“Arnold Would Never Know How”: Uncrowned Bodybuilding Legend Once Revealed How Arnold Schwarzenegger Saved His Life

Kai Greene has won many titles including the Arnold Classic. Greene was one of the main contenders for the title of Mr. Olympia. While the trophy eventually eluded him, Kai became very popular with fans. However, as Greene revealed in 2016, none of this would have been possible without the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Kai attributes all of his success to men from Austria. However, when Greene was training to become a bodybuilder, Arnold didn’t even know him. So how did he ‘Austrian oak’ help Kai Greene that much?

Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired Kai Greene to change his life

Kai Greene did not have an easy upbringing. Greene grew up in foster care and residential treatment centers and was getting into trouble too. However, in 1991, her teacher handed her Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’. Kai’s teacher also showed him the movie ‘Pumping Iron’.

Kai credits these two things for turning his life around. Kai said, “Arnold would never know how those two significant episodes (watching ‘Pumping Iron’ and reading his book) changed my life. In fact, I think they probably saved my life.”

Regarding ‘Pumping Iron’, Kai said: “Before the movie I felt powerless,”. However, after seeing the iconic film, Kai realized: “I had to start making the right decisions.”. ‘Pumping Iron’ is a documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film shows how Arnold Schwarzenegger won the 1975 Mr. Olympia. It is widely considered to be possibly the best bodybuilding documentary of all time and has inspired generations of bodybuilders.

While talking about the book, Kai said that he was 16 years old and couldn’t read. “But the book gave me a reason to learn to read,” Kai said. She wanted to absorb all the knowledge in the book. So he said it was Arnold’s book that inspired him to learn to read too.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an icon for all bodybuilders. Kai Green is living proof of how influential Arnold was in the development of the sport. Greene also acknowledges that, to an extent, it was Schwarzenegger himself who changed Kai’s life. Since neither the book nor the movie would exist without the seven-time Mr. Olympia.

Kai Greene’s rivalry with Phil Heath

The world of bodybuilding has seen many iconic rivalries. Kai Greene vs. Phil Heath is one of them. The pair competed against each other on the Mr. Olympia stage many times. However, the rivalry peaked between 2013 and 2014. Kai Greene came close to beating Heath, but always came up short.

Check out this story – A quick look at the Museum of the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger in Austria

Although Kai Greene never won the coveted Mr. Olympia title, he became very popular. Every time Greene fought Phil Heath, the fans raved. However, none of this would have been possible without the ‘Austrian Oak’. The Arnold book and documentary are the reason fans got to see the three-time Arnold Classic winner compete on stage in the first place.