Who was Ed Coan

Philip Pape 0:02

If you're someone who loves to lift and respects the legends who built this sport and you want to understand what separates good lifters from the greatest of all time , but you've wondered what made the old school champions so dominant when they had less technology , fewer resources and simpler methods , this episode is for you . Ed Cohn set 71 world records and became the lightest man to total over 2,400 pounds . At 218 pounds body weight , he moved weights that seemed crazy . His secret was not advanced programming . It was something that built champions then and still builds champions now , but most modern lifters never master it . Welcome to Wits and Weights , the show that helps you build a strong , healthy physique using evidence , engineering and efficiency . I'm your host , philip Hape , and today we're going to talk about the life and philosophy of Ed Cohn , arguably the greatest powerlifter who ever lived . Now you know that feeling when you're scrolling through your fitness content , your Instagram feed , your Facebook wall , and you see another new training method or a secret technique that promises to unlock your strength potential , and you've never heard of this thing before . Well , ed Cohn built his legendary career on the opposite approach . While today's lifters chase complexity , cohn mastered simplicity . While influencers sell angles and hacks , cohn relied on progressive overload and passion-driven consistency , but with some nuances , some interesting background that we're gonna get into today .

Get the Free Progressive Overload Guide

Philip Pape 1:44

Now , if you want to master these principles yourself the fundamentals that build legendary strength like progressive overload I have a free guide for you that breaks down how to apply this concept to your training . You can grab it free at witsandweightscom slash free or click the link in the show note for my progressive overload guide . It's a great blueprint for building strength the Ed Cohn way , systematically , sustainably . It gives you details on the different ways to progress in your lifting sessions , very explicitly , one method after another , and tells you how to apply it so that you can finally make progress Again . Click the link in the show notes to download my progressive overload guide .

Philip Pape 2:22

All right , let's meet the Mozart of strength . That was his nickname , ed Cohn , ed C-O-A-N . If you've never heard of him , I'm gonna give you a little bit of his background and then tie what he did to why this matters today . So his story starts in 1963 . It wasn't in some prestigious gym , it wasn't some elite coaching program or anything like that , but in a basement , as all these programs start right In a basement . He was a bullied kid and he refused to stay weak . He was 155 pounds , he was getting picked on and he did what millions of teenagers have done in the past he decided to get stronger . Now I wish I did that back then . I didn't , but he did . And he did something a little bit different , though he didn't just hit the weights randomly like a lot of us did at that age Again , not me , but I , you know , I had a cousin , I knew some friends who were just , you know , slam some weights in the garage , really no rhyme or reason . I see that today with young kids , and you know it's . It's one thing to have fun I love that . It's another to continue in that method into adulthood where it doesn't actually benefit you because you are not progressing .

Philip Pape 3:26

Well , what did he do ? He studied Arnold's education of bodybuilder education of a bodybuilder , which is a fantastic book and that's different from his encyclopedia of bodybuilding . So keep in mind , arnold wrote a lot of great stuff over the years . He's a great writer , fantastic life . Go check out any of his stuff . But this was education of a bodybuilder . And he bought an Olympic weightlifting set , he got some isometric cords and he started training in his basement . You know , all alone .

Philip Pape 3:52

He was determined , he was focused , kind of sounds like a lot of the story of these folks when they were at that age who ended up becoming greats . And so over months he worked with isometric cords , which are effectively cable exercises that require isometric holds , and , you know , basic equipment . And he built strength . But he also understood the principle of progressive overload that still a lot of people today don't understand or don't apply . And you know he wasn't just this kid messing around with weights . He seemed to take it seriously and , you know , perhaps he enjoyed it , perhaps he realized how much it benefited , perhaps he had a genetic , you know , growth potential that he was tapping into , but it's . It's kind of a systematic thinking that I really appreciate in someone .

Philip Pape 4:33

And when he finally joined a real gym , this was in Chicago and he was inspired by the legendary Bill Kazmaier , who at the time was a very dominant , a strong man , ed , I think the story goes that he loaded up a barbell and squatted 500 pounds right off the bat . Now think about that for a moment . Okay , most lifters spend years trying to squat , you know , double their body weight or try to build up to anything close to that . And he was hitting triple body weight squats as a teenager who'd been training less than a year all right at 155 pounds body weight . So this is going to be relevant because it's going to be something that he repeats . He continues to demonstrate this ratio of strength to weight . That's pretty incredible .

Philip Pape 5:17

Now , again , most of us spend years trying to improve our squat , our deadlift . All of this and you know I'm an older guy that didn't get started to my 40s . Not using that as an excuse , I just wish I can go in a time machine back to my 20s or my teenage years and see what would have happened . But Ed was hitting massive weights as a teenager , not much training , and his approach apparently was one of just get the job done right . No ego , not rushing it , just get in the basement , get the job done . And so that

Early Years and Training Philosophy

Philip Pape 5:47

kind of approach , that kind of mindset , really helps anyone who's trying to improve anything right .

Philip Pape 5:52

For me back then it was playing saxophone . Okay , I was a music nerd , but you know what I practiced every day . I got really , really good , was able to go to a nice arts high school . It was a great experience . I was able to meet my wife at a gig in my 20s . Even though I was an engineer I was also being able to play . It has nothing to do with Ed Cohn , my point is just being systematic and focusing on something and improving it over time is the bread and butter of personal growth in any area . Right ? So when we fast forward , that was the beginning . Right Then , what Ed accomplished .

Philip Pape 6:24

So if we look over the next two decades of his life , he set 71 world records , which just sounds impossible until you understand the dominance that he brought to different weight classes and different federations and obliterated the standards at the time . So in 1991 , he was 218 pounds and he totaled 2,402 pounds . That was a 962 squat , a 545 bench and a 901 deadlift . Insane , all right . This was a 14 and a half percent increase over the previous world best . So if , in in powerlifting terms , if we were to use an analogy of a sprinter , that would be like knocking one and a half seconds off the hundred meter world record . And you know when records are broken , it's usually by tiny amounts , right , a few pounds here , a few pounds there .

Philip Pape 7:14

When it comes to lifting , sometimes we see these step changes and Ed just shattered them , right , and so people were questioning , they were skeptical . They're like are the weights even real . You know , even to this day we question are they using foam weights in that video ? And so his best IPF raw in 1994 , his total was 2,282 pounds and that was a world record and it became kind of the gold standard for drug tested lifting . And then in the 1998 championships he pushed the equipped total to 2,463.6 pounds . He had a 1,003 squat , a 5.73 bench and an 8.87 deadlift . Now , if we look at other legends of that era , you've got Kurt Kowalski , you've got Dave Waddington , you have Gary Frank . They were also setting records , but they didn't match this level of consistency across different weight classes and then this margin of victory that Ed Cohn was demonstrating , and so he was quite the winner . Let's just say he was quite the winner .

Philip Pape 8:13

You know , even I'm shocked , kind of learning , relearning about his history , which I've heard in drips and drabs over the years from powerlifters and from some of the guys I follow and listen to on podcasts . But I'm going to call myself a young guy . I'm in my forties , I didn't grow up necessarily with this culture , so I'm kind of figuring it out now and having fun researching and sharing with you guys on the podcast . Now , these are just numbers , these are just records . I think what made Ed the goat right , the greatest of all time , was how he achieved them , why his methods still work today , and that's where I like to make the connection from history to modern times

World Records and Dominant Performance

Philip Pape 8:44

. So what have we lost today in fitness culture ?

Philip Pape 8:48

I think this is going to sound a lot like my Ronnie Coleman episode , but simplicity is is undervalued , right In terms of principles . We're talking progressive overload , we're talking periodization and we're talking having a passion for this . And I want to include passion on the list because I'm starting to see a theme that the guys and ladies who really excel they've got to love what they're doing . I've been asked on a podcast before how do you go to the gym and lift when you don't like it ? And I'm like I don't get that because I like it . The gym and lift when you don't like it , and I'm like I don't get that because I like it . Now I like it because it gives me something , it gives me a result , but I actually like it for the sake of it , and not everybody does , I think although I think you can develop passion for almost anything when you get good at it . It's just a passion born of hard work , as opposed to hedonism or pleasure , right . And so his training philosophy is build strength , muscle will follow . Don't overcomplicate the issue , right ?

Philip Pape 9:45

We see today a lot of noise around range of motion and different rep ranges and strength versus hypertrophy , and like crazy programming because everybody's trying to come up with something new . I mean , I'm accused of that myself . I come up with training templates for my clients and for Physique U and I'm like , okay , what can I do ? That's at least perceived as a bit different , unique and value-added , that's not already out there . And you know what I end up doing . I end up coming down to the basics of . Well , guess what ? This program is actually kind of similar to this guy's over here and this woman's program over here , but I've taken the principles and put them together and that's almost the best you can do today because we already know it works .

Philip Pape 10:27

And when we look at Ed Cohn , what was he doing ? He was training with one or two sets per lift , not necessarily three , four , five . You know he was focused on form , like all those guys had to be , of course , to be able to lift into those numbers and do it without injury . And then he followed progression cycles , like light to heavy , for example , very much like base to peak . When you're peaking for a powerlifting meet , you go from high volume to high intensity . For example , and my friend Tony P he's in the community , former client lifting buddy of mine , he's in my barbell club as well .

Philip Pape 10:56

We get on each other a lot over messaging and he shared some really good thoughts about these legends of the past . He knows a lot about them and one thing he mentioned is that the information is not the same as knowledge . He said I think we lost something along the way that they figured out so much they did the hard lifting that it's irrational for the current fitness industry to ignore them . And I think this is important today more than ever , because we have so much information but less wisdom . I think we have more information than ever , but less wisdom . Ed and his contemporaries , like Kurt Kowalski I mentioned him they were doing what we now call power building right , and I know some people don't like that term or they use it as a boogeyman in their social media posts . It's just a combination of strength and hypertrophy and I see this message repeated over and over again now with people I respect .

Philip Pape 11:47

Take my coach , andy Baker . Right , he replied to somebody . Somebody said hey , can I do your power building program but cut out all the accessory work , all the isolation work he's like well , it kind of defeats the purpose , because how do you get stronger without getting bigger ? So the principle of doing both has been around for a long time . Right , and they didn't call it power building . That's what we call it now . That's kind of a buzzword , but they prove that strength and aesthetics are not mutually exclusive .

Philip Pape 12:11

And that's important because I talk about this stuff all the time . People come to me to what we call physique university and in my mind , physique is really just a culmination of all the things you're doing for your physical fitness that make you stronger , fitter , healthier and have longevity . And so when we talk about strength training , the form of training that combines a little bit of high intensity with volume and frequency right , well-roundedness maybe is a better way to put it Power

Training Principles and Power Building

Philip Pape 12:40

building is really a great , efficient approach and there are a lot of ways to progress . And that's why I mentioned the guide earlier which you can grab at whatsonweightscom slash free or the link in the show notes . It's a guide to progressive overload , because I find people are very confused by this , and that's going to show you how to systematically increase your lifts without worrying about , you know , complicating it very much , like Ed Cohn and his ilk have inspired us to do and inspired me to do as I'm looking into their history .

Philip Pape 13:05

So , ed Cohn , he wasn't just a lifting machine . You know we like to put these people on pedestals as if they're these robots that we want to analyze , but apparently he was very humble and thoughtful and you can go watch videos of him . And you know there's a lot of ego driven personalities that dominate these sports , but I think the really a lot . I think the majority of the good guys who are at the top of their sport tend to be humble because it almost requires it to get where they are . I know that sounds ironic . Now , not always I mean , arnold is is not very humble , but we all love the guy too . He I guess he has a different form of humility , if you will . You know he kind of jokes about it while he's being a cocky SOB , right , but anyway , I Ed was on I think it was the Michael Hearn show and he said rely less on fleeting motivation and more on passion , which is a deeper , more sustainable driver .

Philip Pape 13:55

That's huge , because oftentimes we contrast motivation with process and taking action and building momentum , blah , blah , blah . I like the fact that he's saying , no , you should rely on passion . Right , rely on passion like rely on being so into something that it just drives you to do it , no matter what , for its own sake , and that is very sustainable , isn't it ? Now that passion may come from the meaningful reason that you do something . It could be because you want to show up for your family , for your kids , you want to avoid , you know , health issues in old age , and that could all be tied into the passion , for sure . So that's kind of a philosophy of life in general and it appeals to me because there's a positivity to it , right , by definition , it is positive , positive meaning , not negative meaning . It drives you forward in adding the things in that allow you to pursue that passion right , and to get through setbacks . And that's important because things don't go perfectly ever .

Philip Pape 14:49

And Ed had some setbacks . He also had some doping violations . I just have to acknowledge that . Right , good with the bad , okay , in the 80s , I think , 85 , 89 . And then he was suspended in 1996 . It led to a lifetime ban , right , and I mean these controversies were part of that era of powerlifting and I think now we're a lot more transparent , we're just like , yeah , okay , these people take drugs , but back then we're talking . You know , even before , say , the baseball scandals , that became a huge issue . Obviously , enhanced versus not enhanced and whether it's disclosed and whether it's tested is has been a huge controversial part of the sport .

Philip Pape 15:22

And what I want to focus on is just Ed himself , how he handled the adversity . You know he didn't make excuses . I don't think he had any bitter rants , I think he just kept focusing and lifting and

Passion Over Motivation

Philip Pape 15:33

helping people . And so I you know nuances , right , everybody's character is a bit complex . I'm not making any excuses for anyone , and it was a different time . It was a bit complex . I'm not making any excuses for anyone , and it was a different time . It was a different time .

Philip Pape 15:44

So back to the motivation , passion thing . You know , motivation is one of those things , like willpower , that is fleeting , but passion is pretty endurable , right , it's pretty endurable . It can take you through decades , which is what's going to be required when it comes to your fitness lifestyle , with your training . It's going to you're going to have lots of setbacks oh my , I mean , I know setbacks surgeries and injuries and lots of things that have happened . He had two hip replacements , apparently right . So any of you dealing with shoulder issues , hip issues , back issues , it happens . We got to find a way around it . Understand our constraints , keep moving forward and passion is going to take you through it , because you're going to say how the heck do I get back to the gym ? How do I do it ? I need to , I need to , I need to do it . I want to do it . How do I do it ?

Philip Pape 16:24

In 2023 , this is only a couple of years ago he was 53 and he had two artificial hips . As we mentioned , he squatted 585 . So he's still active , hitting crazy weights , right . Most people his age are worried about their knees creaking going up the stairs . He's still moving serious weight because his passion never dimmed his understanding that you can always progress or at least maintain your strength , right . Of course , with age , you're going to have lower and lower capacity to hit those max , max weights , but you can still perform pretty incredibly as a human being , and this speaks to something missing , I think , in today's instant gratification culture .

Philip Pape 16:59

Real strength and I'm going to talk about strength here is physical and mental is built over time , over decades . It's a form of wisdom , in my opinion . It's a form of resilience , and a guy like Ed is a good guy to look at because he had this self-deprecating humor , he had a genuine interest in helping people , he had the passion . And what that does , I think , is it spreads like a good virus . I don't think a virus is a great analogy , but it spreads to others where you elevate them . You lift them , especially if you're lifting with them , and then it pushes them because you're stronger than them or you have more experience than them . You lift them , especially if you're lifting with them , and then it pushes them because you're stronger than them or you have more experience than them , and , rather than lording it over someone , it's a source of curiosity on the other person's part and helping them on your part . And I'm talking from the perspective as a mentor , but I also am a student , and so when I can put myself around people who are better than me , especially by a long shot , but who also have a combination of passion , wisdom and positivity , that's an amazing recipe . Right there , marty Gallagher called Ed the Mozart of strength . I alluded to that nickname earlier , and why is that ? Because he's a prodigy and has a legacy that's gonna echo for a long time to come . He made a huge impact on people and his principles are timeless , like Mozart's music I assume that is where this nickname came from .

Philip Pape 18:22

And when we think of today , we're living in what I'll call an attention economy . It kind of drives me crazy when I feel like eyeballs are on the screen all day . It's all about stories and posts and new content . You got to grab eyeballs , you got to go viral . And when it comes to like strength training , it's almost starkly contrast when you just go in and you move a piece of metal , a foot , you know , and just against gravity to try to build your muscles . There's something so visceral and primal about that that is the opposite of all of this . In the cloud , virtual living that we have , there's almost like two different realities in existence today . Right , there's the social media online world , and then there's the real , physical world that we're almost forgetting exists . And the barbell doesn't care , right ? It doesn't care about your IG following or your feed . Your muscles don't care about hashtags , right ?

Philip Pape 19:11

I know I'm getting kind of silly here , but at the end of the day , the principles are timeless . So Ed's career is like a bridge between the old school and modern training , proving that you don't have to reinvent the wheel , that we know a lot of what we already know that works . Just dig into it , turn to it consistently , but also be passionate and I know you can't force that . So find a way to make it passionate and if it's not passionate for you , there's probably a different method ,

Timeless Wisdom for Modern Lifters

Philip Pape 19:38

while still sticking to the principles . So what is Ed doing today ? I think he continues coaching people . He's coaching like young lifters . He's passing on his techniques but , as well as the mindset , a lot of these guys are really good at sharing the thinking behind this and again , invaluable earned wisdom is what we're getting at right , and this is why I think studying the lifting legends like this matters .

Philip Pape 20:00

I don't know how many I'm going to do here of these . Hit me up on IG . Speaking of social media , send me a message on Instagram at Whitson Weights If you have an idea for someone else to cover . I'm definitely gonna cover some women in the sport as well , and some of the greats maybe in some other more overlooked areas , not just for the inspiration of it , but the actual preservation of principles at work . I will be curious when these the series is done at some point when we're at 10 people or 20 or whatever down the road , to kind of put it all together in a compendium of you know what helps us accomplish the most with our focus on the fundamentals and our passion .

Philip Pape 20:36

So if this exploration of Ed Cohn's principles resonated with you , go check out the last Lifting Legends episode . I did . It was the first one , it was Lifting Legends number one . It was about Ronnie Coleman , and you'll see some of the differences , some of the similarities , right , Because Ronnie was a bodybuilder , ed's a power lifter . But I think both of their successes hinge on the fundamental principles we discussed today . All right , until next time , keep using your wits lifting those weights and remember that your strongest , healthiest , fittest physique and body it's not built overnight , it's not built on fads . It's engineered one rep , one set , one training session at a time , just like Ed showed us . This is Philip Pape and you've been listening Wits and Weights . I'll talk to you next time .