Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76, Survived Three Heart Surgeries Yet Struggles with His Body Changes

• Arnold Schwarzenegger was determined to be a great bodybuilder from age 15.
• He achieved his dream and gained international fame as a bodybuilder.
• Schwarzenegger now struggles with his body image as he gets older and views himself as "damaged goods."

Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for his iconic muscular body. The professional bodybuilder pushed himself to the limit to attain his physique when he was young, and his gladiator appearance has been meticulously sculpted over the last 50 years.

Now, the Austrian-born bodybuilder may still look strong, but he doesn't have the strength to engage in the heavy workouts he used to do in his younger years. The actor opened up about his body health and the kind of exercise he does these days.

The movie star decided to start building his body at 15 after seeing a magazine cover of "Muslim Fitness" featuring bodybuilding champion Reg Parker. Schwarzenegger read his story and was inspired by him. He knew he wanted to have exactly the same career as Parker, so he started training vigorously.

Schwarzenegger looked up to other bodybuilding champions who motivated him to work out for more hours every day and push harder to look like them and have a future like theirs. He joined a weightlifting club and became really committed to bodybuilding.

Schwarzenegger knew that bodybuilding was his new life. He even envisioned himself being Mr. Austria and Mr. Europe. His vision was so vivid that all he did was follow through with the work. Through determination and hard work, Schwarzenegger achieved his dreams and surpassed his imagination.

Schwarzenegger gained international fame as a bodybuilder, won contests, and popularized bodybuilding as a sport. He also transitioned from bodybuilding to acting and became a prominent Hollywood star. He recently opened up about how his life has changed over the years.

How is Schwarzenegger's Life Today?

Schwarzenegger's life has changed today, and so has his exercise routine and body. The actor revealed that most of his muscles are gone and struggles with accepting what he sees when he looks in the mirror.

He said he doesn't like seeing his belly or the muscles that used to be strong just hanging on his body now. However, "The Terminator" star sometimes just laughs it off, acknowledging that this is his body today.

Still, the "Total Recall" actor admitted that it is difficult for him to look at his aging body because he doesn't see the body that used to be praised in his younger years. All he sees now is a body that is out of shape and no longer has muscles with popping veins.

Despite his successful career, the "Predator" star has been through a lot health-wise. He revealed that he had heart surgery just before he turned 50. Doctors told him his heart performance was going down and that he'd need a valve replacement.

However, this heart surgery failed, and the actor had life-threatening body reactions. He had to undergo a second surgery only two hours later to correct the first one.

However, that would not be the last time he would have to deal with trouble on the operation table. Just before he filmed the sixth installment of "The Terminator," in 2018, he underwent another heart surgery.

Schwarzenegger knew it would be a small and non-invasive procedure, but the doctors made a mistake during the surgery and poked his heart. They had to quickly open him up to save his life.

The 76-year-old said he felt like "damaged goods" and "vulnerable" after the first surgery because the doctors told him he shouldn't lift heavy weights anymore.

Today, Schwarzenegger doesn't do heavy weights but focuses on efficient workouts. He said it is now important for him to protect his body but still work out.

The actor does therapy training and is learning to embrace aging and his new body physique. Still, he hasn't retired and is still gracing people's screens in new productions while doing his philanthropic work.