The Spark – On Becoming a Preacher of Fitness

Many people think of Arnold Schwarzenegger as some kind of muscle bound oaf whose foray into politics was little more than an ill-advised gimmick. Regardless of how Arnie's political career turned out though, to think of him this way is to underestimate the man hugely. Not only is Arnold Schwarzenegger a hugely successful actor – the highest paid actor in the world at one point – but he has also been the undisputed champion of bodybuilding, a successful writer and a very good businessman. Even before bodybuilding had made him rich and a household name, Arnie had already used his earnings to invest in properties, to start a mail order business and to begin a freelance bricklaying company with his best friend Franco Columbu.

This then is a man we can learn from, and that's particularly true when it comes to bodybuilding – of which he is still the absolute and undisputed king.

But what does Arnie teach us about bodybuilding and about staying in shape in general? Well apart from anything else he teaches us about the importance of bodybuilding as a social endeavour, and about the camaraderie of working out with friends.

In his recent book 'Total Recall' Arnie describes on multiple occasions how the bodybuilding community is such a friendly one that you would have friends anywhere in the world if you were a member of the gang, and he alludes to how his training with Franco helped to give him an edge over some of his competition. The point is that working out with others brings out a competitive element, it means you have someone to physically hold the weights for you, and it means that you get moral support and egging on when you're at your lowest ebb and can't go on.

Of course Arnold trained in Gold's Gym in LA. He had a ready made community of bodybuilders and he didn't have to make the majority of his friends at work like most of us do. But in his new online campaign he describes why this needn't be a problem by discussing how you can share the 'spark' with others. The idea is that you don't just train in the gym quietly in the corner, but that you go in and draw attention to yourself, you banter with others and you create that sense of competition. And that you do this at the same time with your friends and family back home.

Bodybuilding and working out often has something of a bad reputation owing to the fact that it may seem vein or obsessive to people who don't understand. If you show them your passion though and get them involved, then you can help them to start seeing things your way and improving their lives too as a result. There are many reasons why you need to do this and why it's beneficial to get everyone else involved as well.

First of all, if you can gee up those around you then you will have training partners that can spur you on. At the same time though you will find the environment back home and with your friends is less cynical and more understanding. Rather than telling you you're hurting yourself they will ask how many curls they should be doing, and when you say you don't want chocolate pudding then they'll be more inclined to understand.

Create a bodybuilding culture in your group of friends or your family then, and you can quickly see your shape improve.

Israel Estes works at Horizon Fitness, for more information about their products and services click here