Arnold Schwarzenegger Admits He Struggles with Self Esteem: ‘When I Look in the Mirror, I Throw Up’

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be an action hero and a bodybuilding champion, but he still struggles with self-image.

“When I look in the mirror, I throw up,” The New Celebrity Apprentice boss, 69, says in the February issue of Cigar Aficionado. “And I was already so critical of myself, even when I was in top physical shape. I’d look in the mirror after I won one Mr. Olympia after another and think, ‘How did this pile of s*** win?’ ”

“I never saw perfection,” he continued. “There was always something lacking. I could always find a million things wrong with myself and that’s what got me back into the gym — because I started out with that mentality.”

Schwarzenegger says he currently works out every day.

“My day cannot start without doing something physically,” he told the magazine. “And I work out at night before bed — cardio, weight-training. I want to stay in shape as long as I can.”

Schwarzenegger says he uses his self-esteem issues as fuel for his workouts.

“I do lack confidence, but I do the reps and do them enough that the thing itself will be doable when it’s time,” he says. “When I was competing at bodybuilding, I did so many hours of reps — on the weights, practicing the poses — that when I got onstage, I was comfortable and confident. The more reps you do, the more you look smooth and convincing. The more you do it, the better you get.  That’s how you gain confidence.”

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