Years before Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Reeves was the first bodybuilder to have a career in the film world. Endowed with an extraordinary physique, theAmerican athlete has won the title of Mr. Universe in 1950 and served as a role model for an entire generation of bodybuilders. Discover her exciting and inspiring story.
Steve Reeves, an extraordinary life
His full name is Stephen Lester Reeves and he was born in 1926 in Glasgow, Montana, in the northern United States.
His parents worked on the farm. But he lost his father at the age of 10 in a work accident. After this tragic event, his mother decided to make a fresh start. The little family moved more than 2,000 miles away to Oakland in California.
It was in the San Francisco Bay Area that Steve Reeves really began his incredible journey.
At a very young age, his mother forced him to wear a brace to correct a posture marked by shoulders falling forward. Little by little, he adopted an excellent posture that he kept while growing up.
The real turning point came some time later at school, during a harmless arm wrestling match with a smaller classmate. Steve Reeves was beaten and discovered that his opponent of the day was a strength training. He also decided to take up a sport that would occupy the rest of his life.
He was soon spotted by Ed Yarick, a local gym owner. Yarick took him under his wing to train him. But Steve Reeves' progress was halted by World War II, during which he was sent to the Philippines and Japan.
When he returned to California after the war, he resumed his weight training and built a bodybuilder's physique. He participated in his first bodybuilding competition in 1946.
He also began a career in the film world, before seriously injuring his shoulder.
Steve Reeves died of immune system cancer in 2000 at the age of 74.
A short but successful bodybuilder career
Training after training, Steve Reeves has built a symmetric physics bordering on perfection. His dry muscles and proportioned have long been a reference for many athletes.
At 186 centimeters tall and 98 kilograms, the Steve Reeves' measurements were from :
- 60 centimeters shoulder width,
- 46 centimeters of neck size,
- 132 centimeters of chest size,
- 73.6 centimeters of waist circumference,
- 46 centimeters of arm circumference,
- 66 centimeters of thighs,
- 46 centimeters of calf circumference.
According to the Weider Encyclopedia, the bible of bodybuilding, an ideal physique is based on identical neck, arm and calf measurements. With 46 centimeters for each of these three measurements, Steve Reeves was fully within the aesthetic standards of bodybuilding.
Steve Reeves' bodybuilding career lasted only 5 years. He won his first competition, Mr. Pacific Coast, in 1946. He won two more titles the following year, with Mr. Western America and Mr. America. In 1948, he won Mr. World and finished second to Mr. USA and Mr. Universe.
The consecration came in 1950, with the title of Mr. Universe. He beat another legend of world bodybuilding, the British Reg Park.
Numerous film roles
The exceptional physique of Steve Reeves opened the doors of the film world in the 1950s. Before starting out, he took classes in New York to become an actor.
In Hollywood, the neo-American actor first got small roles, both in movies and television.
He notably donned the costume of Lieutenant Bob Lawrence in Jail Baita crime film directed by Ed Wood, before starring Jane Powell in Athena by Richard Thorpe.
He was then noticed by Pietro Francisci. The Italian director took the bodybuilder to Europe to play him in The Works of Hercules. In the role of HerculesSteve Reeves shone thanks to his physique worthy of a superheroes. Released in 1958, this film was a great success with the general public.
Among his notable roles, he also played the pirate Captain Morgan in 1960. In total, the filmography of Steve Reeves has nearly 20 appearances between 1954 and 1969. He was one of the best paid actors of his generation, along with the Italian actress Sophia Loren.
Victim of a serious shoulder injury following an accident on the set of the film The Last Days of PompeiiSteve Reeves put an early end to his acting and bodybuilding careers. He then devoted himself fully to two other passions:
- the promotion of clean bodybuilding,
- raising horses on his ranch.
The legacy of Steve Reeves
Steve Reeves was a pioneer in the fitness industry. Through his hard work, willpower and strength of character, he led the way for many athletes by proving that anything is possible. His success in sports and film has made him an idol and a symbol of success.
Because of his story, Steve Reeves has inspired an entire generation of bodybuildersfrom Lou Ferrigno to Sylvester Stallone, through Serge Nubret and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In fact, the latter was full of praise at the time of Steve Reeves' death. If Arnold had such a brilliant career in bodybuilding and in the movies, there is no doubt that Steve Reeves' career path had something to do with it. When he was younger and still living in Austria, Schwarzenegger considered Reeves a true heroes.
In retirement, Steve Reeves has devoted much of his time to working for clean bodybuilding. By caring about the athlete well-being and by fighting against the use of drugs and steroids, he left an indelible mark on the sport. He had also called on Schwarzenegger in an open letter, asking for help to succeed in this mission.
Steve Reeves' training
Innovative training methods
At a time when bodybuilding was in its infancy, Steve Reeves undoubtedly laid the groundwork for what would become a huge empire.
In addition to his rich background, he has also set up training methods still used today.
For example, the American bodybuilder placed particular importance on the execution of the movements, the tempo and the breathing.
As a rule, he only performed three strength training sessions per week. He believed that physical recovery was the key to muscle development. On his days off, he would take advantage of them to go for a walk, between 1.5 and 5 kilometers per outing.
To optimize his muscle growth, Steve Reeves trained in full-body. He always ended his sessions with the strength exercises targeting the legs (squat, deadlift, lunges, etc.) to keep energy up throughout the workout.
On the side power supplySteve had his own routine. Far from the sometimes complex diets of our time, he was content with 3 meals a day to reach his calorie quota and ensured a balanced distribution of macronutrients:
- 60 % of carbohydrates,
- 20 % proteins,
- 20 % of lipids.
To maintain a dry physics and muscular, he based his diet on the consumption of unprocessed products such as eggs, fruits and vegetables.
Steve Reeves' training program
The Steve Reeves' weight training program consisted of three sessions per week, usually with 3 sets per exercise and 45 seconds of rest. Each workout was designed to challenge the different muscles of the body shoulders, pectorals, back, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and abdominals.
Session 1:
- Military bench press: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Bench press: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Bent-over Rowing: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Biceps Curls: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Triceps extensions: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Squats: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Standing calf raises: 3 x 20-25 repetitions
- Deadlift: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Crunches: 3 x 20-25 repetitions
Session 2:
- Dumbbell press: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Dips: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Pull-ups: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Biceps Curls: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Bench press, tight grip: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Squats: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Seated calf raises: 3 x 20-25 repetitions
- Lumbar bench press: 3 x 20-25 repetitions
- Deadlift: 3 x 20-25 repetitions
Session 3:
- Chin Rowing: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Bench press: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Lumberjack pull: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Concentrated dumbbell curls: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Front bar: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Dumbbell lunges: 3 x 8-12 reps
- Standing calf raises: 3 x 20-25 repetitions
- Deadlift: 3 x 8-12 repetitions
- Crunches: 3 x 20-25 repetitions
Conclusion
Steve Reeves was a real bodybuilding legend. By dint of hard work and sacrifice, he built an exceptional physique that opened the doors of the cinema to him. Adept of a clean bodybuilding, Mister Universe 1950 marked the history of his sport, and much more.
