In pictures: Arnold Schwarzenegger before he started bodybuilding

Arnold Schwarzenegger is not just a bodybuilder. The bodybuilder has tried almost everything a man can dream of.

Arnie has been in the army, politics, Hollywood, and bodybuilding industries and has dominated each of them with his overwhelming aura. But you might think about what the bodybuilding legend did before he became the seven-time Mr. Olympia. Let's dive deep and find out together.

The Terminator was born in 1947 in a small village in Thal, Styria. The Austrian Oak had a strict family, and his father, Gustav Schwarzenegger, was a local police chief. Schwarzenegger's mother, Aurelia, served in World War II.

The bodybuilding legend has shared a few photos from his young days on social media over the years.

In one post, where he can be seen lifting, the 77-year-old paid a rich tribute to his coaches and mentors. He captioned the post:

"When I started training, I was lucky to have fantastic coaches and mentors to show me the way. I’ve spent the rest of my life paying them back by showing millions of people the way to health and fitness."

In another post, Schwarzenegger paid his respects to his early fitness idol, Kurt Marnul, after his demise. He wrote:

"Kurt Marnul, one of my first fitness idols, has passed away, and my thoughts are with his family.

"I still remember the day in class that my teacher handed me the sports page and asked me to pick a story and write an essay. I saw this guy with glasses bench pressing a record, and I wrote about how someone who looked like a professor from the neck up bench pressed 190 kilos.

"My class laughed at that line, but my interest in lifting was no joke. When my friends and I met Kurt that summer, he was gracious with us even though we were little teenagers just learning to lift and he was Mr. Austria. He was the leader of our little lifting tribe, inspiring us and giving us a program."

In 1965, the seven-time Mr. Olympia turned 18 and joined the Austrian military, serving approximately one year there as a tank driver. Arnie used to sneak out of the military base, and a friend picked him up for his bodybuilding shows. Arnie won the Junior Mr. Europe title. This was the first bodybuilding show Arnie won while serving in the Austrian military.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's time in the military before becoming a bodybuilding legend

According to the New York Daily News, the Austrian Oak was not allowed to compete in any bodybuilding shows. But after his first victory in Austria, word quickly spread around, and the military got to know about this, which led to a series of unfavorable circumstances in Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding career.

The military didn't know what to do with Arnold Schwarzenegger and put him in a cell for two to three days. Then, for his punishment, the higher-ups ordered the Austrian Oak to peel potatoes in the kitchen. But Schwarzenegger was stubborn and challenged one of his friends to a tank race.

The race started on a hilltop, and Arnie claimed that he won the race despite his friend having a much more advanced tank than him. After becoming a US citizen, the Austrian Oak brought back the same tank he won the race for and paid $20,000 for it.

Were you also surprised by the military journey of the Teminator's military period? Let us know in the comments.