Do You Have A Schadenfreude Problem?

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Today’s Health Upgrade

Monday motivation
Go heavy or grow old?
Beyond the vision
Workout of the week

Arnold’s Podcast

Want more stories from Arnold? Every day, Arnold’s Pump Club Podcast opens with a story, perspective, and wisdom from Arnold that you won’t find in the newsletter. And, you’ll hear a recap of the day’s items. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation

Schadenfreude is one of my favorite German words.

You probably know it, but just in case, schadenfreude is when you find joy in others’ misfortune.

Now, sometimes, we can’t avoid it. It’s why physical comedy works so well in movies — we laugh when someone falls down.

But I want to push you to stop finding joy in seeing people fall down because it isn’t healthy for you or for the world.

A lot of people fall into a permanent schadenfreude trap. And it isn’t good for you for many reasons.

First of all, it’s a distraction. When you’re gossiping about someone else’s failure or rooting for someone you don’t like to fall down, you are using energy that you could use to move forward and find real joy on your own.

Instead of doing something meaningful, you trick yourself into thinking you are doing just fine because you didn’t fail as spectacularly as the person you’re gossiping about.

That may feel good. For a few minutes. But then, it’s gone.

It isn’t real joy because it can’t sustain you.

True joy is in the doing — in trying things yourself, failing at them, trying again, and getting a little better.

To do that, you have to put yourself out there. You have to be willing to be uncomfortable. And most people aren’t willing to do that, so they retreat to the comfort of laughing at someone else.

Stop it.

Use that energy for yourself. Find your vision. Try. Fail. Get up.

I love the Samuel Beckett quote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Living life this way requires ALL of your energy. You don’t have time for schadenfreude. You have to stay so focused on your own path that you don’t have the bandwidth to look for others’ missteps.

And that brings me to the second reason I want you to let go of the schadenfreude.

It makes you a more negative person. Instead of looking for the good, “Wow, isn’t it inspirational that they were willing to try something so hard,” it teaches you to look for the bad. “Yes, they couldn’t do it!”

That’s terrible for your health.

Studies show that people who help and support others live longer. Supporting other people releases all of the brain’s natural feel-good chemicals: serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine.

People who regularly support others even have lower levels of systemic inflammation. So no, you don’t need that juice fast to get rid of your inflammation. Maybe you just need to be a kinder person.

This is why I see people every day in The Pump App who tell me that they are stronger, they’ve lost weight, they have less pain, they’ve beaten pre-diabetes or high blood pressure, but the best thing that’s happened to them is that they’re more positive people in every part of their life.

They’re doing something for themselves. They are taking control of their fitness. That, on its own, is powerful. It shows them that they aren’t victims of fate; they are allowed to write their own story.

But at the same time, they’re seeing what it means to be surrounded by a positive community of people who celebrate their wins together and lift each other up through their struggles.

That’s the secret sauce of life. That’s where you find joy.

When you have a mission of your own and support others in their missions, your life changes.

You don’t have time to enjoy someone else’s misfortune because you’re too damn busy working on yourself and supporting other people.

This week, my mission for all of you is to catch yourself every time you indulge in a little schadenfreude or gossip about someone else’s downfall.

Redirect that energy into yourself and helping others.

I’m not the fun police. There is still a place for schadenfreude in our lives. I’ll never fail to laugh when one of my friends trips or spills coffee all over themselves.

This is about the bigger things in life. We all need less gossip and more positivity.

You have the power to do that, starting right now.

Use it.

Longevity
Go Heavy Or Get Older?

“Go heavy or go home” might be cliche gym-speak, but the statement has some truth.

Training with heavier weights—especially as you age—can improve your health and longevity.

Scientists explored the overlooked benefits of heavy strength training (lifting more than 80 to 85 percent of your one-rep max) as you age. The typical wisdom is to use lighter weights. But that’s misleading.

Over the last 30 years, studies consistently show that training with heavy weights improves maximal strength (1-rep max), rate of force development (RFD), and muscular power — three critical factors for better health outcomes, preventing falls, and maintaining independence with age.

Researchers emphasized that current exercise recommendations for older adults to use lighter weights limit the full potential benefits of resistance training.

Lifting heavy loads (greater than 80 percent of 1-rep max) is the real game-changer for health, longevity, and physical performance in older adults.

Using heavier weights could lead to greater neural adaptations, stronger gains, and even a lower risk of injury than expected. It’s designed to improve not just your muscles but also your brain’s ability to recruit them. This neural boost leads to faster reflexes, better balance, and resilience against slips and falls.

The scientists found that heavy strength training has been linked to improvements in bone density, blood sugar control, cardiovascular health, and functional abilities — benefits that go far beyond just “looking fit.”

Together With Brex
A Better Way to Fuel Your Vision

Arnold has shared many tools for building a successful life, from attacking your goals with daily reps to embracing struggle as a path to growth. But two of the most important lessons?

The Focus Principle: lock in on your vision, and eliminate distractions.
Don’t do it alone…because there’s no such thing as a self-made man.

At Arnold’s Pump Club, we apply those principles every day. And when it comes to running a business, they’re exactly why we rely on Brex.

Brex helps us stay focused on what matters — building, growing, and serving our community — without getting lost in spreadsheets or scattered systems. It handles the back-end so that you can double down on the mission.

This isn’t just a modern finance platform. It’s a launchpad for founders, operators, and finance leaders who refuse to compromise — who want the speed to scale and the discipline to sustain it.

Extend your runway with high-limit cards, high-yield banking, and 100% liquidity — all approved fast.
Move faster with automated expenses, reimbursements, and accounting — cutting 60% of manual finance work.
Scale smarter with one global financial stack built for entities, currencies, and teams.

Trusted by 30,000+ companies — including 1 in 3 U.S. startups — to manage cards, banking, and spend in one place.

Brex gives you the structure most founders have to figure out the hard way: integrated team budgets, rewards that fuel growth, and a global finance stack that scales with you.

With up to 20x higher card limits, high-yield banking, and automation that replaces busywork, Brex helps your team spend smarter, move faster, and grow with confidence.

This isn’t just about saving money. It’s about building smarter. And that’s something Arnold would always bet on.

If you’re building something big, don’t just spend — fuel your next move. See how Brex can support your vision.

Fitness
Workout Of The Week

This workout is not about chasing fatigue—it’s about chasing strength and force. You’ll focus on moving heavy weights with intention, power, and perfect mechanics while still fitting it into your busy day.

How It Works

Set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes. Alternate between the four exercises below. Perform one set of the first exercise, rest for 60 seconds, and then repeat that pattern with the other three exercises (doing the exercise, resting 60 seconds, and continuing to the next move). Continue cycling through the four exercises until time is up.