Completed: 13. Attend the Arnold Classic
The Arnold Classic… the mecca of weightlifters.
If you’ve never heard of the Arnold Sports Festival, let me to enlighten you. It’s an annual festival (named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, still looking good in a golf cart below) and expo consisting of fitness, bodybuilding, strongman/woman competitions, fitness, bikini competitions, and much more.
It’s been going on since 1989 and is held in Columbus, Ohio.
I love fitness and I love the science of weight lifting, so this was a big bucket list item for me to knock off.
In the past, over 175,000 people have attended this event. This festival takes over the town, but the convention center is the main hub. Side note: if you’re claustrophobic, this is not the place for you. You literally cannot move for minutes at a time trying to get around. I kind of knew it was going to be crowded, but I wasn’t fully ready for what I experienced.
Despite the crowds, the action at the convention center was amazing. You get a chance to see different events, all part of the ticket prices ($15 for entry). Walking through and seeing the weightlifters up close, is amazing. Natural or artificial… who cares… the human body is an amazing thing.
Now, I consider myself in good shape. I work out everyday and I eat fairly healthy. During the Arnold, I never felt so small and out of shape in my life. I was humbled. It was a good learning experience about my body and how in the greater scheme of things that I’m not shit.
The highlight of the trip was completing another goal — meet CT Fletcher, but Saturday night was the main event. During this time, the big heavyweights compete in a pose down competition. These men are massive. It was an unbelievable show.
-Kris
Woah man! This is immense! Looks like an awesome day! What was CT Fletcher like in person?