You're wrong about the Arnold Netflix documentary

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

(Original Caption) April 1976- Jeff Bridges (L) and Arnold Schwarzenegger who is lifting weights in a movie still from "Stay Hungry".

(Image credit: Getty Images)

I’ve been an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan since the 90s, so when I heard aNetflixdocumentary coming out, I had to ensure I watched it as quickly as possible. And now that I did, I can’t help but feel that people misunderstand what ‘Arnold’ is about. As inspiring as his life was, old Arnie isn’t a happy person, and the takeaway isn’t that you should work hard to get what you want. It’s to look after the people who mean the most to you.

Now, I won’t be too sentimental here; T3 isn’t the right platform to talk about human connections and aspirations. We write about thebest streaming servicesand have covered many Schwarzy-related topics, includingArnie’s top two techniques for building muscle, theSchwarzenegger Golden Era chest and back workout, why he used thesuicide gripfor bench press and apecs workout that helped him broaden his enormous chest.

On a more personal level, my fascination with Arnie goes back three decades. We had a copy of his bodybuilding bible at home when I was younger, and although no one ended up being a gym rat in the family, I remember reading the tome with my brothers, looking at pics of Arnie doing triceps dips between two chairs, thinking, ‘I can do this!’

Go hard or go home

Fast forward to about a month ago when I learned about the new docuseries coming to Netflix. And not just that, but it will cover his bodybuilding legacy in a separate episode! What I liked about the first episode of ‘Arnold’ is that it didn’t try to be a Pumping Iron Lite (if you haven’t watched that movie, do it now). Instead, it helped people understand why he became who he is—a hard-working, do-what-you-can-to-get-what-you-want kind of person.

However, I feel people stopped watching the series at this point. “Arnie, you inspired me to go to the gym three times a week now,” says a random Twitter user, tagging the series to make sure everyone on the internet knows about his Herculean effort of visiting a commercial gym a handful of times before they inevitably give up. “Arnie is the BEST,” says another one on Facebook.

Don’t get me wrong; I love how diehard Arnie is. As a fellow workaholic, I’ll give 120% in every task, whethertrying eFoiling for the first timeor running a100-mile marathon in Mongolia. It’s a mindset of not wanting to disappoint yourself. I don’t care about anyone else’s opinion. I wantmeto be proud of myself. And I’m happy to work for it.

That said, this isn’t what ‘Arnold’ is about. As successful as the man was and still is, he’s alone in his huge Austrian mansion, feeding donkeys and petting dogs. It’s a seemingly quiet, tranquil life. He’s still active, of course, but he isn’t without regrets. He misses his family and his friends. He wishes Franco Columbo was still around and his kids didn’t just come and visit occasionally.

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Another important takeaway, at least in my opinion, is to accept your age and that you won’t look like a 20-year-old for the rest of your life. I found it hilarious when he spoke about the wrinkle under his pecs and that he wears a t-short because he hasn’t got a six-pack. He’s 75! Of course, he hasn’t got a six-pack. But it’s not easy to accept for someone whose image of his younger self is plastered around the world still.

After watching ‘Arnold’, my first thought wasn’t to hit the gym, but to call my mum. It wasn’t to dust off myadjustable dumbbellsand start doing pecs flys but to organise a meetup with people I know and care about. Sure, I do exercise often, so I don’t need the extra encouragement, but still, what is important is not to alienate people who care about you.

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