Becoming an iconic fitness and athletic role model is pretty tough, but when one achieves it through hard work, tenacity and ironclad motivation – the results can’t help but inspire other people. A lot of people look up to these fitness figures and push themselves further due to the motivation and the inspiration they get from looking up to these accomplished athletes. Because of that I wanted to share 8 of my favorite quotes from various fitness and role models that I think will help anyone who needs a quick pick me up.

“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

I find this very inspirational as Arnold has since gone on to do a lot of things, acting, politics, modeling and much more. I am proud to share that he is a vegan and he advocates it quite actively, making it all the more reason that I find his quote as a wonderful motivation and a great way to inspire myself to further my fitness sessions. Think about this when you are mudding through the last few sets of your bench press or a the last few miles of your run, this will make sure you finish it.

“If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Another amazing fitness icon, Dwayne, “The Rock” Johnson became a huge success as a WWE wrestler, where he reigned as the champion and brought motivation to a ton of people. Using his influence to further his career, he then moved on to acting and continues to inspire so many people into getting into fitness. I honestly think he works hard, shows it and pushes people forward. I salute you good sir!

“I feel an endless need to learn, to improve, to evolve—not only to please the coach and the fans—but also to feel satisfied with myself.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

What better motivation is there than to better yourself? Cristiano Ronaldo understands this and he can inspire a lot of people to start believing in themselves too. Sometimes you want to get some motivation from other people, but in the end you need to know that everything you do that is involved in fitness, is really for you and your own improvement.

“You’re going to have to let it hurt. Let it suck. The harder you work, the better you will look. Your appearance isn’t parallel to how heavy you lift, it’s parallel to how hard you work.” – Joe Manganiello

Another role model in fitness, Joe Manganiello has seen quite his ups and downs on the big screen. However no one can dispute the fact that he works pretty hard in the gym to reach where he is today. Reading that line above has given a lot of people some needed motivation and can inspire you to go that extra mile. When you hit that wall, hit it back harder, if it doesn’t break, hit back even harder than before. Your hard work will pay off one-way or another, but the harder you work the stronger you will be. I believe Joe on that saying.

“You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” – Michael Phelps

I’m pretty sure there is no one alive who hasn’t heard this fitness icons name. I mean how many gold medals does he have? 18? How in the world, would that not inspire millions of people? Simple: it is impossible. He is a great driving motivation for a lot of people to really get into their fitness plans and go further than they ever would have before. When you feel as though you’ve done all you can in each workout, you realize that Michael Phelps probably thought that too and then went even further, you would persevere to go as far as you can as well.

“There comes a certain point in life when you have to stop blaming other people for how you feel or the misfortunes in your life. You can’t go through life obsessing about what might have been.” – Hugh Jackman

Only a person who has been living under a rock doesn’t know who this man of pure fitness physique is, after all if all is said and done, he is Wolverine. As an actor he has brought a great light to the movie house and can inspire anyone of any age to go and start working out, the motivation that he can bring along with his name to get into fitness can’t be measured at all. I think I speak for a lot of people, thinking that the next actor to play Wolverine will have some very big shoes to fill.

“Success is usually the culmination of controlling failure.” – Sylvester Stallone

The story of Sylvester Stallone is a great way to inspire everyone, if you don’t know it, I suggest you look for it and learn a lot more. I’m not entirely sure if the story is true, I have read a lot of sites that said otherwise, but regardless it is a great motivation to try your hardest. Maybe he didn’t have to sell his dog just to feed himself but in the end Sylvester “Sly” Stallone worked pretty hard to get where he is today, and as a stellar beacon of fitness, this man deserves our recognition.

“My motto has always been that you can’t say, ‘Oh, it won’t happen to me.’ You have to say, ‘That can happen to me.’ So always be aware that things can happen.” – Venus Williams

Everyone pretty much knows the iconic duo of Venus and Serena Williams, two of the most dominant female tennis players in pretty much any tournament. They have gone through hell and high water to reach where they are today, plus they continue to astonish and inspire so many people with how they continue to improve on a yearly basis. They are a force to be reckoned with on and off the court, and are some of the most powerful motivation for a ton of athletes. Keeping a positive outlook is important but when you hear it from a fitness icon like Venus Williams, you tend to keep it to heart so much more.

And there we have it, some of my favorite fitness icons’ quotes, they are a great driving motivation and they continue to inspire me to go against myself even harder. When I need to push myself harder, I remember that all these people started at the bottom as well and inched their way up, little, by little, step, by step. While their legacies were not built in a day, their contributions to both sports, motivation and as an inspiration to many others, will continue well into the future given the level of hard work that they have placed into their sports or their respective crafts. Stay healthy!