Arnold Schwarzenegger inspires 19-year-old Redditor who was bullied at the gym

By Philip Otuo,

Schwarzenegger speaks on stage during the Arnold Classic Australia in Melbourne. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty …

When you’ve had a bad day at the gym, sometimes you just need a little pep talk from an action hero.

And that’s just what 19-year-old Reddit user GnashBrowns got.
The young man recently shared his story of being laughed at by strangers at the gym when he stumbled during his new weightlifting routine.


“Everything went pretty well until the last rep on the fourth set. Took a nasty spill and landed on my right knee to prevent myself from falling backwards. A couple people laughed. That hurt more than falling down,” he wrote.
“I got back on the horse and finished up the last set at 60. Next exercise was deadlift. I never really got the hang of the form for a proper deadlift so I practiced it while looking in the mirror. Started my first set at 55 but couldn’t get the form down, my right knee kept buckling and gave out on the fourth rep, causing me to fall once more. Same people laughed and got many looks in my direction because of the loud noise.”
Eventually he gave up.
“Feeling completely embarrassed at this point, I put the bar and the weights in their places, and left with my head hanging low,” he wrote.
“I know everyone experiences failure once in a while, but having it served to me firsthand coupled with people laughing just destroyed my confidence.”

GnashBrowns wrote that he rarely goes to the gym without his workout partner because he’s not confident going alone. His recent attempt at going solo only worsened his self-confidence.

And then Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped in.
Another Reddit user tagged everyone’s favourite strongman-turned-governor, hoping the former Mr. Universe could provide a little encouragement to the young gym-goer.



 I always say don’t be afraid of failure, because how far can you really fall? You found out — to the ground. It’s right there. Now you know it isn’t anything that should scare you,” Schwarzenegger wrote.
“You should be proud that you weren’t afraid - not embarrassed that you failed. You could have made excuses not to walk into the door, but you didn’t. You knew it would be hard, and it would be uncomfortable, and it might be awkward - and you did it anyway. That’s courage. I’m proud of you.”
“The last guy I rooted for broke a world record in the deadlift. You have more in common with him than you think,” he continued. “First, he started out lifting just the bar, too (when you look at him, he may have been 3 months old at that point). Second, imagine his courage. He walked up to that bar in front of a big audience and television cameras, knowing that not only had he never lifted that much before — NO ONE on earth had — and it was highly likely he would completely fail. You may not think about it this way, but you showed that courage, on a smaller level.”
“Finally, I’m rooting for you, too. You took the first step and you fell, but at least you fell in the right direction, so get back up and take the next step. Keep moving forward.”
The pep talk was just what the Reddit user needed.
“I’m in total shock right now, but thank you so much Mr. Schwarzenegger,” GnashBrowns wrote. “I was completely blindsided by the amount of support /r/gainit showed me, but this something else. I’m going to make sure I come back to this subreddit bigger and stronger to show everyone here that supported me that I stayed on the path and didn’t give up.”
We’d be hitting the gym, too, if we knew Arnold was rooting for us.

“Next time someone laughs at you, just ask yourself if Arnold Schwarzenegger believes in them. The answer…is no. Quietly smirk to yourself and keep going,” one Reddit user encouraged.

“’You know who’s not laughing? Arnold,’” wrote another.
GnashBrown’s story — and awesome pep talk from the “greatest action hero of the 1980s” — went viral.
“Really at a loss for words right now, but all of this brought me to tears,” the beginner weightlifter wrote of the attention. “I’ve never felt this empowered in my life and I can’t thank you all enough. You all made today pretty f***ing awesome.”
“This is my rest day so it’s absolutely killing me not being able to go. But first thing tomorrow morning though, the tiny weights that I can pick up won’t know what lifted them,” he added.