Marvin Eder, The Man:

When we consider the many strongmen who have pioneered and popularized bodybuilding and weightlifting, the list is long. One man who deserves the highest place among this pantheon of greats is early 1950s bodybuilding and weightlifting champion, mighty Marvin Eder, whose prodigious lifting prowess garnered him the unofficial title of world's strongest pound-for-pound man.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Marvin the teenager became interested in both bodybuilding and weightlifting in the late 1940s, and quickly developed his physique to such a degree that in his first year of bodybuilding competition he placed second in the AAU Mr. America Junior division, and won the North American and New York Junior titles.

Like many of his era, Marvin combined bodybuilding and Olympic lifting to great effect. He not only looked immensely strong. He was. He credits the all-out heavy lifting he did to the thickly developed physique he possessed at his peak where, at five-foot-eight-inches, he weighed 200-pounds with arms over 19-inches, a 50-inch chest, 26-and-a-half inch thighs and 17-and-a-half inch calves.

Marvin's incredible strength feats are still spoken of in revered tones today, such was the impact he had on the lifting world. Those who do not know their iron history might be asking, "Why all the talk about Marvin?" For them, here are the facts:

At a bodyweight of 190 to 200 pounds Marvin performed the following.

Olympic press - 330 pounds.
Deep squats - 50 reps with 300 pounds.
Side laterals - reps with 120-pound dumbbells.
One-arm-chins - eight consecutively with each arm.
Press behind neck - 305 pounds.
Side press, left hand - 220 pounds (with a man sitting on his hand).
Parallel bar dip with 434 pounds (two men hanging from his feet!).
Bench press - 515 pounds.
Still arm pullovers - 250 pounds.
Wide grip chins - 80 with his bodyweight and 8 reps with 200 pounds attached.
Consecutive handstand push-ups on a horizontal ladder - 25.

Such amazing poundages require and extraordinary approach to training and Marvin was unique as a lifter. There were no "light" days for him. His, sometimes several training sessions per day, were intense and always as heavy as could be, a philosophy that is not recommended for your average lifter.

Marvin achieved this because he had such amazingly strong joints and recuperative abilities that he could literally work his muscles into the ground with up to seven hours of gut busting work, then return the next day to do it all again. Do not try this at home folks.

Marvin's last bodybuilding contest was the 1951 AAU Junior Mr. America where he placed second. That same year he was third at the AAU Mr. America. In this final year of competition, Marvin was thought to be nearing his ultimate potential as a bodybuilder and certainly his weightlifting feats were getting progressively better.

Unfortunately it was around this time that he was stripped of his amateur status. A sad series of events conspired to render him ineligible to enter either the AAU Mr. America or any of the official weightlifting events he excelled in.

Experts today feel that had Marvin not been disqualified to compete as an amateur he would have made official lifts that would have completely awed the lifting world. No 198-pound lifter even came close to Marvin. And who knows how far he could have gone as a bodybuilder.

On October 7, 1989, Marvin was inducted into Annual Association of Oldtime Barbell and Strongmen where he was honored with a highest achievement award for his pioneering work as both a bodybuilder and weightlifter, disciplines he will forever be remembered as being among the very best in.

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