Uh two hour house, the kitchen. And then it was used very sparingly. We drank. From dead water. We washed ourselves with that water.

There was no shower, so we washed ourselves with washcloth and with with soap. And there was a whole kind of uh Uh you know a But everyone had their position. My mother went first. And washed yourself.

And um Then it was my father's turn and then it was my brother's turn at the time I w washed myself. uh the labour or that base where the water was in Was pretty black. But you know the the the interesting thing about it was it was You know, other places had exactly the same situation. We were not the only ones, so we didn't feel like kind of wow, you know, we we are really growing up poor. As a matter of fact

I never felt When I was a kid that we were poor. I always felt like we were like everyone else because we were surrounded by farmers that had very little money, they had little farms or workers the working class where workers uh made actually less money than my dad, and my dad didn't make much money at all because he was a police officer And there was much more the benefits the you know, the the the the pension that you get in the healthcare and all the stuff, uh, but not much salary, just enough that my mother could buy to buy the groceries and to buy some things and once a year to buy clothes at Christmas time for us or to knit some clothes for us and stuff like that. So but I mean there was like the neighbors were living the same way and everyone when I went to school all the other kids were kind of in the same boat.

And Which brings up a a question for me. that I've always wanted to ask you related to confidence. Because I was looking at Of course, I think your name is almost synonymous with confidence for a lot of people. And people look to you to try to borrow confidence and that's part of the appeal of a lot of your movies and your successes.

But I was looking at a very old photograph. I think it's a very important thing. your first major bodybuilding competition in uh Stuttgart. I think it was the junior Mr. Europe. And I looked at this photograph and what stuck out to me was If y we had just looked at the faces, not the bodies. It was so clear to me that you were going to win and that you knew or believed you were going to win. Your face was so confident compared to every other competitor.

Where did that confidence come from? My confidence came from my vision. Uh because I am always a big believer that If you have a very clear vision of where you want to go. Then the rest of it is much easier.

Because you know always why you're training five hours a day. You always know why you're pushing and going through the pain barrier and why do you have to eat more and why do you have to struggle more, why do you have to be more disciplined, and all of those things become much more clear. It's not like oh my God, I have to do another In the two hundred sit ups. It's more kind of like I can't wait to do another two hundred sit ups because That would get me one step closer to have the apps that I need to win that Mr. Universum. That's my goal.

I see myself clearly on that stage. winning the Mr. Universe, I see myself very clearly of getting the trophy, standing there with the trophy, raising it above my head. And having hundreds of bodybuilders around me kind of below me on stage, uh looking up and idolizing me, including the thousands of people that are watching the event. So that was always my clear vision and that always inspired me

uh to go all out. And so when I went for competition you have to understand I went uh from the uh to the junior Mr. Europe during my time in the military. And so what it took for me to go And to get on the train. uh sok.

Which was the people's train. meaning kind of like it was not then schnell zu the fast train. It was the slow train that literally stopped and every train station to let workers off and to bring new workers on. And that's what the train was. And so with that you g went to all the way to Stuttgart because it was the cheapest way Of going. Because I didn't have much money. And you didn't get hit by any customs officers or anything like that. I didn't have my

passport because you had to give up the passport when you go into the military, right? So oh y or you you you you you pass. I didn't even have a passport. Passport we got afterwards when we f were finished with the military. But I mean so. If we got through and we got to uh the Germany Uh the Studgart. And so there was this will there.

That no matter what it takes, and even if I have to crawl Uh to Germany. That I will be there at that event because that was my shot when I saw the ads about this Mr. Europe Junior competition, best gibda atlet Europa's. In German. And uh

And that that was my opportunity. to really go and to make my first kind of uh Entry. into an international competition. And I felt that um, you know, I can win it.

And that's what I was there for. I wasn't there to compete, I was there to win. And uh and so that's why you saw that facial expression There was a certain arrogance there, there was a certain way that opposed with the other competitors. I always felt w during the pose off. that I had my act together much more than the others did and then I'm gonna You know, uh kind of

You know, make them feel inferior and uh and I will win and I will look facially and physically So you touched on something I really want to dig into, which is the The the psychological warfare.

of bodybuilding, of life in general. I really feel and this is a compliment I mean it is a compliment, a a real master. And if anyone who's watched Pomping Iron or or anything, I think It comes away with one. That is a takeaway. Uh How did you d how did you develop that? And for instance, when you were, I guess, seventeen or eighteen

Uh, how did you get inside the heads of those people? At that point. I think that it it uh Came about. When I

Trained in the gym. I always felt that People uh kind of really vulnerable. uh in certain areas.

So that someone that comes to the gym And works out because he wants to have a better body. That he most likely will be vulnerable and that's during conversations that I discovered in Munich when I was trainer in the gym. They were wonderful when you said something like Well you you're fat. Well there was it was i there was not like uh even a a a doubt in anyone's mind if ten people would have looked at that guy or a hundred people, they all would have said that that guy is fat. But he was outraged.

He said, What? Uh uh. Y do you really think I'm that fat? That you're mentioning it as it were you in the gym. I go to a doctor's office and say I have a cough.

I don't go and beat around the bush. I say I have to tell him what the problem is and then he can give me the medication. I say and there's the same thing in the gym. I say you come here because you're fucking fat And so that that so now that solved the problem. And so there's no beating around the bush there either. And so you know, so I could see that they were kind of like shriveling up.

And kind of shocked. So I could see the vulnerability And then I I tried different lines on people and you know we'll talk about their hair the hairline Uh or we'll talk about the hair color turning gray or then they it would just freak out you know about little things like that. So

it was natural that with all the experience that I got now being a trainer and working with people and all this, that I learned about people's psychology and about their weaknesses and their strength and all this, how do you build people up? Because my whole thing was Let's first discover And talk about the weakness. And then let's go and rebuild everything. And uh so that was the idea to give this guy six pack, to make him feel great, to declare victory by next summer, that he can go to the beach and that he can go and feel proud of himself and feel great and all this and then continue training. So that was the idea. Uh so

Uh it was very clear that when I said to someone Um Let me ask you something, is it do you have any knee injuries or something like that? And then this they would s they would look at me and say No, why? Why

No, no in n no knee injury at all. No. My knees feel great. And I said I said, Why are you asking? I said, Well because your thighs look a little slimmer to me. I mean I it be I th thought maybe you can squat, though maybe there's some problem with leg extension. But then this is really And then I saw them all for two hours in the gym. Always going in front of the mirror and checking out the thighs if the thighs still exist or something. So but I mean this is you know, people get people how vulnerable about those things. So Naturally when you now have a competition. You use orders.

Yeah. And so did the use you ask people were they sick uh for a while, you know, why they they look a little leaner, or that the you know, uh you know, did you take any salty foods lately? And they say why? I said because it looks like you have water retention. I said it doesn't look as ripped as you were like a week ago. So th that th rose People off uh in an unbelievable way. They can and and they walk away kind of like oh this didn't bother them at all. But then you n you can see you watch them As they walk around the pump up room. And then you warm up for the competition.

And you could see them kind of thinking. To themselves kind of and then going to the mural and checking it out secretly and all that stuff. So you know it works a I just slowly developed it because I always felt That sports A not just a physical thing.

As a matter of fact, I felt that the the mentality and the mental strength In sports and the psychology in sports. In reality, I mean I see when I watch a Mr Olympia competition or Mr Universe competition or any of those things You know, they all look pretty much the same, the top five guys.

But what makes one emerge is is the way he acts. If he acts like a winner, if you see him smiling, having a great time on stage and those so I felt in that one should use the psychology, one one should use everything uh in as far as food supplements is concerned, uh you know the use of base uh best you know, posing trunks. uh use uh you know, uh try to use the sun out there and work out in the sun so you get tan all around, uh use the best posing routine. Just really give me a ten of everything. Then you have a shot of winning. And uh and psychology was definitely part of that.

And You develop this this arsenal of uh intimidation. through the the bodybuilding. Did you use that, for instance, uh in movies waiting in line to audition against other people who were going into audition or anything like that? Did it did did it apply to to Show business?

I never additioned. Okay. Um I would never go out for the regular parts because I was not a regular looking guy. So my idea always was, okay, everyone is going to look the same and everyone is trying to be the blonde guy in California, going to Hollywood interviews and then looking somewhat athletic and cute and all this. Uh okay, how can I carve myself at the niche that is unique that only I have And so I always felt like

Really strong about You know, I have to get into the movie business like Reg Park did like Steve Reeves or Paul Window, uh Larry uh uh Gordon and and all those uh in uh uh all those guys that were in the Muslim movies in the in the fifties and sixties, that's the way I'm gonna get in there. Of course. you know, the naysayers were right there and they said, Well, you know, this time has passed. This was twenty years ago, uh you look too big, you're too monstrous, uh too muscular, you would never get in the movies. So that's what producers said in the beginning in Hollywood, and that's also what agents said in managers. He said, I doubt that you're gonna be successful in that because the day's idols I mean, this is not the seventies, Arnold, the day's idols are you know, Dustin Hoffman, Albert Gino, uh Woody Allen. I mean look at this all little guys

You know, those are the sex symbols. Those are the hot stars. Look at you, you weigh two hundred and fifty pounds or something like that. This is that time is over. And um But I felt still very strongly.

And had a very clear vision. that the time will come where someone will appreciate that and then sure enough You know, um when uh people saw me on talk shows They got inspired.

Directors like Barbara Aferson. And then You know bought the script of uh Stay Hungry. uh the book of Stay Hungary and had it written into a script and then did the movie with me because he believed in me, that I had the personality and I had a certain strength and um

a certain kind of a look that would be great on the screen, that the c the camera loves me. uh and all that. And so it worked. I did Stay Hungry, I did then Pumping On the Documentary and uh you know, I did uh the the streets of San Francisco and uh work then with Anne Margaret and with Kirk Douglas and the villain And then all of a sudden I got the contract for Conan the Barbarian. And uh bang, there we were, twenty million dollar movie, which today will be a uh equivalent of a two hundred million dollar movie. Um and Dina Delorand is producing Universal Studio, an international studio, uh you know, uh financing the movie and uh so it was and John Milliars, uh first class director directing it. So my whole plan worked. And I was so right. Even John Milliers after he has done the movie, he said

If we wouldn't have had Schwarzenegger, we would have had to build one. Because of the body. And when the determinator Uh Jim Cameron said If we wouldn't have had Schwarzenegger and we couldn't have done the movie because only because he sounded like a machine was it so believable that he actually played a machine. And that's what where people bought in. When he says, I'll be back, it's totally different than when I say I'll be back kind of thing. So so so he was the greatest compliment.

That the the very things that the the agents and the managers And the student executive said would be a total Obstacle. Became an asset.

And uh my career started taking off. So the the not auditioning is really interesting to me. And I I knew you were very successful in real estate, but uh correct me if I'm wrong, you had basically made become a millionaire in real estate before your first movie. Is that right? Not before the first movie, before my career took off. Got it. So I did not rely On my movie career to make a living. Because that was my n my intention because I saw Over the years

The the the the people that worked out in the gym. And did I met in the acting classes? They all were very vulnerable because they didn't have any money and they had to take anything that was Offered to them. Uh

Because That was the living. I didn't want to get into that situation. I felt like if I'm smart with real estate and take my little money that I make in bodybuilding and with seminars and selling my courses uh through the mail order and all this Um I could save up enough money to put down money for an apartment building. And uh I realized that in the seventies

The inflation rate was very high. And therefore uh an investment like that is like unbeatable because buildings that you know I would buy for five hundred thousand dollars, you know, within the year were eight hundred thousand dollars and then only put the maybe a hundred down. So you know you made three hundred percent on your money. So you couldn't you couldn't beat that. So I quickly developed and traded up my buildings in Baltimore, uh uh apartment buildings and office buildings on Main Street down in Santa Monica and so on. And uh the investments were very good and it was just one of those magic Decade.

Uh the day you couldn't do it. in that same field. There's another field in real estate where you can do that, but in this particular field I don't think you will see those kind of jumps ever again. And I benefited from that and I became a millionaire from uh uh my real estate investments and that was before my career took off in uh show business in acting, which was after Conan the Barbarian in nineteen eighty two that movie came out. We shot it in eighty one and in eighty two it came out. So from that point on my career took off because people saw, you know, that the movie was successful at the box office. Then you know I signed a contract to do Conan number two and uh you know then that led to a contract you know with uh uh for Terminator One and then Commander and you know, then the action genre.

There was another fortunate thing. Each of those decades Offered something very fortunate. that was a little bit beyond my control. But I benefited from that, you know, so that there was the action shounder that all of a sudden took off in the eighties with Stallone and Fantam and uh all those guys. Uh coming in.

uh really was terrific and you know, our salaries went in a mine I got like a million dollars for terminator two, and then all of a sudden by the end of the decade I made twenty million dollars. That's incredible. And uh So I wanted to talk about the mail order for a second because That was done with with Franco?

Colombo or the the uh with Franco Colombo is a European was a European champion in power lifting and uh also a boxing champion and then became a bodybuilding champion. And then he I brought him over here s with uh Joe Weeder's help.

Uh to train with me here. in America, but at that point there was no money in bodybuilding. That's a key thing that everyone has to understand. Unlike the day where the top bodybuilding champions make millions of dollars In those days there was no money in bodybuilding. And so

When we didn't have enough money, we literally had to go to work. And so Franco and I since Franco's talent was to be a Bricklayer. And uh s very skilled bricklayer.

uh and learned that in Italy and in Germany. uh we were able to go and start thinking about the idea of putting an ad in the LA Times Creating a company. And calling it Europe in bricklayers and masonry experts. Uh Marble Experts.

Building chimneys in fireplaces. the European style. And this was also a time where everything that was European was huge in America. So we benefited from that, you know, Swedish massages and everything had to be kind of a foreign name. Oh Japan is this and this so Europe and Japan and all this

For some reason the other people just thought that was better. And so we use that. In the ad. And we put the ad in the paper and

Literally a week later. We had the big earthquake. And I mean the chimneys fell off the the the apartment houses and all this stuff. And the it cracked walls and all this. And so Frank and I we uh as a matter of fact one of the friend of ours Wife. who was very smart and she worked in a supermarket.

Um she Did uh answering the phones and calling people back and all this. uh just to make sure that our English doesn't get all screwed up with the talking over the phone and all this. And uh and and so she Gave us then the addresses and then we got to do the estimates and I was kind of like set up to be the math genius. And that figures out the square footage. And that Franker will play

The bad guy. And I play the good guy. And so we would go to someone's house and then someone would say, Well look at my patio is all cracked. Can you guys put a new patio in here? And I would say yes, and then I would run around with the tape measure, uh, but there would be a dead measure with centimeters. And no one in those days could at all figure out anything with centimeters. And we will be measuring up and I say what this is you know uh four meters and uh eighty two centimeters and they had no idea what we were talking about. And this is so much and then we are we're writing up formulas and the dollars and amounts and and and square Uh the centimeters and square meters and all this stuff. And then uh I would go to the guy and I said well uh I said um

It's five thousand dollars. And the guy will be in a state of shock. And he says it's five thousand dollars. I said, This is outrageous. I said, I mean it didn't think that it's as well what did you expect the the the basis I thought maybe it's like two, three thousand dollars is about five thousand it says I said uh let me talk to my guy, I said because y he is really the masonry expert, I said, but I can beat him down for you a little bit. Yeah. Let me soften the meat. And then say I will go over to Franco and we will start arguing in German. You know, this is eine Schweinerei, du kannst nicht so fangen. Das ist ein Plötzchen, die will mir arbeiten hier in Amerika. And this will be going on and on. And he'll be screaming back him in Italian and some some stuff. And then I will be uh then all of a sudden he calm down and then we'll go to the guy and say, Phew. Okay, here it is.

I could get him as low as three thousand eight hundred dollars. I say can you go with that? And he says. Thank you very much. You know, I I I I I I really think that you're a great man. Blah blah blah, and all this stuff. I said, give us half down right now. We go right away and get the cement and get the bricks and everything that we need for here and we can start working as it amante. And the guy was ecstatic, he gave us the money, we immediately ran to the bank cash to the check to make sure that the money's in the bank account. And then we went out and got the cement and the the wheelbarrow and the all the the stuff that we needed.

And uh and went to work. And so we worked like that for two years. I mean very successfully. As a matter of fact, on the end we had uh various different jobs where we employed like sixteen different bodybuilders. all the laziest bastards that you can ever hire, but never the because they all were interested in working outdoor and getting a tan at the same time for the bodybuilding competitions. They were not interested in working. But anyway, so we all had a good time. We all made money and uh you know fr and uh this is actually then I did this until I started my mail order business and then that became the new source of extra income so we could afford everything and then save also some money and so on. And uh so I've of cour well, I shouldn't say of course, but I've I've followed followed you since I was a little kid. Uh also Franco though. I remember watching the replay of the

world strongest man competition with the refrigerator walk when his leg gave out But I was always impressed by how uh how strong he was for his weight. I mean I think he deadlifted more than seven hundred and fifty pounds at less than one ninety or something like that. Well he did with the seven thirty he did like five reps. That's just like uh And How uh what are the reasons the two of you have remained uh

remain friends for so long. I think We both come from Europe. Uh I think we both were struggling. And the beginning I met Franco.

the day of the Mr. Europe Junior competition. That same Day. He won the powerlifting championships. in the lightweight category.

And uh so He was up there on the stage getting his trophy. I was up there on the stage getting my trophy. And then the category of bodybuilding championship of the world Past eighteen years of age.

uh which would they they call the senior division, but it was not really senior, what they consider now here senior, being over forty five or whatever it is. But I mean uh then it was just someone that was older than eighteen. Um He was up there, the winner. on stage. So there was all three of us on stage and then You know, uh Franco worked out in Munich and I said to him, I said

uh I want to come to Munich, I want to work out in Munich. Um after the military is finished and uh and f you know, Franco said, Well, you know, I'm I'm there. If you have a comment says, Let's work out together And I told him that I admire power lifting that I do power lifting and weightlifting.

And bodybuilding. And then we'll work out with him and get stronger. And so when I basically moved to Munich, uh Franco was one of the first guys that uh went uh uh to see and asking before to be my training partner. Now Franco didn't train as much as I did at that time.

Uh, so I used several training partners, but Franco was one of them. And we just developed a really a great friendship because he was a foreigner in Germany. He was a what they call it Gastarbeiter. And so I was considered a gastarbeiter. You know, I mean uh kind of a guest from the outside from Austria coming to Germany. And uh you know, we developed a really close relationship So we trained for two years together. He helped me with the powerlifting, I helped him with the bodybuilding. And then uh By nineteen sixty eight, I moved to California. And I convinced Joe Wheeler then

To uh give Franco a a uh LN ticket. Bring him over here that he will not regret it. That he is really what I am in bodybuilding except in the short uh men uh category The champion. He's like

the ultimate is it is no one better and he is a great strong man. I say he bends steel bars and blows up hard water bottles and breaks wood and steel and everything. I said he's c a crazy guy. I said his tremendous power. I said that if he has this sunshine here And the training equipment and the food supplements I said that he will blow everyone out of the water, I mean it would just you it would be unbeatable. And that's exactly what happened. Frankel came here in nineteen sixty nine

And we trained together and he won every championship after that. He won Mr. Universe and Mr. World, and then eventually uh even Mr. Olympia after I I retired. And we always worked that together. We always were very good friends and very supportive and everything. And uh even the day. And I'm very proud of him because he spoke no English. Unlike me who spoke a little English, he spoke absolutely none. And he went then and passed the entrance examination to the Kyabractic College and and uh went and with me to take some classes at the community college. and uh got his English better and the s his uh his uh commander with the language, then passed the the entrance examination at the Chabractor College

And then become become a carbrag the And passed his board The first time. Not like some of the guys that I worked out with in the gym that to try it two or three times and then finally passed it a third time. So I was really proud of him at that and then he was just became an expert

in uh actual manipulation and working with the body. He had the special talent for that. And that's why he has so many patients today. I remember uh watching his just catastrophic leg explosion on on video and then he's calmly laying on a stretcher and he says, Well Just by looking at my leg, I can tell it's not broken. It's a dislocation. He went on and people thought he was was doctors included, uh as I understand it, thought he would never walk again, and then he came back and after he retired, I guess In eighty or eighty one he won that's when he won the Olympia.

It was one of those unfortunate things that that the universal the back lot where they did the strongman act that there was a hole in the in the road uh at that parking lot and uh no one saw it. It's you know, it was just one of those unfortunate things And um You know, Franco had to pay for it, uh for the mistake of that the organizers made. And um you know, but he came back. I think Franken knew

That I had A few years before a heavy knee injury. uh in seventy two, uh when I heard many down in South Africa Um doing squats and posing.

And and I I came back from that knee injury and my thighs were bigger and better. and more cut in nineteen seventy three at the Olympia and they won the Mr. Olympia. So he knew that You can come back. That if you have a great surgeon And if you have great therapy after the surgery.

that you can come back and be better than ever. And so that's exactly what Franco did and uh you know, he He went through his surgery, went through the therapy and came back and then he was squatting again with his six hundred pounds like with great ease. So incredible. Uh I want to talk about language for a second. Uh When is the last time you spoke German privately in a conversation? I sometimes uh speak with a friend of mine, Ralph Müller, who is a German

And uh so We sometimes speak German. And um sometimes I I would say it's a mishmash. between German and English because some words I'm more accurate in German.

And some words are more accurate in English, or it's easier to use in English. It's uh you find more specific words in English. So we sometimes uh do uh you know, like I say, a mixture of of both. So and then Franco Also speaks German. And so sometimes he wo we will be talking in English And then all of a sudden he will get it get into a German uh thing and then all of a sudden we talk German.

And the same is also with my nephew who is now a prominent uh entertainment attorney here. He came I brought him over when he was eighteen. Uh from Austria. And uh from Portugal. Um he speaks Portuguese and he speaks German.

And French and uh also English now really well since he has been here all these years. And uh he also sometimes slips into the German and then we start in German and sometimes in English. It's a it's a it it so every so often I get to speak German also. Well I enjoyed uh listening to on audio total recall. Your book and uh you threw in Gemutlich uh Gemütlichkeit. Yeah. And then kept on moving and I was like, Oh, I like that because I I lived in Berlin for a short period of time. Right. And I really enjoyed it. Uh also also in uh The escape plan.

I used the German and uh you know, we did this whole scene Uh in in in in in Germany going crazy, they're going uh crazy in Germany. So that was fun. to do and all that stuff. But you know, the Austrians uh have a different dialect It's kind of the Australians are like southerners. Right. You know, where people say, Huh, what did he say? You know, kind of thing. So that the people people that have the high German or deliver up more north, that speak more and more perfect. Like when you go to Berlin, it's like totally like the way you write. Hochdech German. Yeah, Hochdeuts, exactly. Uh Now, I I was having a conversation not too long ago with um

Ariana Huffington. And she was telling me about a conversation she had with Henry Kissinger Because she was taking Uh Accent reduction classes. And and Kissinger just said said no no no, you wanna keep your accent. That's right.

Uh, so I wanted to ask you, you've taken accent reduction classes before, but was there a a point at which You know, you realized Wow, this is actually a strength. I don't want to get rid of this. Well The object the objective was not

When you take accent removal classes and dialect classes. And English classes that whole combination It's all designed that You speak so everyone understands you.

Sometimes people have a tendency foreigners so wrong or with such wrong emphasis That people don't know what they're talking about. And then when you correct them and they say the right way, then you totally understand it and and and you're you're perfectly fine. So the the trick is really to learn how to

announce and how to really speak the the the language well and how not to Rush. uh and throw words together that makes it then almost impossible to understand. Uh so Henry Kissinger's right. Everyone will always remember Henry Kissinger because of his accent.

And because of his brilliance. And I think everyone will always remember Ariana Halfington. For her accent. And for being this woman that

set out the goal of creating this magazine and uh and and being highly successful and uh being always politically oriented and policy end up becoming a policy won't and all those kind of things. But There are many of those, but what separates her is the accent. Yeah. You know the way she talks. You know, and uh she's Greek.

And so she has of course a different accent than I have, which made it really funny during the debates. When we had the governorial debates in Sacramento, she was there in the whining with her Greek accent and I was there. Talking with my German accent and all this. It was hilarious. It just showed, you know, how far You know, kind of the world has come or uh California has come, but all of a sudden you have Two of the top candidates. in the all foreigners, you know with foreign accents and order for running for governor.

So to the I've been very fascinated. To look at your Your film career.

And hear the story of Of twins. So I was hoping maybe you could Tell us the story of twins how twins came together. And how you guys structured that deal because I didn't know anything about that. Well, twins came together because I felt

Very strongly that I had a side of me that is a very humorous side. And that if someone Would Be patient enough.

And willing to work with me as a director. Bring that humor. out of me. And it's you know um

Something that is very difficult because you can be humorous in your private life but cannot pull it off in a movie. There's many actors that have tried that Uh and but not successful. So I felt, you know, that I should really

Uh talk to Ivan Reitman. Because I really loved Ghostbusters. And he said to himself God was so well directed and and all this. And I just happened to run into him. Um when I was in Aspen.

And uh we were hanging out. There was uh Robin Williams and some other people and uh We were all up there at snowmass and we were skiing and then at night and before dinner we all had a great time sitting by the fireplace and choking around. And Ivan Reitman would say to me Uh, I know that's it's I listen to you and I see A side of you that has never really been on screen.

And I said to him, I said, uh you know I I would love to do a comedy and I would love to bring that side out if it is the innocence of me or the naivety of me or the humor of me, whatever it is, I said I would like to see that on the screen. I think I think it could be good. And then he said, Okay Um And so I said to him, I said I want you. to work with me and to direct me in a movie.

Let's figure out what it should be. Okay. I would love to do that. I'm gonna go home after Christmas, after this vacation, and I'm gonna Look into

Uh and develop a bunch of ideas. And then uh you and I get together and then pick the the one that we like the best. He developed uh immediately within short period of time a bunch of ideas. I think there was five ideas And the one that we both like the most was called Uh the experiment.

Which then became twins. experiment we didn't like because of my German Austrian background, so we thought that it would be better to call it twins. And um Uh and we developed that project, got it written. I came up with the idea then of uh Danny DeVito

That it shouldn't be just someone that is acting totally But you should also look physically totally opposite of the way I am. And uh Ivan loved that idea and then we went after Danny DeVito and I remember we sat in the restaurant And we made a deal on a napkin.

and wrote down, you know, this is what we do. We're gonna make the movie for free. We don't want to get any salaries. And we get a big back end And they Ivan should take this deal with the agent to the studio. And he took it to Tom Pollock, who was then running uh the Universal Studio.

And um Tom Pollock said This is great. in the sixteen and a half million dollars if those g if you guys don't dig a salary Um and You get a big back end.

We're gonna give you thirty seven percent of whatever it was, uh together but any Ivan and me. And uh and we worked out the percentage of what our salaries are. So whatever Danny got at that time. for movie versus what I got for movie and versus what Ivan got for directing. So we worked it out percentage wise and that's how we ended up

And dividing up the part amongst ourselves. And let me tell you, I made more money in that movie. than on any other movie. And the the the gift keeps on giving. And uh and and and I remember Tom Pollock After the movie came out.

He said to me, he says. All I can tell you is he says, This is what you guys did to me and he Bent over he turned around, bent over and he put his pockets out and he says you fucked me and cleaned me up. He says I will never make the deal again. But anyway, so the movie was a huge hit. It came out just before Christmas And throughout Christmas and New Year it made every uh day uh three to four million dollars

And uh which in the day's term it will be of course, you know, double or triple. Uh but it was just huge and it just went up to a hundred and twenty nine million dollars domestically. And uh I think worldwide it was like uh three hundred and uh two hundred and sixty million dollars or something like that. So it was really very, very successful. And it like I said, it uh it ended up costing I think around eighteen million dollars the movie to make. So amazing. Now you know I was when When I hear a story like that, I think of the deal that George Lucas did for Star Wars where the studio's like, Ah, toys? Whatever. Sure, yeah, you can have the toys. And then they probably felt very much the same way. They're like, Wow, we're not gonna make that mistake again. Uh Now you have um

The new film. Uh I'm you have several, but Maggie. And uh I'd love to for you to tell people about it, but I was also curious Maybe you could comment on this, but in this day and age, why why you don't say finance an entire film yourself or crowdsource All the financing is yourself, so you're the only

Uh Not necessarily the only producer, but you're the s the sole owner of that film. Yeah, I I for some reason or the other Um always felt that I should keep the two apart.

And I should not invest. And uh put money into films. Um This is a whole other business to be in to finance movies. And um I think that the you know, my strength is to be a performer. I think there's people out there that are very good in financing movies and raising money for movies, or people that run studios and all this

And I let them do their job, what they're doing, I do my job, what I'm doing. And this is why I just never did that. Uh it's it's something else if someone has a great idea to do a documentary or something like this and says this costs two million dollars Uh, you know, can you help us with this and I feel passionate about it. Like, for instance, uh, you know, uh Brooklyn Castle. You know, if someone would have come to me and said, uh hey Uh here's a uh in a documentary we want to do about after school programs in in the city kids. I said, Well wait a minute. Those are two things I'm very passionate about. I love playing chess.

Which is what it's all about, right? The the documentary. Uh how kids in the in the cities play chess and how they become smart and how they stay off the streets, therefore not get into trouble with teenage pregnancy and the juvenile crime and all those things. And they have adult supervision and they uh you know they get confidence and there's a kid still Seventy percent of them are below the Poverty line.

So that's a great story and it is something that both of them Jess and inner city kids after school programs that feel passionate about. So I would have put money into that. Um And that wouldn't have been in it. That would have just, you know, done it because I think is a story that ought to be told. And uh so things like that is something else, but in my own movies I don't know. I never feel comfortable with that idea. Keep them separate. Yeah. You know, now that I think about it, I I do a lot of investing in startups and sometimes people ask me, Why don't you start your own startup? And I basically give them a very similar answer. It's like no I'm already heavily concentrated. I'd like to keep the two very separate. So I'm glad you brought up um

Brooklyn Castle. So a friend of mine was was interviewed on this podcast named Josh Waitskin. He was the basis for searching for Bobby Fisher. So very well known as a chess player. And uh I've heard you talk about the I think it's the three to six PM as the danger zone. Uh and I'm on the advisory board for donors choose dot org and a number of nonprofits related to education. Why are you so passionate about after school programs? Um Because I felt that when I grew up

Even though we were very poor. But I had someone there twenty four hours a day. for me to improve To learn to do sports. And to get attention.

And to get the love. And to get the discipline. It was tough. Uh upbringing. Uh but it was a combination of, you know, great discipline.

Um and also l uh love. And uh but I felt like that that having someone there with you twenty four hours a day from the time in the morning you get up to the time you go to school and there were the teachers there and there were the the coaches there and the there was the school principal and All of them and then you go home and there's your mother there helping you with your homework and then in the evening your dad comes home and he goes, takes you to the soccer field and the sports with you and then the winter ice curling and all those things. So I just felt

When I watch and go from school to school. Which I did. when I was the chairman of the president's council on physical fitness and sports, I traveled through all fifty states and visited one school after the next. And they're always at three o'clock I felt like these kids are going out there. And then I saw half of them standing around in front of the school and then wandering around, the other half were getting picked up and I said to myself what happens with those kids out there and the the the teachers or the principal will always say is this well

You know, the problem today is is that so many parents are working, both of the parents are working and they don't have really The ability to pick up the kids from school. And what happens is Lot of these kids then get into trouble. You know, and so then I started looking into it.

The idea of after school programs and that And I saw that the after school programs around But they're not really well organized. And so I stepped in, I started after school programs here in Los Angeles. We very quickly then spread them all over California and then all over the United States. And now we are in like thirteen or fourteen cities.

uh all over the United States, including we are in Hawaii. And um And they have been really beneficial. And we even passed an initiative in California. Yeah.

Uh two thousand and two. Which was the after school education and safety act. that provides an additional five hundred million dollars for after school programs in California. And because of that, which started going into effect in two thousand and six. From that point on now every high school and middle school in California

Has After school programs. And then also churches and uh other organizations that are not connected to the school can also get money for after school programs, uh so they can have the after school programs. So it really has uh become one of my passions. And it's it's just simply like I said, I had that upbringing I had the attention twenty four hours a day.

And it helped me to be who I am. And I felt bad for the kids when they don't get an equal shot because the only way you can be successful is if you really get this kind of attention and if you don't get kind of in the situation where you float around on the streets, then you get involved with gangs and with drugs and with with violence and that and and you know, like I said, teenage pregnancy and you commit juvenile crimes and uh you end up in jail. it doesn't serve anybody and it costs the community a lot of money. And the way I got Republican support for that

in California had them endorsed my initiative was because it showed to them that for every dollar we spent We save three dollars down the line. And so from a fiscal point of view, they endorsed it. Even though they don't like the, you know, the nanny state thing and to have government step in and do the job for parents, uh the Democrats endorsed it for that. They thought the government is responsible and we ought to do something because it's this the new challenge. That seventy percent of the Kids come from homes. where both of the parents are working

And they do not have time for the kids in the afternoon. So Who is helping this kid with homework? Who is hope helping this kid with tutoring and with sports programs and adult supervision and giving the kid the love that the kid needs and the confidence building that the kid needs. And for that after school program. is the number one answer to the problem. We have seen it over and over what great success rate we have had with after school programs, and hopefully

The movement will grow. will have the opportunity to join an after school program if they don't have a parent at home that can help them with all those things. And Everybody listening, I'll obviously provide links to all the organizations that Arnold's i involved with and I encourage you and implore you to consider becoming involved. supporting or becoming a mentor, a big brother or sister of some type. Uh I grew up on Long Island and I had

I was a competitive athlete, I was a wrestler for a very long time, and that kept me out of trouble and I can see how easily both of my parents worked. Many of my friends growing up there. Uh ended up overdosing on drugs, becoming involved with drugs because they had idle hands during that period of time. But the the the other thing you have to understand is when you are a foreigner

An immigrant and you come over here and you enjoy The Unbelievable opportunities that America has to offer. It is natural that you feel like you want to give something back. And I felt like when I was the chairman of the President's Council and then when I was a a trainer for the special Olympics, uh, and then with the after school programs, it was my way also

Of giving back. Uh because People listened to me because at that point I was a celebrity already and I had a tremendous power of influence because of my movies noted. So I might as well use this power of influence for something good. and also give something back to the country. And that's why I was a ran for government and all this stuff. So I think it's just feels good to do something for people that need help. That's

Totally agreeed. And the and the For those of you out there who've Read my stuff. I get asked by readers a lot. um you know what's what's the key to happiness. And I think if you're not sure of how to make yourself happy, make someone else happy. Help someone else and uh the payback.

is enormous. Uh. Arnold, when you hear the word successful, who's the first person who comes to mind? I think that the People like Warren Buffett.

Bill Gates, Larry Allison. Elon Musk. I mean people like that, right? Because it's it's the first thing that you do think of when you th you hear about success. That that that they're really worldwide known for their success. But then there's another There's other layers, you know, like for instance You know, you cannot avoid someone like uh

Nelson Mandela. who uh showed to the world about forgiveness And so did the world about tolerance. And inclusion. And the w the job that he did in South Africa was not only a great job for South Africa, but it was a great job for the whole world because it inspired everybody to be

Remotely like that. You know, no one can really be like that, but because it was really very, very special. And I was very fortunate to meet him twice and uh to work with him in Special Olympics in South Africa and to be at his prison cell Uh and Robin Island and uh have sh have him show me around notice. And I had time to talk. with him and spent uh a day with him.

Twice. So there it's so he's definitely one of those guys, all uh uh uh Mikhail Gwobochev. I mean someone that grows up under communism. And then when he's on the top realises that the system doesn't work. And then dismantle it.

I mean think about The the the hoodsputt that it takes, right? Yeah. Didn't need to mail him any bull testicles. That's right. Yeah. Unbelievable leadership, you know, and and vision and all that. Uh or if in sports, I mean if you think about Mohammed Ali. How can you not think about success and not think about him?

Because that guy was so successful, but also not only successful in sports. But also in generosity. I mean that he gave everything away. I mean he will go through the airport and if he sees someone there there's no money, we'll give him a hundred dollar bill. And so he was an extraordinary athlete. So there's a lot of people like that

I think that when he goes through history Also there's someone that I just thought of that I should mention that is Cincinnatis. And he was a Roman Emperor. And uh in the Roman uh Empire. And uh he

why I admire him and as as a matter of fact, uh Cincinnati, the city is named after him because he was a big idol of George Washington also. And the the reason why he is a a great example of a success is Because he was asked Reluctantly do. to step in into power and become the emperor. And to to help

Because the Rome was about to get annihilated by all this wars. uh and battles and so to step in there and to help them. And he was a farmer. Powerful guy. And he went took on the challenge.

Took over Rome. Took over the the the army. And um Won the war. And then after they won the war.

He has felt that he has done his mission why was asked to go and be the emperor. And he gave the ring back. And went back to farming. And he didn't only do this once, he did it twice. He went back laid on to him once again. And when when they try to overthrow the Empire.

Within. And they ask him back. And he came back. Hm. Cleaned them up the mess.

it was through great, great leadership which she had, uh tremendous leadership quality in bringing people together. And then again he gave the drink back. And went back to farming. And to be, as we all know. It's very addictive. Yeah.

To be powerful. It's very addictive and I know how difficult it was for me to Uh let go of Being governor. And then all of a sudden you're not sitting there.

and making decisions about what's gonna happen, you know, the the financial crisis, what's gonna happen to the regulations, to greenhouse regulations, what's gonna happen, you know, to our you know high speed rail, what's happening with the university and you're not there anymore, you know, making the decisions. So it's very hard to let that go. So imagine someone like that. To let go. To be the emperor. It's a whole different thing. And so so to me that so that's very admirable and then when I think about success, he's also somebody I will put in that category. I'll have to do some more research on him.

Uh do we have time for just a few more questions? Um So it's Feel free to not answer this if you don't want to, but this is almost the opposite of the last question. When you think of the word punchable. Who's the first what's the first face that comes to mind? Punchable.

I I I never even thought about that. Ha ha Most people don't walk around thinking about it. I don't think there's anyone that I can think of right now. Okay. I was worried thinking about asking this that you might just reach across and knock my front teeth into the back of my head. The

Is there a particular do you have a favorite book or a book that you've Given to people as a gift the most. Well but it's One book that I've actually since it was just Christmas that they've given away uh a lot of copies and this is uh w a book about Winston Churchill.

By Mayor Boris Johnson. I don't know if you're familiar with him, he's the mayor of London. And he's a real interesting character. They think that he could be eventually Prime Minister of England. um very talented guy, not a party servant, but a people servant. And he came up with the Boris Bike.

uh that has now bicycles all over London that you can that anyone can just take and ride around with the bikes and then now they have this in all over Europe, in France, in Paris, and Vienna and everywhere. They all took this idea that people would drive less in the city. if they have the possibility to just get a bike from a bike stand. And so he's a very interesting guy. So he I did not even know that he is You know, this extraordinary writer at the same time.

Uh but I was in in London for a promotion. And there's so on the bookshelf in my suite. This book, Winston George, and of course I admire Winston George, as one of those guys that I really love. And so I took this book down from the bookshelf and then uh Oh. Boris Johnson.

The mayor. He wrote it. I said I gotta get that. So I put it back and then uh Daniel wrote down uh Yeah. Oh yeah. So so anyway, uh so we wrote down the title and we wrote down you know all the information and then we uh we uh got it as a Christmas gift for a lot of people. But the other book that I have given I mean hundreds of carbs to his free to choose. By Milton Friedman.

And it kind of lays out why. um the private sector is really the answer to a lot of the problems that we have And not government. And uh I think it's a real great uh kind of uh Uh uh.

a philosophic kind of a book about how to approach our problems, if it is education, if it is economic growth and all of those kind of various different issues. Um you know, he lays it out. It's a very simple book to read. But it is very good. And it has an it makes an impact on you when you read it. And the other one I think is Um

California. The Kevin Star. Kevin Star was our librarian, our state librarian, and he has written more books on California than anyone. So if anyone is at all interested in in uh a book about California, you know Вот Макс Каліфорнія унік.

and special and the history of it, the political history of it, and all the little details. I mean that's a good book to have. So it's a it's a it's a great gift, especially when I was governor and that you you give people gifts, and you give it of course of California, a book about California and so on. So that's uh you know Uh the kind of reading that I like and that I like to share with other people. Wonderful. I Just one more question and then I'd love to hear where we can learn more about all of the projects that you're up to.

Uh and that is I've I've heard you mention transcendental meditation in passing, briefly. Do you meditate? Um I don't meditate now, but I uh got heavily into it. In the seventies.

And I remember there was a time in my life Where I felt like everything is just kind of coming together and I did not Find a way or couldn't find a way. Of keeping the things separate. So it was always when I was thinking about it, I was thinking about at the same time

my bodybuilding career, I was thinking about my movie career, I was thinking about the documentary pumping out that we're shooting right now, and the movie Stay Hungry that we just finished shooting, and the my investment in the apartment building and is this gonna do I get the financing from the bank and the all of this kind of stuff was always coming together. And at the same time it was training For the Mr. Olympia. competition in South Africa. And I was training right here at uh Gold's gym. And I remember there was all the camera equipment around five hours a day in my face and then someone in the middle of squatting was trying to change the battery pack on my on my lifting belt and all this stuff. So yeah, it was like you know, eventually I felt like I got to do something about it because

I have such great opportunities here. And everything is happening. And everything is going my way. But I'm just clustering everything into one big problem rather than separating it out and having calm and peace and and being happy. And so I but total you know coincident, I ran into this guy that I've run into many times on the beach, very, very

Pleasant man who uh Told me that he is a teacher. in transcendental meditation and I said, Well it's interesting you mention it, I said because I feel like I should do something because I feel like, you know, I I'm I'm just overly worried and anxieties and all this stuff. Uh and I feel like certain pressures that I've never felt before. And then he says oh

So Arnold, it's not uncommon. It's very common. Lot of people go through this. This is why people use

Meditation. Transcendental meditation as one way. And he was very good in selling it. Because

He didn't say it's the only answer. He just is one of many. And he says, Why don't you try it? He says I'm a teacher there. Up in Westwood.

I would not be able to teach you since we have a friend we have we have friends and uh many years is there will be another teacher that they will give you a mantra and blah blah blah and teach you how to do it and then I can help you after that. Uh, is this because I will be teaching up there, so why don't you come up on Thursday and I will be there. I would introduce you to the folks up there and so they went up there Took a uh a class. Uh and

I went home after that. Then tried it. I said to myself, I gotta give it a shot. And I did twenty minutes in the morning, twenty minutes at night, and I would say within um fourteen days, three weeks I got to the point where I really could disconnect my mind. And uh as they say, to find these few seconds of disconnection and rejuvenate the the the the mind and um

And also learn how to focus more and to calm down. And uh I did that for it and I saw the effect right away. that I was much more calm about all of the challenges that were facing me. And um I continued doing that then for a year.

And by that time I felt like I think that I've mastered this. I think that now I don't feel overwhelmed anymore. Uh and they really felt kind of it was uh one of the things where uh in the transcendental meditation was kind of anxiety and pressure.

Meeting around the corner, tranquility. You know, this is kind of what it what it felt. And um And uh so I was happy from their point and even the day. I still benefit from that.

Because I don't Merge and bring things together. and see everything as one big problem. I take on one challenge at a time. And when I go and they study my script for a movie Then that time that day when I studied my script for the movie.

I don't let anything else interfere in that and just concentrate on that. So and the the the the the other thing that I've learned is that there's many forms of meditation in a way. because like when I study And they work really hard. Where it takes the ultimate amount of concentration.

I can only do it for forty five minutes. Maybe. Maybe an hour. But then I have to kind of run off And maybe play chess.

And they play chess for fifteen minutes, then they can go back and they have all the energy in the world again and jump right back. And then continue on with my work as as if I have not done it at all today, right? It's like I'm fresh. And so that's another way I think of meditation. And then they also figured out that

I could use my work outs. as a form of meditation because I concentrate so much on the muscle and I have my mind inside the bicep when I do my curls. I have my mind inside the pectoral muscles when I do my bench press. So I'm really inside And it's like

Again a form of meditation because You have no chance of thinking or concentrating on anything else at that time. But Just that training did you do. And uh so there's many ways of meditation and I benefit from all of those.

And I'm the day much calmer because of that, and much more organized. And uh much more tranquil because of that. This whole conversation makes me want to go tackle the world. I love it. And Uh I really appreciate all of your time. Where can people and of course I'll link to all these things in the show notes for folks, but where can people learn more about what you're up to?

What would you like to do Share with people. uh my uh ambitions in the movie business, you know, that uh that I I love doing movies. But uh I think because

of my interest in public policy. uh after my governorship I have then started at US C the US C Schwarzenegger Institute that deals with some of the issues that I felt very passionate about during the time I was governor and even beforehand, which was in a political reform Um, you know, we we we were very successful in doing redistricting reform in California and open primaries and so on, which now brings uh politicians much more to the center. But this is not the the only thing. There's many more things that need to be accomplished in California and nationwide. So our institute deals with that. It also deals, you know, with stem cell research, it deals with uh economic growth and opportunities. It deals with education, uh, after school programs uh programs and so on, and uh especially also with environmental issues. And uh you know, I have an environmental organization on top of that, which is Uh D R twenty.

uh which deals uh with subnational governments because I feel always very strongly That while we are striving towards a Um Kyoto Two treaty. And the all the the n the nations in the world come together and I hope that they're going to be successful this year. in Paris in December

Um I at the same time want Subnational governments like California and and other States and other provinces and cities to um set their own goals and not to wait just for this treaty, but to have the from the top down approach, which the international treaty will be, and from the bottom up grassroots level approach from the bottom up. Because when those two meet, then we really create critical mass. That's what it's all about. So I want to continue pushing

Towards a renewable energy future. Is this my crusade? It's as much a crusade as my fitness crusade was for the last forty five years. And we've been pretty successful with that. Uh, so I hope that we're gonna be successful with that too. But it does need everyone to buy in and everyone to participate. And that's why I go around the world and give speeches on environmental issues and to try to bring countries together, make sure that this year it will be a huge success, but at the same time have subnational governments set their own goals and do exactly what we did in California.

In California, we didn't wait for Washington, we didn't wait for a UN treaty or anything like this. We set the goal of reducing our greenhouse gases by twenty percent, by twenty five percent by the year two thousand twenty, and eighty-five percent by the year two thousand fifty. We created the million extra solar roof in California. We lowered the fuel standards here. We set the goal to to up the renewables from twenty five percent to forty eight percent by the year two thousand and twenty. So these are all things that we did. Uh, we didn't wait for Washington and so we want other states to do the same thing. And luckily, California showed great leadership and now we see And that's regions twenty dot or this is R twenty, yeah.

And uh people can find you on Twitter at Schwarzenegger. Wonderful. All right. Uh is there anything else that uh that you'd like to mention before we close out? Uh yeah. Uh well Maze. We're doing another fundraiser.

Uh we do a maze and uh the last time we did for the after school programs, which we talked about earlier, uh, do fundraising all the time because they always need money and for every dollar we can sit you know, send more kids to after school programs. So uh we're always raising money. So the the last time we had a tank. Uh drive and and and destroy things. Yeah, there's a model tank right there behind you. Oh yeah. So the the big tank, the real tank M forty seven from my military days, it's the real tank. So we basically, you know, whoever won the bid came out and you could sit with me in a in the uh in the tank and then we crush things together, pianos, toilet balls

uh living rooms and everything that that he picked, which is destroyed. And we raised over a million dollars from that, which was really great. And we had a lot of fun at the same time. This time instead of you know destroying things with a tank, we blow things up. So this would be the new fundraiser which we were gonna start uh I think in very soon as in February. As a matter of fact. So that's another thing that I'm doing is always raising money for the after school programs. And is the is the link going to be the same as the last? Okay, amaze.com slash Arnold. I'll put that in the show notes as well. Sir, thank you so much for the time. Thanks very much. This has been wonderful. Thank you. Until next time, thank you for listening, folks. Hey guys, this is Tim again, just one more thing before you take off, and that is Five Bullet Friday. Would you enjoy getting a short email from me every Friday that provides a little fun before the weekend? Between one and a half and two million people subscribe to my free newsletter, my super short newsletter called Five Bullet Friday. Easy to sign up, easy to cancel. It is basically a half page that I send out.

every Friday to share the coolest things I've found or discovered or have started exploring over that week. It's kind of like my diary of cool things. It often includes articles I'm reading, books I'm reading. albums perhaps, gadgets, gizmos, all sorts of tech tricks and so on that get sent to me by my friends, including a lot of podcast guests, and these strange esoteric things end up in my field and then I test them and then I share them with you. So if that sounds fun, again, it's very short, a little tiny bite of goodness before you head off for the weekend, something to think about. If you'd like to try it out, just go to Tim.blog slash Friday. Type that into your browser, Tim.blog slash. Friday, drop in your email and you'll get the very next one. Thanks for listening.

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time what I would take if I could only take one supplement. I've been asked this for years. The answer is invariably AG1 by Athletic Greens. I view it as all in one nutritional insurance. So you can cover your bases. If you're traveling. If you're just busy, if you're not sure if your meals are where they should be... It covers your bases. I've recommended it. since the 4 Hour Body, which was God eons ago, 2010, and I did not get paid to do so. With approximately 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients, you'll be hard pressed to find a more nutrient dense formula on the market. It has a multivitamin, multi-mineral greens complex, probiotics and prebiotics for gut health,

an immunity formula, digestive enzymes, and adaptive gens. You get the idea. It is very, very comprehensive. And I do my best, of course, to focus on nutrient dense proper meals, but sometimes you're busy, sometimes you're traveling, sometimes you just want to make sure. that you are getting what you need, AG1 makes it easy to get a lot of nutrition when whole foods aren't readily available. It's also NSF certified for sport, making it safe for competitive athletes, as what's on the label is in the powder. It's the ultimate all-in-one nutritional supplement bundle in one easy scoop. Right now, Atletic Greens is giving my audience a special offer on top of their all-in-one formula. which is a free vitamin D supplement and five free travel packs with your first subscription purchase. Many of us are deficient in vitamin D, I found that true myself, which is usually produced in our bodies from sun exposure. So adding a vitamin D supplement to your dealing routine is a great option for additional immune support. Support your immunity

Got help. and energy by visiting atleticgreens.com slash Tim. You'll receive up to a year's supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your subscription. Again, that's atleticgreens.com slash Tim. This episode is brought to you by Viore Clothing, spelled V-U-O-R-I. Viori. I've been wearing Yuri. least one item per day for the last few months and

You can use it for everything. It's performance apparel. but it can be used for working out, it can be used for going out to dinner, at least in my case, I feel very comfortable with it. Super comfortable, super stylish, and uh I just want to read something that one of my employees said. She is an athlete. She is quite technical, although she would never say that. I asked her if she had ever used or herda Viore, and this was her response. I do love their stuff, been using them for about a year. I think I found them at REI, first for my partner, t-shirts that are super soft but somehow last as he's hard on stuff, and then I got into the super soft cotton yoga pants and jogger sweatpants. I live in them and they too have lasted. They're stylish enough I can wear them out and about. The material is just super soft and durable.

I just got their Clementine running shorts for summer and love them. The brand seems pretty popular, constantly sold out. In closing, and I'm abbreviating here, but in closing, with the exception of when I need technical outdoor gear, they're the only brand I've bought in the last year or so for yoga running loungewear that lasts and that I think look good also. I like the discreet logo. So that gives you some idea. That was not intended for the sponsor read. That was just her response via text. Fury, again spelled B-U-O-R-I, is designed for maximum comfort and versatility. You can wear it running, you can wear their stuff training, doing yoga, lounging, weekend errands, or in my case again, going out. it really doesn't matter what you're doing. Their clothing is so comfortable and uh looks so good and it's it's non-offensive that you don't have a huge brand logo in your face. You'll just want to be in them all the time and my girlfriend and I have been wearing them for the last few months, their men's core short K-O-R-E. The most comfortable line athletic short is your one short for every sport. I've been using it. Kettlebull swings for runs, you name it. The Banks short, this is their go-to land to see short is the ultimate versatility. It's made from recycled plastic bottles. And what I'm wearing right now which I had to pick one to recommend two

folks out there or at least men out there is the ponto performance pant and you'll find these at the link I'm gonna give you guys and you can check out what I'm talking about but I'm wearing them right now they're thin performance sweatpants but that doesn't do them justice so you gotta check it out PO N T O Ponto Performance Pant for you ladies the women's performance jogger is the softest joggle you'll ever own. Fury. isn't just an investment in your clothing, it's an investment in your happiness. And for you, my dear listeners, they're offering 20% off your first purchase. So get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet. It's super popular. A lot of my friends have now noticed are wearing this. And so am I.

Vioreclothing.com forward slash Tim, that's V-U-O-R-I Clothing.com slash Tim. Not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but you'll also enjoy free shipping on any US orders over$75 and free returns. So check it out. Fiorieclothing.com slash Tim, that's B-U-O-R-I Clothing.com slash Tim, and discover the versatility of Fiore Clothing.

What you see above is a preview of the first minutes. One unlock costs 3 credits and covers this episode forever: full segment and word-level timestamps on this page, plus .txt, .srt, .vtt and word-level JSON downloads, as many times as you like.