Arnold's Guide To Gym Etiquette

If you've ever felt stressed or unsure about how to act in the gym, Arnold Schwarzenegger shares his three rules.

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Today’s Health Upgrade

Arnold’s Monday montivation
The opposite of smoking
Workout of the week

Arnold’s Podcast

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Arnold’s Corner: Monday Motivation

There is something I have loved about the gym since I was a 15-year-old lifting with the Graz weightlifting team: the gym is a community.

If you have ever seen Pumping Iron, you know that even though we were preparing to compete with each other, we all trained together, we laughed together, and we pushed each other.

To this day, people say to me, “You must have a home gym, why do you work out at a public gym?”

I have a fantastic home gym, and I use it if I want a second workout or some extra cardio. But I’ll never stop going to public gyms. I love the community. I love seeing the same crowd every day, joking together, enjoying our progress together, and just schmoozing between sets.

If you are someone who is a little scared about going to a gym for the first time, I want you to know that there isn’t anything to worry about. I see newcomers every day. I’m proud of them. The hardest thing is starting out. I see the old members giving them pointers or congratulating them.

The gym, in many ways, is the opposite of social media, which should be called anti-social media. You won’t last long at a gym trolling people. You learn to share and work together. You build relationships.

Everybody is starting from a different place, but we are all there for the same reason: just to be a little better than we were when we woke up this morning.

There are some rules you should know. I filmed this video at the gym with some of my friends and training partners to help people in the app who were worried about what to do if a machine is taken.

Remember, none of us own anything in the gym — don’t hog equipment, work in with each other. Leave the equipment looking the way it was when you showed up, and don’t make a mess for anyone else.

And make friends. Enjoy the community. Train those social muscles while you train your real muscles.

If you have other ideas of gym etiquette you want me to cover in my next video, reply to this email and let us know!

The Opposite of Smoking

Smoking is considered one of the worst things you can do for your health. Cut smoking, and you’ll likely live longer. While removing behaviors that don’t help you is good, it’s also great to add habits that make a big difference. And few things offer a bigger longevity boost than the pump.

A 20-year study on more than 400,000 people found that strength training decreases mortality risk by 40 percent. That’s the same type of improvement seen when comparing non-smokers to people who smoke half a pack per day.

But here’s the best part: those in the study only performed resistance training once or twice weekly. So, even if you can’t go to the gym as often as Arnold, you can still significantly boost your lifespan.

While all forms of exercise are great, the benefits of strength training appear to have the most significant impact on longevity. For comparison, one hour per week of cardio will reduce your mortality risk by approximately 15 percent. And if you combine both cardio and weights, it’s better than either alone.

If you’re looking for an efficient plan to perform two to three times per week, try the full-body workout of the week below.

Workout of the Week

If you want to double the number of reps you perform without adding more exercises, single-arm and single-leg movements are a great way to challenge your body. This workout consists of five exercises and will build strength and muscle from head to toe. Do the first exercise, rest, and repeat for a second set. Then, move to the next exercise and repeat the process.