Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to work for the magazine that he said inspired him to pursue bodybuilding.
The former governor of California will become group executive editor and monthly columnist for magazines Flex and Muscle & Fitness, American Media Inc. announced Friday.
“It was in these magazines that I found the spark that inspired me to start lifting weights, and eventually move to America and realize my dreams, and I'm proud to return as Executive Editor,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
The body builder/actor/politician first took the editorship shortly after wining the 2003 gubernatorial recall election but resigned when he was criticized for conflict of interest, the Los Angeles Times reports. As governor, he was making decisions about how to regulate the dietary supplement industry, which supports the fitness magazines.
Schwarzenegger’s relationship with Muscle & Fitness and Flex dates back to 1968 when founder Joe Weider recruited the then-21-year-old to be the face of bodybuilding. Since that time, Schwarzenegger has appeared on the magazines’ covers more than 60 times, according to AMI.
“Bodybuilding has always been part of my life, and I know Muscle & Fitness and Flex will continue to motivate others - as it did me - to lift weights and lead a healthy lifestyle, promote the sport of bodybuilding, and, as Joe used to say in every issue, 'exceed themselves,'" Schwarzenegger said.
Since leaving the governor's office, Schwarzenegger has also returned to starring in action films and has launched the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy.
