The famous bodybuilder hosted a surprise Reddit AMA, where he shared
everything from his daily workout schedule to his favourite protein shake
recipe
Arnold Schwarzenegger has shared his expert workout advice
for people looking to start their fitness journey.
The
bodybuilding legend and former governor of California recently hosted a
surprise “Ask Me Anything” on the Reddit forum r/Fitness. There, he answered
fans’ questions about everything from his daily workout schedule, to the
benefits of working out at a public gym, to his favourite protein shake
recipe.
“Since I started my daily fitness newsletter, I started taking
some questions from readers this week and remembered how much I love it,” he
began the Reddit AMA, under the username u/GovSchwarzenegger. “My team told
me it has been almost a decade since I took questions here. Should we go for
it?”
The seven-time Mr Olympia winner instantly received more
than 1,200 comments from fans, so much so that he fielded questions on
Reddit for nearly five hours.
Here are five fitness tips for
beginners from the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Start small
After answering questions on Reddit, the Terminator star
compiled the highlights into a post for his weekly newsletter, “The Pump
Daily”, specifically about his workout advice for beginners.
“My advice to beginners is really simple: begin,” he wrote.
“And then don’t stop until it is a routine. For a lot of people, that first
step is the hardest. So find something, anything, you can do.”
Schwarzenegger
suggested starting small by going on a 30-minute walk. For those who walk
all day but wish to gain more strength, try doing five push-ups and then
five squats. Then, go down to four push-ups and four squats.
“Rest
if you need to,” he added. Keep going down to three push-ups and three
squats, then two and two, and then one and one for a total of 15 push-ups
and 15 squats.
“If it was easy, start at 10 next time,” he
said.
Keep momentum
In his newsletter, the action star explained that keeping your
momentum is one of the most important parts of a beginner’s fitness journey
– which is why Schwarzenegger said he “encourages everyone to set goals they
can achieve when they’re just starting out.”
For example, he suggested training 10 minutes every day for a
month, followed by 15 minutes a day.
“Motivation is fleeting, but
routine is what carries you on,” he said. “You need to make this a routine.
Do whatever you can do every day for a month, and then build on that.”
Track every workout
During the Reddit AMA, one fan asked Schwarzenegger whether
it’s beneficial to track progress during a workout, and how he recommends
going about it.
The Predator star responded that he used to track
every one of his workouts, adding: “I used a chalkboard in the gym and
marked off my reps. I wrote it down ahead of time and then marked off each
set as I finished. You can use your phone for this or music – but nothing
else! – in the gym.”
Avoid using phones at the gym
Speaking of phones, Schwarzenegger is a major proponent of
staying unplugged during a workout. Over on Reddit, he often shared that he
doesn’t “like when I see people on their phones” at the gym. When one
disappointed fan shared they were sad to have missed his Reddit AMA (because
they were in the middle of a workout), the Austrian actor still commended
them for going off the grid.
“Devastated to have missed this,”
they wrote. “However, proud to say that five-seven hours ago (duration of
the AMA sadly) I was busy pumping iron in the gym.”
“Champion,” he replied. “I’m proud of you for not being on your
phone during the pump.”
Schwarzenegger also made sure to point
out a study which suggested that using your phone before exercise may reduce
your strength by nearly 30 per cent.
Protein, protein, protein
For those who are just starting out in their fitness journeys,
Schwarzenegger recommended implementing protein into their diet, especially
for those trying to gain weight and muscle.
“Focus on simple
things,” he told Reddit users. “Get protein every meal. Try that for a
month. Anytime you put food in your mouth, make sure there is a protein
source. I have a test group doing this simple challenge and they saw crazy
results.”
Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger’s favourite foods to help
maintain muscle are omelettes or scrambled eggs with “absolutely every
vegetable in them,” along with a salad for lunch. For breakfast, he also
enjoys a yogurt with granola, and almonds or a protein shake as a snack. “I
just have vegetable soup for dinner,” he added.
