Arnold Schwarzenegger, the iconic powerhouse of drive, discipline, and brawn, recently spilled the beans on a wild chapter from his past during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The revelation? The Terminator himself used to be workout buddies with none other than Tommy Chong, the weed-loving half of the legendary Cheech & Chong duo.
With a hearty laugh, Schwarzenegger admitted, “”You’re busting me big time here.” He delved into the tale of their unexpected friendship, hatched on the sun-soaked grounds of Venice Beach in the early ’70s.
“Tommy and I became very good friends,” he shared. “We both had big, big dreams when we met on Venice Beach, working out there on the outside weightlifting platform, and we talked about how we wanted to be stars, and he wanted to be in comedy and was dreaming about that, and I was dreaming about being the biggest and best bodybuilder and getting into movies and being a leading man, and all of this stuff. So we had a really great time.”
As the story unfolded, Schwarzenegger couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of their unique gym sessions. “And he was, of course, stoned a lot of times. And as a matter of fact, we went over to a friend’s house many times to smoke pot in those days, and he actually taught me to not smoke a whole joint but have a few hits and try to work out that way. So I started working out with a few hits before we went to the gym and worked out this way, and it was really fantastic, I should say.”
However, the joint-and-pump routine eventually came to an end for the Austrian Oak. “In 1975, after I competed in the Mr. Olympia contest the sixth time, and I won it the sixth time, after that I wanted to get really serious in business,” Schwarzenegger explained. “I wanted to finish my business degree in college, and I wanted to get into acting and show business and all of that. And I then stopped smoking from one day to the next and didn’t smoke a joint ever since.”
So, there you have it—the surprising tale of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tommy Chong, proving that even legends have their quirky beginnings. And who knows, maybe somewhere out there, a few old gym joints are still reminiscing about the golden days of pumping iron and passing the peace pipe.
As for Arnold’s journey from lifting weights with Tommy Chong to conquering the business and acting worlds, one thing remains: his affinity for enjoying a good smoke. And just as he once said, “That is not a drug. It’s a leaf,” Schwarzenegger hasn’t completely given up on embracing the smoky side of life. While the joints are now part of the past, you’re more likely to find him savoring the rich flavors of his favorite Cohiba or Punch cigars, proving that even in the ever-evolving script of life, Arnold still knows how to add a touch of smoldering sophistication to the tale.
Reference: Men’s health Magazine
~ Yours most High, but not Mighty,
Elstoned
