NEXT 9 GREATEST STRONGMEN OF ALL TIME 2. MARIUSZ PUDZIANOWSKI The five-time WSM champ had it all—strength, speed, and athleticism. 3. ZYDRUNAS SAVICKAS A six-time Arnold Strongman champ and three-time WSM champ, Savickas boasts a 1,117-pound tire deadlift. 4. JON PALL SIGMARSSON The four-time WSM champ was also a successful powerlifter and bodybuilder. 5. MAGNUS VER MAGNUSSON Considered the first modern champ, Magnusson won four WSM titles in the ’90s. 6. GEOFF CAPES A sixtime Highland Games champ and two-time WSM champ, Capes was also a world-class shot putter.7. BRIAN SHAW The 440-pound behemoth from Fort Lupton, CO, won the WSM at age 29. 8. DEREK POUNDSTONE The two-time Arnold Strongman champ holds an unofficial world record in the atlas stone event, once hoisting a 555-pound stone onto a 42″ platform. 9. MARK HENRY Competing just once lifetime, the original Arnold Strongman champ and WWE Superstar has a 1,000-pound squat. 10. O.D. WILSON Huge and powerful, Wilson may be the strongest man to never win the WSM title. A legendary competitor in all strength sports, Bill Kazmaier represents the pinnacle of what so many of us are striving for in the gym every day: raw power. From 1980 to 1982, he dominated the World’s Strongest Man competition, becoming the fi rst competitor to win three straight titles. He lifted everything from logs to Playboy bunnies (the 1980 WSM contest included an event that required him to squat six of them), and he became the most recognizable face in a fi eld of giants, with an intensity that was second to none.But before he became the walking symbol of human strength potential, Kaz’s life was pretty average. He played two seasons of football at the University of Wisconsin before dropping out. From ’74 to ’78 he worked a variety of odd jobs: He was a bouncer, a lumberjack—he even did a stint on an oil rig. But he trained hard the whole time (see the Linear Periodization guidelines he used, on page 86). At the ’78 AAU Powerlifting Championships, he moved a total of 2,120 pounds. In ’79 he set a world record with a 622-pound bench press, capturing his fi rst powerlifting title in the process. He also placed third in his fi rst foray into the WSM.During an interview at the 1982 WSM, he said unabashedly, “I actually think that I am the strongest man who ever lived.” During his heyday, he very well might have been. In addition to his three WSM titles, he also set a super-heavyweight powerlifting record in ’81 with a raw total of 2,425 pounds (including a 661-pound bench press) that would stand unbroken for more than a decade. If powerlifting and strongman were one category, Kaz would still top the list.
2 of 4
Randy Couture
NEXT 9 GREATEST MMA FIGHTERS OF ALL TIME 2. ANDERSON SILVA “The Spider,” one of the most well-rounded fighters of all time, started his career training taekwondo when he was 14 years old. 3. FEDOR EMELIANENKO The heavyweight went almost a decade without a loss. 4. GEORGES ST-PIERRE The Canadian phenom boasts a record of 34 wins and only two losses.5. CHUCK LIDDELL The Iceman’s striking prowess and iron chin led to 21 career victories (13 by KO/ TKO). 6. ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA The former Pride heavyweight champ has a career record of 34–7. At 36 years old, he’s still going strong. 7. DAN HENDERSON A Pride middleweight and welterweight champ, Henderson KO’d Emeliananenko in 2011. 8. B.J. PENN As a lightweight, Penn went undefeated for eight years.9. WANDERLEI SILVA His knockout of Rampage Jackson was one of the most memorable in UFC history. 10. ROYCE GRACIE The first-ever UFC champ, Gracie humbled larger opponents with his flawless jiu-jitsu. Like the other members of this fraternity, Randy “the Natural” Couture’s athletic performance was only part of what he contributed to his sport. Winning his fi rst UFC heavyweight title in 1997, Couture stood at the forefront of mixed martial arts’ evolution from a fringe spectacle that advertised brutality—and was illegal in most states—to a respectable, regulated sport that’s become a worldwide phenomenon.A former U.S. Army sergeant and three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State, Couture, along with other world-class athletes, brought badly needed credibility to the then-fl oundering organization. Couture’s trinity of fi ghts with Chuck Liddell could be considered the turning point of the evolution. Their second tilt took place on the fi nale of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter—the basic-cable show credited by many, including UFC president Dana White, with saving the sport and creating millions of fans overnight.In total, Couture held the UFC heavyweight championship belt three separate times and the light-heavyweight belt two separate times. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2006. When we asked him about his legacy, he was as humble as he was deadly in his prime.“I don’t know if I should be No. 1,” Couture says. “That’s hard for me to say. There have been a lot of amazing athletes that have competed. I did it for almost 15 years, into my late 40s. I probably stretched it as far as anybody is going to stretch it. I won fi ve titles, but I lost fi ve times, too. And I think that’s a true measure of character. It’s not about the guy who wins all the time, it’s about what happens when that guy loses: How does he respond? In my case I picked myself back up, made the adjustments, and won again.”
Randy Couture’s Workout
Main Workout1A Weighted Neutral-Grip Pullup *Sets:3 *Reps: 10, 8, 62B Slide Board Mountain Climber *Sets: 3 *Reps: Repeat for 10 sec,1B Medicine Ball Smash *Sets: 3 *Reps: 53A Single-Arm Kettlebell Press *Sets: 3 *Reps: 10, 8, 62A Kettlebell Single-Arm Deadlift *Sets:3 *Reps: 8, 6, 43B Medicine Ball Chest Pass *Sets: 3 *Reps: 5 Circuit (Repeat Twice)4A Dumbbell Bentover Lateral Raise *Sets: 2 *Reps: 10,84B Alternating Kettelbell Swing *Sets: 2 *Reps: 10,84C Band Triceps Pushdown *Sets: 1 *Reps: As many as possible
3 of 4
Ed Coan
NEXT 9 GREATEST POWERLIFTERS OF ALL TIME 2. DAVID HOFF At 23, Hoff holds the second all-time highest powerlifting total: 2,910 pounds. 3. MIKE BRIDGES As a 50-year-old, set records in the squat and bench press. 4. JOHN INZER An elite lifter, Inzer invented the bench shirt—supportive equipment that allowed for bigger lifts. 5. ERNIE FRANTZ A pioneer in the sport, Frantz squatted 821 at age 64. 6. LARRY PACIFICO “Mr. Powerlifting” set 54 world records in an 18-year career. 7. KIRK KARWOSKI— “Captain Kirk” squatted 1,000—for two reps!8. FRED HATFIELD A part-time M&F editor in the past, “Dr. Squat” squatted 1,014 with his belt loose. 9. LOUIE SIMMONS Simmons is the coach of the world’s strongest gym, Westside Barbell. 10. BILL KAZMAIER The strongman was also the first to bench press over 600. The numbers speak for themselves: At 220 pounds, Ed Coan is the lightest man to ever total more than 2,400 pounds in a powerlifting competition. He won world championships in four dif erent weight classes, and he set more than 70 world records. His personal bests are jaw-dropping: 1,019 pounds in the squat, 901 in the deadlift, and 584 in the bench. The numbers alone would be more than enough to warrant placing Coan atop the “Greatest Powerlifter” list, but his sheer brute strength isn’t all that made him great. Like the best athletes in any sport, Coan made his victories look easy.It’s hard to overemphasize the fact that Coan, unlike most powerlifters, accomplished these feats at a relatively lean body weight. He carried 220 pounds on a 5’6″ frame—a compact mound of muscle that could do inhuman things in the gym. Many contemporary elite powerlifters can’t begin to approach Coan’s numbers until they’re 30–50 pounds heavier than he was in his prime.So how can you be like Ed? There was nothing fancy about his training. Like his contemporaries, including Bill Kazmaier, Coan followed a traditional linear periodization template similar to the one outlined above, and repeated it consistently for years on end.
Linear Periodization
Hypertrophy Phase2-5 weeks of 3-5 sets per exercise of 8-12 reps.Strength Phase4-6 weeks of 3-4 sets per exercise of 6-8 reps.Max Strength3-6 weeks of 3-4 sets per exercise of 3-4 reps.Peak2 weeks of 2-3 sets per exericse of 1-3 reps.
4 of 4
Arnold Schwarzenegger
NEXT 9 GREATEST BODYBUILDERS OF ALL TIME 2. RONNIE COLEMAN The biggest champ ever, Coleman tied Haney with eight Sandow trophies. 3. LEE HANEY With eight straight Mr. Olympia victories, Haney broke Schwarzenegger’s championship record. 4. DORIAN YATES ushered in the Mass Era of the ’90s with six straight Sandows. 5. JAY CUTLER After four second-place finishes, Cutler went on to win the Sandow four times. 6. PHIL HEATH “The Gift” is the two-time reigning Mr. O—and a dynasty in the making. 7. SERGIO OLIVA Arnold’s rival set the standard for size and conditioning. 8. DEXTER JACKSON The ’08 Mr. O had separation and definition second to none. 9. FRANK ZANE At 185 pounds, the three-time champ wasn’t bigger than his competition, but no one could touch his conditioning.10. FLEX WHEELER Known for his uncanny symmetry and size, Wheeler won the Arnold Classic a record four times (tied by Dexter Jackson) No surprise here. Since Arnold’s heyday, the opinion of this magazine and the general consensus of the bodybuilding community has been that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the single greatest bodybuilder who ever lived. Great champions with unforgettable physiques have come and gone since he last competed; but it’s impossible to look at Arnold’s physique completely divorced from how he helped move his sport forward.Arnold’s charisma and charm—on display in Pumping Iron and in the pages of this magazine—pushed bodybuilding from the fringes of society into the mainstream. In the process, he inspired a generation of athletes, and got millions of people into the gym. His subsequent success in movies and politics is the very defi nition of transcendent.As to Arnold’s physique: Images of the man in his prime have not just endured the passage of time, but seared themselves into the public consciousness. His mountainous biceps peaks, wide shoulders, and impossibly huge chest are so recognizable you know they belong to Arnold even in silhouette. His physique became so indelibly linked to the word “greatness” that it’s easy to forget that Arnold wasn’t simply born with it. Originally a scrawny kid from Austria, he built his body over long years of hard work, spending an unfathomable number of hours in the gym, training at an intensity few men have ever matched.It’s this relentless work ethic, more than any other factor, that truly made Arnold great, and it’s why he remains on top after all these years.
Arnold’s Chest and Back Superset Workout
ExerciseSets*RepsBench Press130-45-superset with-Wide-Grip-Behind-the-Neck Chinup (1)115Bench Press56-8-superset with-Wide-Grip-Behind-the-Neck-Chinup (2)515-8Incline Bench Press510-15-superset with-T-Bar Row510-15Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye510-15-superset with-Wide-Grip Barbell Row (3)510-15Weighted Dip515-superset with-Close-Grip-Chinup512Dumbbell Pullover515-20Iso-Tension Contractions (4) 1. Perform as a warmup2. Pyramid Sets3. Perform standing ona box or bench for a greater range of motion4. Performed as a finishing exercise*Note: Arnold di not rest between individual sets, but did rest 1-2 minutes between supersets.
2. MARIUSZ PUDZIANOWSKI The five-time WSM champ had it all—strength, speed, and athleticism.
3. ZYDRUNAS SAVICKAS A six-time Arnold Strongman champ and three-time WSM champ, Savickas boasts a 1,117-pound tire deadlift.
4. JON PALL SIGMARSSON The four-time WSM champ was also a successful powerlifter and bodybuilder.
5. MAGNUS VER MAGNUSSON Considered the first modern champ, Magnusson won four WSM titles in the ’90s.
6. GEOFF CAPES A sixtime Highland Games champ and two-time WSM champ, Capes was also a world-class shot putter.
7. BRIAN SHAW The 440-pound behemoth from Fort Lupton, CO, won the WSM at age 29.
8. DEREK POUNDSTONE The two-time Arnold Strongman champ holds an unofficial world record in the atlas stone event, once hoisting a 555-pound stone onto a 42″ platform.
9. MARK HENRY Competing just once lifetime, the original Arnold Strongman champ and WWE Superstar has a 1,000-pound squat.
10. O.D. WILSON Huge and powerful, Wilson may be the strongest man to never win the WSM title.
A legendary competitor in all strength sports, Bill Kazmaier represents the pinnacle of what so many of us are striving for in the gym every day: raw power. From 1980 to 1982, he dominated the World’s Strongest Man competition, becoming the fi rst competitor to win three straight titles. He lifted everything from logs to Playboy bunnies (the 1980 WSM contest included an event that required him to squat six of them), and he became the most recognizable face in a fi eld of giants, with an intensity that was second to none.
But before he became the walking symbol of human strength potential, Kaz’s life was pretty average. He played two seasons of football at the University of Wisconsin before dropping out. From ’74 to ’78 he worked a variety of odd jobs: He was a bouncer, a lumberjack—he even did a stint on an oil rig. But he trained hard the whole time (see the Linear Periodization guidelines he used, on page 86). At the ’78 AAU Powerlifting Championships, he moved a total of 2,120 pounds. In ’79 he set a world record with a 622-pound bench press, capturing his fi rst powerlifting title in the process. He also placed third in his fi rst foray into the WSM.
During an interview at the 1982 WSM, he said unabashedly, “I actually think that I am the strongest man who ever lived.” During his heyday, he very well might have been. In addition to his three WSM titles, he also set a super-heavyweight powerlifting record in ’81 with a raw total of 2,425 pounds (including a 661-pound bench press) that would stand unbroken for more than a decade. If powerlifting and strongman were one category, Kaz would still top the list.
Randy Couture
NEXT 9 GREATEST MMA FIGHTERS OF ALL TIME
2. ANDERSON SILVA “The Spider,” one of the most well-rounded fighters of all time, started his career training taekwondo when he was 14 years old.
3. FEDOR EMELIANENKO The heavyweight went almost a decade without a loss.
4. GEORGES ST-PIERRE The Canadian phenom boasts a record of 34 wins and only two losses.
5. CHUCK LIDDELL The Iceman’s striking prowess and iron chin led to 21 career victories (13 by KO/ TKO).
6. ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA The former Pride heavyweight champ has a career record of 34–7. At 36 years old, he’s still going strong.
7. DAN HENDERSON A Pride middleweight and welterweight champ, Henderson KO’d Emeliananenko in 2011.
8. B.J. PENN As a lightweight, Penn went undefeated for eight years.
9. WANDERLEI SILVA His knockout of Rampage Jackson was one of the most memorable in UFC history.
10. ROYCE GRACIE The first-ever UFC champ, Gracie humbled larger opponents with his flawless jiu-jitsu.
Like the other members of this fraternity, Randy “the Natural” Couture’s athletic performance was only part of what he contributed to his sport. Winning his fi rst UFC heavyweight title in 1997, Couture stood at the forefront of mixed martial arts’ evolution from a fringe spectacle that advertised brutality—and was illegal in most states—to a respectable, regulated sport that’s become a worldwide phenomenon.
A former U.S. Army sergeant and three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State, Couture, along with other world-class athletes, brought badly needed credibility to the then-fl oundering organization. Couture’s trinity of fi ghts with Chuck Liddell could be considered the turning point of the evolution. Their second tilt took place on the fi nale of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter—the basic-cable show credited by many, including UFC president Dana White, with saving the sport and creating millions of fans overnight.
In total, Couture held the UFC heavyweight championship belt three separate times and the light-heavyweight belt two separate times. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2006. When we asked him about his legacy, he was as humble as he was deadly in his prime.
“I don’t know if I should be No. 1,” Couture says. “That’s hard for me to say. There have been a lot of amazing athletes that have competed. I did it for almost 15 years, into my late 40s. I probably stretched it as far as anybody is going to stretch it. I won fi ve titles, but I lost fi ve times, too. And I think that’s a true measure of character. It’s not about the guy who wins all the time, it’s about what happens when that guy loses: How does he respond? In my case I picked myself back up, made the adjustments, and won again.”
4C Band Triceps Pushdown *Sets: 1 *Reps: As many as possible
Ed Coan
NEXT 9 GREATEST POWERLIFTERS OF ALL TIME
2. DAVID HOFF At 23, Hoff holds the second all-time highest powerlifting total: 2,910 pounds.
3. MIKE BRIDGES As a 50-year-old, set records in the squat and bench press.
4. JOHN INZER An elite lifter, Inzer invented the bench shirt—supportive equipment that allowed for bigger lifts.
5. ERNIE FRANTZ A pioneer in the sport, Frantz squatted 821 at age 64.
6. LARRY PACIFICO “Mr. Powerlifting” set 54 world records in an 18-year career.
7. KIRK KARWOSKI— “Captain Kirk” squatted 1,000—for two reps!
8. FRED HATFIELD A part-time M&F editor in the past, “Dr. Squat” squatted 1,014 with his belt loose.
9. LOUIE SIMMONS Simmons is the coach of the world’s strongest gym, Westside Barbell.
10. BILL KAZMAIER The strongman was also the first to bench press over 600.
The numbers speak for themselves: At 220 pounds, Ed Coan is the lightest man to ever total more than 2,400 pounds in a powerlifting competition. He won world championships in four dif erent weight classes, and he set more than 70 world records. His personal bests are jaw-dropping: 1,019 pounds in the squat, 901 in the deadlift, and 584 in the bench. The numbers alone would be more than enough to warrant placing Coan atop the “Greatest Powerlifter” list, but his sheer brute strength isn’t all that made him great. Like the best athletes in any sport, Coan made his victories look easy.
It’s hard to overemphasize the fact that Coan, unlike most powerlifters, accomplished these feats at a relatively lean body weight. He carried 220 pounds on a 5’6″ frame—a compact mound of muscle that could do inhuman things in the gym. Many contemporary elite powerlifters can’t begin to approach Coan’s numbers until they’re 30–50 pounds heavier than he was in his prime.
So how can you be like Ed? There was nothing fancy about his training. Like his contemporaries, including Bill Kazmaier, Coan followed a traditional linear periodization template similar to the one outlined above, and repeated it consistently for years on end.
Linear Periodization
Hypertrophy Phase
2-5 weeks of 3-5 sets per exercise of 8-12 reps.
Strength Phase
4-6 weeks of 3-4 sets per exercise of 6-8 reps.
Max Strength
3-6 weeks of 3-4 sets per exercise of 3-4 reps.
Peak
2 weeks of 2-3 sets per exericse of 1-3 reps.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
NEXT 9 GREATEST BODYBUILDERS OF ALL TIME
2. RONNIE COLEMAN The biggest champ ever, Coleman tied Haney with eight Sandow trophies.
3. LEE HANEY With eight straight Mr. Olympia victories, Haney broke Schwarzenegger’s championship record.
4. DORIAN YATES ushered in the Mass Era of the ’90s with six straight Sandows.
5. JAY CUTLER After four second-place finishes, Cutler went on to win the Sandow four times.
6. PHIL HEATH “The Gift” is the two-time reigning Mr. O—and a dynasty in the making.
7. SERGIO OLIVA Arnold’s rival set the standard for size and conditioning.
8. DEXTER JACKSON The ’08 Mr. O had separation and definition second to none.
9. FRANK ZANE At 185 pounds, the three-time champ wasn’t bigger than his competition, but no one could touch his conditioning.
10. FLEX WHEELER Known for his uncanny symmetry and size, Wheeler won the Arnold Classic a record four times (tied by Dexter Jackson)
No surprise here. Since Arnold’s heyday, the opinion of this magazine and the general consensus of the bodybuilding community has been that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the single greatest bodybuilder who ever lived. Great champions with unforgettable physiques have come and gone since he last competed; but it’s impossible to look at Arnold’s physique completely divorced from how he helped move his sport forward.
Arnold’s charisma and charm—on display in Pumping Iron and in the pages of this magazine—pushed bodybuilding from the fringes of society into the mainstream. In the process, he inspired a generation of athletes, and got millions of people into the gym. His subsequent success in movies and politics is the very defi nition of transcendent.
As to Arnold’s physique: Images of the man in his prime have not just endured the passage of time, but seared themselves into the public consciousness. His mountainous biceps peaks, wide shoulders, and impossibly huge chest are so recognizable you know they belong to Arnold even in silhouette. His physique became so indelibly linked to the word “greatness” that it’s easy to forget that Arnold wasn’t simply born with it. Originally a scrawny kid from Austria, he built his body over long years of hard work, spending an unfathomable number of hours in the gym, training at an intensity few men have ever matched.
It’s this relentless work ethic, more than any other factor, that truly made Arnold great, and it’s why he remains on top after all these years.
