*Baddest Motherfuckers Ever #4- Marvin Eder

Critical Stats:
5'8", 203 lbs.
Neck and Biceps 19", Waist 34", Forearms 15", Thighs 26", Calves 17"

His best lifts, according to the article 'The Iron Master' (December 1993).

Clean and Press - 355lbs
Snatch - 285lbs
Clean and Jerk - 345lbs
Clean - 365lbs
Squat - 665lbs (not a max effort)
Bench Press - 515lbs
Floor Press - 530lbs
Dips - 434lbs (with two men hanging from his legs, see picture below)
Dips - 400x7
Chins - 250lbsx1, 200lbsx7
Strict Curl - 210lbs
DB C and Press - 120lbs for reps
Crucifix - 100lbs Db's
Pullover SA - 210lbs
Eder was a bad motherfucker who did everything heavy, and trained A LOT. RIppetoe would have fainted at the mere mention of Eder's training volume, and Mike Mentzer would have crossed himself, then cloistered himself in his closet with the better part of a pound of coke and a collection of Ayn Rand books, and then resolved not to train for a month in an effort to balance the cosmic training load. Eder usually trained 2 on one off, though he himself admitted that he had no set routine and would simply train what he felt like training when he felt like training it. As one of the guys to officially bench 500+ lbs., I suppose he might have been onto something.

According to David Gentle:

"Eder used many routines over the years. Enjoyed Olympic lifting best perhaps, the standing press now an exercise or lift rarely practiced, yet his favorite exercise. For bodybuilding he mainly trained on the split routine system of 2 days with 3rd day resting. Usually using 5 sets of 10 reps, always very heavy poundages e.g.

Day 1 - five sets of 10 reps dumbbell laterals using 120lb dumbbells (unlocked elbows), 5 x 10 seated dumbbell curls same 120lb dumbbells. Ditto bench presses and triceps curls (5 x 10 120lb dumbbells) followed by lat machine pulldowns 5 x 10 x 350 lbs.

Day 2 - exercises for abdominals, sit ups plus added resistance i.e. 5 x 15 plus 50 lbs. He once completed 1 00 reps sit-ups with lbs. added. High repetitions on calf machine 5 x 50 reps and parallel squats 5 x I 0 x 475lbs. " He could squat 10 x 8 x 475lbs. and make 3 reps with 520lbs or 50 repetitions with 300lbs on parallel squats!"

Eder's workouts were more unconventional because he "never took weight off the stand in the conventional way. I would clean the weight to my shoulders and then do the heavy presses. I worked up to repetition presses with 340 pounds. I bench pressed over 500 pounds, deep-knee bends for repetitions with 550 pounds and side laterals with 120-pound dumbbells. The laterals were not done with perfect form mind you."

By the time the man was 67, Marvin could still do 100 dips and 90 chinups in a row. At that point, he was training three-times-a-week and doing five sets of chins for 50 reps, five sets of dips for 50 reps and 550 alternate jumping lunge squats, still at a bodyweight of 197 pounds.

For a guy so randomley ripped, you'd think he had some kind of diet secret. nope. That motherfucker was a genetic freak who must've trained himself lean. In his own words, he ate: "just normally. I would eat about three times a day. I could never eat as much as others. Oddly enough, I saw some of the old-time muscle men put away food that astounded me. I tried to do that one time when I was out in California when I entered one of the Mr. America shows.

Ed Yarick who had a gym at the time invited us to his home - there were several of us - and he made a huge amount of hamburgers and all this food and I could not match the other guys and how they ate. I forced myself to eat more. I turned green and went to the bathroom and vomited it all up. I could never eat as much as others could. Apparently my body didn't need it."

So, what'd we learn?

• Train what you want, when you want.
• Eat your fucking face off.
• Strict form is for the weak.
• If you're doing the same thing everyone else is, don't even bother going into the gym.

Go tear it up, fuckers, and make sure that weighted bodyweight exercises are in your routine.


Bibliography:
An Interview with the "Biceps From the Bronx" Marvin Eder, by David Robson. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson304.htm

Workout Routines: Marvin Eder Workout, by Brian Carson. http://workout-routines.blogspot.com/2007/01/marvin-eder-workout.html

Marvin Eder Man of Might and Muscle, by David Gentle. http://www.robertuniverse.com/davidgentle/edergentle.htm


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