Arnold Schwarzenegger has spent more than enough time in the gym over the years. But rather than basking in past glories, the bodybuilding legend still trains consistently.
True, not to the same extent that helped him win six Mr Olympia titles in his prime – or even during his film career – but enough to keep him physically and mentally sharp as he approaches his eighties.
‘Why?’ you might ask – as many often do. The 78-year-old’s answer is simple: he loves the process. For Schwarzenegger, it’s about finding joy in the work, not chasing a specific end goal. That, he argues, is where real consistency comes from.
Winning Every Day
‘Why do I keep training?’ Schwarzenegger asks in his latest Pump Club newsletter. ‘Because it works. Every single day, in ways that compound over time into something most people never get to experience. It’s why I can still ski at 78. It’s why my mind stays sharp. It’s why I recover from setbacks — surgeries, hard days, hard years — faster than I have any right to.’
‘I also believe that the day we stop working to upgrade ourselves is the day we start to become obsolete,’ he continues. ‘I keep going because no matter what – no matter how much I ache, no matter what’s weighing on me – I get a win every single day.
‘Some days, the win is a great workout. Some days, the win is that I showed up when I didn’t want to. But it’s there. Every single day, without fail, if I show up, I get at least one tally mark in the win column.
‘That is not a small thing. That is the thing. When people ask me why I still train at 78, that’s the real answer. Not the skiing. Not the science. The daily win. The proof, every morning, that I am still moving forward. I’m addicted to that daily win.’
Why People Struggle with Consistency
When it comes to why others fall off, Schwarzenegger believes the problem is misplaced focus – too much emphasis on the outcome, not enough on the process.
That approach either leads to motivation fading as the goal remains distant, or training stopping altogether once it’s achieved.
‘To them, fitness isn’t for life,’ he says. ‘It’s for a goal they have right now. A number on a scale. A summer. A wedding. And once you reach it – or give up – you stop.
‘I don’t say this to criticise. The fitness industry built that model. Six-week challenges. Twelve-week transformations. Before-and-after photos. Every product, every programme points to a finish line.
‘The problem is that finish lines don’t exist with our health. And the numbers prove it.’
That’s why Arnie focuses on daily progress, not arbitrary endpoints. Research suggests that around 80% of people who lose a significant amount of weight regain it – often because habits weren’t built to last.
‘I’ve always believed you have to learn to see the wins,’ he adds. ‘Not the big ones you see on social media. The small ones. The quiet ones.
‘Starting your programme is a win. Training when you wanted to stay in bed is a win. Getting your three workouts in is a win. Hitting your protein three days in a row is a win.’
‘Most people walk right past these on their way to giving up. They’ve been trained to only recognise the finished product. So when they look at their week and can’t see a transformation, they conclude nothing is working. That’s when they quit.’
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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_
