Ed Corney (November 9, 1933 – January 1, 2019) was an American professional bodybuilder. He won many prizes in his 30s, including Mr. Universe twice (in 1971 and 1972), and Mr. America once (in 1972).
Ed Corney was born in 1933 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated high school in 1952, then served four years in the United States Coast Guard. Ed Corney began his bodybuilding career at the age of 37. Everyone told him that he was “Over the hill”, because of his age and that he wouldn’t be able to develop muscle size.
You may have seen the movie “Pumping Iron”. Ed Corney have had more of an important role in the movie. It was Ed Corney’s picture that they used on the poster, and on the cover of the book and DVD.
The camercrew filmed the 1975 Mr. Olympia. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the overall title. Ed Corney finished second to Franco Columbo in the under 200lb class.
And there’s a scene in which Arnold is watching Ed Corney’s posing. He was astonished and whispered to the cameraman “That’s what I call posing”.
After finishing reading the article you would see Arnold’s reaction from Pumping Iron. Now here’s Ed Corney’s training routine!
Mr. Olympia routine Monday, Wednesday and Friday
| Chest | Set/Rep |
| Barbell Benchpress | 5×8-10 |
| Incline Bench Press 225lb | 5×10 |
| Dumbell Flyes | 5×10 |
| Cable Crossover | 5×12 |
Note: Barbell Bench Press; shoulder width grip, arms vertical with the bar. Elbows are never allowed to lockout. He used to warm up with 15 – 25 reps. From then he did 5 sets and 8-10 reps.
| Shoulder | Set/Rep |
| One arm lateral raise | 5×10 |
| Combination shrug & half lateral raise | 5×8 |
| Dumbbell presses | 5×8 |
| Lying lateral raise | 5×10 |
Note: One arm lateral raise, with wrist-twisting action as arms travels up, so that at the top of the movement his thumbs point to the floor.
| Biceps | Set/Rep |
| Regular Barbell Curl | 6×6-8 |
| Concentration dumbbell curl | 6×10 |
| Alternate dumbbel curl | 5×6-8 |
| Close grip barbell curl | 5×10 |
Note: Regular barbell curl; elbows tucked into his sides much concentration. Ed Corney cheated only when he must.
| Calves | Set/Rep |
| Standing toe raises on machine, very heavy | 6×10-12 |
| Seated calf raise on machine | 6×25 |
Note: Ed trained his calves heavy one day and lighter the next. On lighter days he increased repetitions, worked to a maximum of 20 to 25 reps per set.
| Abdominals | Set/Rep |
| Leg raises hanging from chinning bar | – |
| Twist | – |
| Crunches | – |
| Sit ups | – |
Note: Giant sets movement 6 cycles. Work for burns
Mr. Olympia Routine Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
| Thighs | Set/Rep |
| Parallel Squats | 6×10-12 |
| Thigh extensions on machine | 6×15-20 |
| Leg curls on machine | 6×15-20 |
Note: Thigh extensions; he tensed to full extension, held for count of three before lowering weight
| Back (following two exercises are done in superset) | Set/Rep |
| Bent over barbell rows, standing on bench | 5×10 |
| Wide grip pulldowns on lat machine | 5×10 |
| T-bar rows | 6×8 |
| Chins | 5 sets, as many as possible |
| Triceps | Set/Rep |
| One arm dumbbell extensions | 5×10 |
| Lat machine | 5×10 |
| Flying French press | 6×8 |
| Close grip press | 6×10 |
Note: One Arm dumbbell extension he did not lockout. He maintained continuous action.
Arnold: “That’s what I call posing.”
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Ed died on January 1, 2019, at age 85. Shortly following his death, Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted, “Ed Corney was a jewel of a guy. He was one of the greatest posers bodybuilding has ever seen, and he was a fantastic training partner. He inspired me and I’ll miss him dearly. My thoughts are with his family.