Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76, confesses he struggles with his aging body and feels like ‘damaged goods’ in candid interview: ‘It just sucks’

Arnold Schwarzenegger confessed that he is still coming to terms with his body image as a 76-year-old man.

During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, the actor and former California governor revealed he felt like “damaged goods” and admitted that seeing signs of aging “is a bad thing.”

The actor said he struggles with the body he now sees in the mirror after spending most of his life in rock-solid shape as a bodybuilding champion and Hollywood action hero.

‘I actually only smile because I look in the mirror every day and say, ‘Yes, you are so worthless. Look at this body. Look at those pecs that used to be firm and perky and very powerful with a line in them. Now they just hang there.’

“I mean, what the hell is going on here?” he told Stern, while promoting his new self-help book Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life.

Although the seven-time Mr. Olympia champion knows that most people face the same body image crisis, he stated that most people don’t know what it feels like to go from an idealized ‘Superman’ physique to an average man.

‘Most people have never been in shape. So what does it mean to get out of shape? They always looked at a shy body. So that’s why it becomes more and more difficult as time goes by,” he explained.

“It’s just that when you’ve been hailed as this tallest body for years, and you’ve got the definition and you see the veins running down your abs, and you see veins on top of your chest and now you’re cutting and rolling the clock 50 Years and you stands there and you don’t see it anymore,” he said of his changing body.

Although the Terminator star made it clear that he looks better than the ‘majority’ of people his age, he’s still not satisfied.

“I never thought that this would happen when I was 30 or 40 years old,” he added. “It just sucks.”

The Austrian native of Thailand then turned the topic of conversation back to the host by praising him for staying thin.

‘I’m always amazed at how thin you stayed. You haven’t gained anything,” the father of five told Stern. ‘But this is smart. Only if you are slim can you live longer and healthier.’

He further revealed that he only eats two meals a day: breakfast and dinner, in his strategy to stay slim and in shape.

The harsh reality: ‘I actually only smile because I look in the mirror every day and say, ‘Yes, you are bad. Look at this body. Look at those pecs that used to be firm and perky and very powerful with stripes. Now they’re just hanging there,” the actor and former politician revealed to Howard Stern

Coming to terms: Although the Terminator star made it clear he looks better than the ‘majority’ of people his age, he’s still unhappy with his body at 76

High praise: ‘I’m always amazed at how thin you stayed. You haven’t gained anything,” the father of five told Stern. ‘But this is smart. You can only live longer and healthier if you are slim

Realization: Schwarzenegger revealed that everything changed for him after he had open-heart surgery at age 50, which left him feeling like ‘damaged goods’ for the first time

The Predator actor says everything changed for him after he underwent open-heart surgery at the age of 50, which left him feeling like “damaged goods” for the first time.

“That was the first time I felt vulnerable,” the exercise guru said.

‘Where suddenly the doctor says: ‘You shouldn’t lift so heavy anymore. Or just pay attention when you breathe. Don’t hold the air in when you exhale, because that puts too much strain on your valves.’ in your heart.

Schwarzenegger went on to say that he doesn’t think life is the same as it was when he was 30 or 40 years old, “where you could do anything and never have to think about anything.”

“Now all of a sudden you have to start thinking about those things to warm up to this, and to warm up to that. But am I angry about it? No, because I can’t do anything about it.’

He tries to manage aging in the right direction, including meeting the challenges that come his way

It’s the only choice we have,” he said before adding, “The bottom line is I’m 76 years old. I am full of energy. I am full of enthusiasm. I’m just as excited and excited as I was when I was 30 years old.”

Legendary: Born in Thailand, Austria first gained recognition as a bodybuilding champion with seven Mr. Olympia titles

Action hero status: Schwarzenegger used his ripped physique to pursue a hugely successful career in film, first as an action hero

Promo mode: Schwarzenegger is currently promoting his upcoming new self-help book Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life, which is expected to be available on October 24

Schwarzenegger then delved deeper into his mindset to reveal how he takes each day as it comes.

“I just see mountains to climb,” he said. “And so as long as I see those mountains, I keep my enthusiasm and my excitement and that fire in the belly to keep climbing and climbing and that’s what matters.”

Schwarzenegger’s new book Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life is expected to be available on October 24.

In it, he shares his seven rules to follow to “realize your true purpose in life” by recounting his own journey of relentless reinvention and extraordinary achievements, including becoming the greatest bodybuilder at one point in his life was in the world; the world’s highest-paid movie star; and the leader of the world’s sixth-largest economy as governor of California from 2003-2011.