Max Harbord I did not have particularly high expectations of this film when I first came to watch it, but I left the screen with a new found knowledge of bodybuilding, an area which I had never seen on film before, and was inspired more than ever to get training! I really liked this film a lot. I found it very interesting to have entered this new world of bodybuilding and I now have a much better understanding of what the sport is all about. I found Arnold Shwarzenegger to be very funny throughout this film and enjoyed watching his journey. I would highly recommend this film to just about anyone and I hope it can inspire you too.

runamokprods Entertaining, well made documentary on the sport of body building (circa mid 1970s) focusing in particular on then 28 year old Arnold Schwarzenegger, who can be charming, funny, and as when he's explaining his admiration for dictators in his Germanic accent ("People remember them") or playing psych-out mind games on his so-called best friend, but also rival, before a competition – he can be more than a bit creepy and disturbing. While always enjoyable, and fascinating for where Arnold's life led him after this film made him a star, it's not a super deep or moving documentary. Its too lightweight,repetitive and self- consciously funky for that, along with the fact that sections are admittedly semi-staged for the cameras. But if it's not quite a great film, its certainly a good time.

ebiros2 The movie is about conditioning professional and amateur body builders went through to get prepared for the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest.The centerpiece of course is 28 year old Arnold Scwartzenegger who was the five time Mr. Olympia going in. This is also the movie that made Arnold widely recognized in America. Akso new comer into the contest was the 24 year old Lou "the Hulk" Ferrigno. You see other body building legends like Dr. Franco Columbu, Mike Kats, Ken Waller, Serge Neubret, and Mike Mentzer. You see the mind game before the contest going, and you really need to keep your courage up otherwise, your performance suffers.All of the contestants looked like champs, and in their own ways they were. It was close in my opinion between Arnold and Lou, but Arnold had more experience, and strength of will. That's how close these competitions are. In the end two best friends Arnold and Franco goes on the pose offs to decide the overall winner. One of the finest moment in body building history.George Butler did a masterful job of directing and producing this little gem of a movie. A classic in all definition of the word.

mario10zeus Pumping Iron is a great documentary. A rather revealing look at the then smaller world of body-building. Audiences are introduced to the charismatic, brash and overly-confident Arnold Schwarzenegger. Later we see the camaraderie between the muscle men at Arnold's gym in L.A. Thereis a huge contrast between the fun atmosphere of L.A. and the austere and dark gym where Lou Ferrigno trains under the rather obsessive watch of his father, Matty. While Ferrigno is bigger than Arnold, Arnold is considered to have the body with best symmetry and alignment, not to forget those 25 inch biceps. The scenes with Mike Katz, an amateur body-builder and former NY Jets player with an enormous chest are quite memorable and inspiring. Katz talks about the taunting he received as a kid and how this pushed him to train hard to achieve his goals. Try to watch the DVD which includes an update 30 years later. Included among several memorable scenes are: Arnold smoking a joint; Arnold talking about the pump and "coming" feeling; Arnold giving tips on how to pose; after Lou Ferrigno has finished an impressive set of military benches, his father tells that Arnold might be training twice as hard as he is; some body builders who can barely run normally thanks to so much muscle. Great Documnetary, don't miss it.