When you’ve been Mr. Olympia seven times and played a killer robot from the future, you’ve probably seen it all-right? Not quite, if you ask Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The action legend was recently a guest on The Big Podcast with Shaq, and near the end of the episode, he shared a memory that’s been sitting with him for decades. It didn’t involve a movie set or a gym-it happened at Planet Hollywood, and it involved Shaquille O’Neal absolutely demolishing dinner.
“We were sitting there,”Arnold recalled, “and the waitresses just kept bringing out food. Dish after dish. He must’ve eaten like ten meals. It was just staggering the way this guy devoured.”
What really caught Arnold off guard wasn’t just the quantity-it was the ease. No slowing down, no second-guessing. Just clean plates and confident bites. For a guy used to high-protein diets and strict regimens, it was impressive on a whole different level.
10 Meals, Zero Regrets
But Shaq wasn’t just eating for fun. As Arnold put it, “He burned it all off in practice.” The discipline behind the diet was something even a seasoned bodybuilder could respect. Despite his towering frame and relentless caloric intake, Shaq kept himself lean, quick, and dominant.
This wasn’t a man out of control. It was a machine built for performance-one that just happened to need a whole lot of fuel.
Shaq’s physical prowess has been talked about for decades, but moments like these show the bigger picture. It wasn’t just his size or skill-it was the work behind it. The guy treated meals like fuel and practice like war.
Years later, Arnold still remembers that dinner. But what stayed with him most wasn’t the food-it was the man. “He’s a wonderful guy. Very smart. Has his head together,”Schwarzenegger said. “I knew he was going to go far.”
Safe to say, he did. Four NBA titles, 15 All-Star appearances, and a legacy that spans beyond basketball. The appetite? Just one part of the legend.
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