Pumping Iron

This documentary delves into the world of professional bodybuilding, focusing on the intense competition between the top contenders for the Mr. Olympia title. It highlights the rigorous training, discipline, and rivalry, particularly between a then-unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger and his main competitor, Lou Ferrigno. Offering an inside look at the dedication required in this sport, it's a classic in sports documentaries, captivating and inspiring for anyone interested in the extremes of physical fitness and competition.

"Pumping Iron," the film that turned the obscure sport of male bodybuilding into an overnight phenomenon and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star, broke the ground. Now, experience PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN, a film that is changing the way the world views the female physique-creating "a new definition of the female form." Join four women as they prepare for the 1983 Caesars Palace World Cup Championship: the sultry and curvaceous Rachel McLish, the current champion; the almost manly, super-muscular Bev Francis, Rachel's toughest competition; and newcomers Lori Bowen and Carla Dunlap. Four women who have devoted their lives to the pursuit of their conception of the "perfect" female form, spending grueling hours torturing themselves on Nautilus machines and browning themselves under tanning lamps. Learn their personal struggles and public triumphs that make up their unique world as they struggle both with their bodies' limitations and the world's limitations on what that body ought to look like. If muscles make a man "masculine," what do they make a woman?

A documentary on the making of "Pumping Iron" to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Aired on Cinemax.