Pumping Iron -- The Remix

Pumping Iron 1977 -- This is the film that helped bodybuilding and exercise gain its popularity in the late 1970s. From Gold's Gym in Venice Beach California to the showdown in Pretoria, amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests in this part-scripted, part-documentary film. Five-time champion Arnold Schwarzenegger defends his Mr. Olympia title against Serge Nubret and the shy young Lou Ferrigno, whose father helps him prepare for the contest; the ruthless champ psyches out the young lion. Franco Columbu competes in the lightweight class; at home in Italy he solves a tight parking problem by lifting the car into place. Joe Weider is the marketer; Mike Katz and Ken Waller go for the title of Mr. Universe. Bodybuilding and a celebrity-to-be go mainstream.

You'll see my in this video as well on the Incline Bench. Go Louie!
Arnold says Louie should never had stopped competing and would have been untouchable.
I think Louie made an amazing comeback though and that's better than most others.




Liking Arnold or not linking Arnold, liking bodybuilding or not liking bodybuilding, this seventies documentary is an interesting study of the discipline, willpower and guts it takes to succeed in a (let's be honest) rather extreme sport. The film shows the athletes as real people, not merely as empty shells of testosterone. And while some of the views expressed in the film are quite humorous, others are (surprisingly?) balanced and deep-felt.

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