Arnold Schwarzenegger Inspires 19-Year-Old Stranger Bullied at the Gym: "I'm Rooting for You...Get Back Up"

Actor and politician speaks out on Reddit with a few touching words

By Mike Vulpo Mar 23, 2015 8:08 PMTags
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Environmental Media AwardsGetty Images for Environmental Media Awards

They say no pain, no gain. But we weren't exactly thinking of this kind of pain.

One "nervous" 19-year-old teenager decided to try something new by working out at a neighborhood gym. At 6'5" tall and weighing in at 130 pounds, the anonymous person simply wanted to work on his or her's figure with a variety of exercises including weightlifting.

Sadly, the first time didn't exactly go smoothly.

"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," the teen wrote on Reddit. "Feeling completely embarrassed at this point, I put the bar and the weights in their places, and left with my head hanging low."

But before you think this fitness beginner is giving up, think again! Bring in The Terminator. 

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None other than Arnold Schwarzenegger saw the post on Reddit and decided to give the stranger a serious pep talk.

"You should be proud that you weren't afraid—not embarrassed that you failed," the actor and former politician shared online. "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."

He added, "That's courage. I'm proud of you."

As one can expect, the bullied teenager was stunned that the former professional bodybuilder took time out of his busy schedule to send more than a few encouraging words. In fact, it was just the push this up-and-coming athlete needed to persevere. 

"[Arnold] told me he's proud of me and that he is rooting for me. I'm never going to let him down and most importantly myself," the user wrote before getting additional messages of support from strangers. "All of this brought me to tears. I've never felt this empowered in my life and I can't thank you all enough."

It's the answer Schwarzenegger was hoping for when he wrote his post that is quickly going viral. After all, everyone has to start somewhere.

"You took the first step and you fell, but at least you fell in the right direction," he wrote. "So get back up and take the next step. Keep moving forward."