There was a time, before the days of Conan and the Terminator, that Arnold Schwarzenegger was the biggest, meanest, most shredded body-builder on the planet.
Arnie didn’t so much dominate body-building as re-define it. Austrian-born, he travelled to America with a dream and soon put their muscleheads in their place.
He cleaned up, winning four Mr Universe and an incredible seven Mister Olympia crowns. More than that, he pushed a sport from the margins into the light.
The film Pumping Iron featured the build-up to the 1975 Mr Olympia in Pretoria and helped launch the acting career of Schwarzenegger. Hollywood soon beckoned and the Arnie craze was born.
Schwarzenegger has become a cultural phenomenon and is commonly referred to as “The King” in body-building circles. His legend has even spawned a cottage industry, not least of which is the Arnold Classic. This is a four-day affair held every year in Columbus, Ohio, featuring a body-building and fitness tournament and a three-day Fitness Expo.
This week the franchise stops off in Joburg with “The King” himself rolling into town, 15 years after his last visit.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, ‘Mountain’ from Game of Thrones, will be vying for the World’s Strongest Man crown.
Schwarzenegger will be accompanied by some proper muscle in the shape of Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, better known as “Mountain”, the 2,06m giant who starred in Game of Thrones.
It figures to be a meaty gathering of muscle, with amateur and pro body-building highlighting the three-day festival of 47 sports that features an eclectic mix ranging from badminton and cross fit to powerlifting and even chess.
Björnsson is a four-time podium finisher in the World’s Strongest Man event, where oversize brutes lift cars, pull trucks and generally make us mortals seem puny by comparison. He’ll be trying his luck again, but the man to beat is Brian Shaw, the 197kg beast from Colorado who has a bench-press best of 290kg. Yikes!
Schwarzenegger founded the global series, which also pays due homage to newer sporting pursuits like cross fit, dance sport, pole fitness and rope skipping.
The pro body-building contest offers R1,5-million prizemoney in the men’s open and women’s fitness divisions, giving local stars a rare opportunity to compete at the highest level. Strongman entrants will be chasing a handsome R800 000 booty.
On top of this, the festival includes a three-day Health and Fitness Trade Expo, which is expected to draw around 30 000 visitors, including 10 500 athletes.
I’m going. I expect it will be great fun.
More details here: http://www.arnoldclassicafrica.com/