Arnold Schwarzenegger's Advice For Building Grit And Resilience

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Monday motivation

• Win the day…and the year

• How to fight off fatigue (on your longest workouts)

• The 2-minute trick to make new habits stick

• Workout of the week

Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation: Stop Underestimating Yourself

My friends,

Too many of you are selling yourselves short. You underestimate the impact you can make with an hour a day. You underestimate the progress you can make if you stay committed. You underestimate your power to change the world around you.

This week, I read a message from one of our Pump community members that reminded me why we started all of this in the first place.

She shared openly about her struggles—losing 80 pounds, overcoming spinal issues that once had her on a cane, and fighting through the heavy burden of mental illness. 

But what struck me most wasn’t just her physical transformation. It was the way she changed the story in her head.

She wrote: 

That’s it. That’s the secret. Too often, we underestimate ourselves in the long run because we’re too focused on what’s happening in the short run.

Someone starts lifting and quits because they only added five pounds to the bar this month. Someone starts running and gives up because they’re only a few seconds faster per mile. Someone starts eating healthier and gets frustrated because the scale only moved one pound this week.

But think about it: one pound a week means fifty pounds in a year. That’s life-changing. Five pounds on the bar every month is sixty pounds in a year. That’s a new you. Small wins, stacked over time, become massive victories.

The woman who shared her story wrote: 

That didn’t happen overnight. It happened because she stayed consistent. She took her meds. She got sober. She built healthy habits, one at a time. And now she has transformed not only her body, but her entire identity.

That’s why I need you to stop underestimating yourself. Stop thinking you can’t. Stop expecting change to happen in a week. Start stacking your wins, one on top of the other, no matter how small they are.

Remember: you will almost always overestimate what you can do in a day or a week, and underestimate what you can do in a year. 

If you stick with it, if you keep putting in that one hour, if you keep fighting back against that little voice that says “I can’t,” you will look back in twelve months and not recognize the person you used to be.

So today, I want you to ask yourself the same question this Pump Club member now asks: “How about if I tried that?”

Because when you stop underestimating yourself, you start becoming unstoppable.

Now go out there and win your Monday.

Pump Club Bonus
Win The Day — And The Year

Today is the last day to get a discounted Pump Club membership and a free membership for a friend.

When you buy an annual membership today, you get the Pump Club app for 50% OFF the monthly price — and you get an annual membership to gift to a friend. 

You’ll get the custom workouts, nutrition tracker, habit builder, weekly Zoom coaching calls with Pump Club coaches, exclusive articles, discounts, live meetups, and even the chance to train with Arnold. 

At midnight, the sale ends. Access the special price and free gift for a friend.

Together With LMNT
Why Salt Could Be the Missing Link For Your Hardest Workouts

If you’ve ever hit a wall during a long workout, one simple addition could keep you going longer—and even perform better, too.

Athletes who supplemented with electrolytes finished an average of 26 minutes faster than those who didn’t.

Researchers tracked experienced triathletes competing in a half-Ironman. Half the group took salt capsules (about 700mg sodium per hour), while the other half took a placebo. 

Despite only replacing about 70 percent of the sodium lost in sweat, the salt group cycled and ran faster.

Electrolytes—especially sodium—play a key role in balancing fluids, maintaining blood volume, and keeping muscles firing properly. During long, hot events, sodium losses can leave athletes under-hydrated and at risk for cramping. Salt supplementation stimulates thirst, helps you retain the fluids you drink, and supports steady energy output over hours of exertion.

The catch: this isn’t a trick for your average gym session or a 5K run. For most workouts under an hour, good old water should cover your needs. But for longer-duration workouts (think more than 1.5 to 2 hours), hot conditions, or high-intensity workouts that result in a lot of sweat, adding electrolytes could mean the difference between finishing strong and fading hard.

LMNT is a science-backed electrolyte drink with everything you want (sodium, potassium, magnesium) — and none of the junk you don’t (no sugar, no artificial ingredients). It’s trusted by elite performers, endurance athletes, and military teams because it works when it matters most.

Whether you’re training for a marathon or grinding through a long Zone 2 session, LMNT helps you stay hydrated, energized, and cramp-free — without upsetting your stomach or spiking your blood sugar.

Right now, you can get a free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavors with any purchase. Find your favorite flavor, or share with your crew. And if you’re not 100% satisfied, LMNT will refund your order. No questions asked.

Hydrate like your performance depends on it, because for your hardest workouts — it does. 

Start Your Week Right
The 2-Minute Trick To Help New Habits Stick

Every Monday, millions of people say the same thing: “This week, I’m going to exercise more.” But by Friday, most of those plans have already disappeared.

Motivation helps you want to work out — but research shows the real secret to following through is making a simple “if-then” plan.

Researchers tested two strategies: motivational messages designed to boost intentions to exercise and combining motivation with “implementation intentions,” or specific if-then plans. 

Motivation alone raised people’s intentions but didn’t increase actual workouts. 

But when participants wrote down concrete plans like “If it’s Tuesday at 7 PM, then I will go to the gym,” their exercise behavior dramatically increased.

The researchers explain that motivation lights the spark, but real life brings distractions. If-then plans act like mental shortcuts. Instead of wasting energy deciding whether or when to exercise, you’ve already chosen the time and place. When the cue shows up — Tuesday, 7 PM — the behavior follows automatically.

This week, don’t just say you’ll exercise more, eat better, connect with friends, or find time to recharge. Write down one specific if-then plan, such as:

Every morning at 6 pm, I’ll walk for 20 minutes before work.
At lunch, I’ll pack a shake to make sure I get enough protein.
On Saturday morning, I’ll block off 30 minutes to read a book. 

Start with just one or two small commitments. Once those become automatic, add more. The little plans you set now could be the difference between another week of good intentions and one where you actually build momentum.

Fitness 
Workout Of The Week 

Last week, we shared the “total reps” approach of training. So many of you loved it that we created a new version for this week. 

With the total reps method, instead of thinking of doing “3 sets of 10,” you choose a goal number of total reps. You’ll choose the right weight, hit technical failure on every set, and accumulate reps until you reach your target. That’s it.

You’re not chasing sets—you’re chasing the goal. This week, your goal is 25 total reps per exercise, and we’re hitting your muscles using different movements.

How To Do It

For each exercise, pick a weight that you can lift for 4 to 6 reps. Do a set, and then rest 2-3 minutes. Perform as many sets as needed to reach a total of 25 reps, and then move to the next exercise.  

1. Dumbbell split squat: 25 reps per leg

2. Kickstand dumbbell deadlift: 25 reps per leg

3. Arnold press: 25 reps

4. Pullups (weighted, if necessary): 25 reps

Give it a try, and start your week strong!

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell