Arnold Schwarzenegger praises Barstool’s Frank Fleming after 240-pound transformation
The former governor lauds Fleming, known as Frank the Tank, for shedding more than 240 pounds since 2023 while turning daily walks into an interview series.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has publicly praised Frank Fleming, a Barstool Sports creator known to fans as "Frank the Tank," for his dramatic weight-loss journey. The former bodybuilder, actor and California governor responded to a follower’s inquiry about Fleming by posting on social media that Fleming’s progress is an example of showing up every day. "I have now," the "Terminator" star replied. "Tell him thank you for inspiring everyone, including me, and showing exactly what I'm talking about when I say you have to show up every day."
Fleming, who started documenting his weight-loss efforts in 2023, has been working to reduce a weight that initially surpassed 500 pounds. He has turned his daily walks into a broader project that includes interview-style segments with celebrities and sports personalities. By late December 2025, Fleming had lost more than 240 pounds and weighed under 300 pounds, marking a dramatic shift in his health trajectory and public profile.
The transformation has become a talking point across Fleming’s social and media channels. Earlier this year, a follower shared news of his progress with Schwarzenegger, prompting the actor to publicly acknowledge Fleming’s journey. The exchange has since spurred fans to imagine a joint walking event along the East Coast, with comments urging the two to connect for a walk that could blend fitness with conversations about perseverance and discipline. One fan wrote, “Go for a walk with Frank! We need this content,” while another added, “Meet the man, Arnold.” A third noted, “You should go for a walk with him, Arnold.”
Beyond his weight loss, Fleming has drawn attention for his characteristic, high-energy rants about his favorite teams, especially the New York Mets. A 2016 viral screed about NJ Transit delaying him from Mets Opening Day put Fleming on Dave Portnoy’s radar, and Portnoy later brought him to Barstool. Since then, Fleming has leveraged his platform to chronicle his walks and his passions, blending humor, sports enthusiasm and candid self-reflection as part of the site’s broader culture-and-entertainment coverage.
Schwarzenegger’s praise adds a high-profile endorsement to Fleming’s ongoing journey, which the Barstool figure has continued to document with new interviews and walk-and-talk segments. Fleming has said publicly that the weight loss has transformed not only his health but his outlook on daily routines and personal accountability, a theme that resonates with the actor’s long-standing emphasis on fitness and discipline. As Fleming’s channel grows, observers will be watching to see whether the proposed walk with Schwarzenegger materializes into a joint event, potentially helping to broaden the reach of Fleming’s health and lifestyle messages while entertaining fans hungry for cross-genre collaboration.