A pumped up, spray-tanned glimpse inside the muscled madness of the Arnold Classic — an annual sports and fitness festival that celebrates all things Arnold Schwarzenegger.

For more than thirty years, thousands of athletes and spectators have descended on Columbus, Ohio to compete in or watch this testament to human achievement. Bodybuilders are the stars of the show but a growing number of increasingly eclectic sports compete for attention, from medieval sword fighters, to jump ropers, professional wrestlers, and competitive pole dancers. Between competitions, surreal scenes unfold with buff, half-naked men and women rehearsing their poses in front of their cell phones or napping on benches in the vast corridors of the convention center.

The physical and mental overload of roaming these halls and documenting the entire spectacle can be exhausting. Over the course of four days, I walked the equivalent of a marathon and a half. Which seems fitting - no one can escape the primal call of exercise that echoes across the Arnold. And while I may be exhausted by the end, I know that in the words of its patron saint, “I’ll be back” next year to do the whole thing all over again.