Arnold’s rise to power is a true rags to riches story.

In the grand scheme of things Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life is truly unreal. His story has played out like fantasy fiction. A poor young man trains his mind and body, travels to a strange foreign land and topples the competition. That same young man went on to become a successful entertainer, businessman, and ultimately an elected politician. Those factoids in itself lend itself better to the plot of a film than it does to real life. Yet Arnold made all that happen through his guile and need to challenge himself.

When Arnold was first on the bodybuilding scene the industry was barely getting any attention and was looking like it would never make its way into the mainstream. The Austrian Oak did exactly what any person would do in order to elevate his position. Arnold would sell bodybuilding to any person who’d listen. This in itself made it possible for him to generate a decent living and once the release of Pumping Iron put him in the public eye there was no turning back for the champion bodybuilder.

That kind of exposure puts you in position to be asked the hard hitting questions, the most prominent of which is the reality of steroid use in his sport. In a rare interview with the long running documentary television series 60 Minutes, Arnold delves into the business of bodybuilding, his acting and political careers, and the use of the anabolic substance so heavily connected to the sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32ERLr9dclw

Common knowledge or not, it’s pretty rare to see a man speak so freely about the use of anabolic substances, yet Arnold manages to do it with an nonchalant, tell it like it is kind of attitude that is at once informative and hard hitting. People manage to demonize the substance, but Arnold gives you the truth of the matter with no frills. Let’s face it, it’s this same approach that has made Schwarzenegger so popular and has given him the ability to take the sport of bodybuilding to new heights.

What are your thoughts on the former bodybuilder’s long career? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.