Who is Eddie Robinson?
Eddie Robinson is an American bodybuilder and powerlifter who competes in the IFBB. He was born and reared in Ohio.
His fitness adventure started early, with competitive sports like boxing, American football, and others.
Early Life of Eddie Robinson
In his childhood, Eddie Robinson started to gain a reputation as a talented American football player, but issues at home meant that his career in the sport would soon come to an end.
Eddie was compelled to end his career as a professional American football player as a result.
Due to his family’s financial struggles at the time, Eddie was compelled to begin working at a young age to assist his family through these challenging times.
Eddie eventually overcame his difficult upbringing to achieve success as a powerlifter and bodybuilder. Eddie was able to advance in his fitness goals by doing this. Here is his account:
Body Measurements of Eddie Robinson
| Full Name: | Eddie Robinson |
| DATE OF BIRTH: | 22 September 1964 |
| ERA: | 1980, 1990, 2000 |
| PROFESSION: | IFBB Professional Bodybuilder, Powerlifter, and Personal Trainer |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
| AGE: | 57 |
| HEIGHT: | 5’8″ (172.5cm) |
| WEIGHT: | 215 – 225lbs (93.0 – 102.1kg) |
Accomplishments
Competition Background
1982
- Mr. Largo, Teenage, 1st Place
- Men’s Open, 3rd Place
- Mr. Gulf Coast, Teenage Middleweight, 1st Overall
- Mr. Teen Tampa Open, 2nd Place
- Mr. Teen Southern States, 2nd Place
- Mr. Suncoast, 1st Place
1983
- Mr. St. Petersberg, 1st Place
- Mr. Teen Florida, 1st Place
- Mr. Teen Gulf Coast, 1st Place
- Mr. Southern USA, Men’s Open, 1st Place
1984
- Mr. Teen USA, 1st Place
- Mr. Florida Bodybuilding Championships, 1st Overall
- Poston’s Bench Press Championships, 220 lb class – 1st Best Lifter, 510 lbs
- East Coast Strongman Championship, 1st Place
- West Coast Bench Press Championship, 220 lbs class – 1st Place, 525 lbs
- Tampa Bench Press Championship, 220 lbs class – 1st Overall, 550 lbs
1985
- Buckeye Strong Man, 200 lbs class – 1st Overall & Best Lifter, 575 lbs Bench, 825 lbs Squat
- Florida State Bench Press Championship, 1st Place Best Lifter, 560 lbs Bench
- Jacksonville Strong Man, 220 lbs class, 1st Place, 560 lbs Bench
1986
- Jacksonville PAL Bench Press Championship, 200 lbs class – 575 lbs Bench
- NPC Junior Teen Nationals, Heavyweight, 1st Overall
- Florida State Body Building Championship, 2nd Place
- Jacksonville PAL March of Dimes Bench Press – 1st Overall
- Florida State Bench Press Rick Poston, 220 lbs. class – 610 lbs Bench New World Record in 220 lb. class (Teenage and Men’s Open)
1988
- Nationals, Atlanta, Men’s Open, 5th Place
1989
- Mr. USA, 1st overall
1990
- Niagara Falls Pro, 1st Place
- Night of Champions, 6th Place
- Mr. Olympia, 10th Place
1991
- World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF), 4th Place
1992
- World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF), 6th Place
1995
- Night of Champions, 8th Place
- Grand Prix France, 8th Place
- Grand Prix Ukraine, 8th Place
1996
- Canada Pro Cup, 5th Place
- Florida Pro Invitational, 4th Place
- Night of Champions, 9th Place
1997
- Arnold Classic, 13th Place
- Ironman Pro Invitational, 7th Place
1998
- San Francisco Pro Invitational, 13th Place
- Toronto Pro Invitational, 11th Place
1999
- Toronto Pro Invitational, 8th Place
Biography
Early Years
Eddie started his fitness adventure early, beginning as a boxer and American football player.
He started to establish himself in American football, continuously lifting weights to develop an athletic figure. Everything was going well, but gradually things started to go south.
For Eddie and his family, home life had been difficult. They started to have financial problems and eventually moved to Florida.
Due to his inability to pursue his goal of becoming a professional American football player, Eddie felt frustrated.
Eddie struggled to concentrate on his athletic career since he was compelled to work from a young age. This indicated that his efforts to get healthy would suffer a temporary setback.
Eddie helped his family get their life back on track for several years.
After a while, Eddie was able to move over his family issues and pursue a profession as a powerlifter while maintaining his physically fit appearance.
Taking Up Powerlifting
Eddie’s powerlifting career took off quickly; he won first-place results in various competitions, including the 1982 Mr. Largo, which was his debut contest.
Eddie realized after winning the contest that he was destined to be a great athlete and could advance his fitness career.
In the end, Eddie’s powerlifting career saw him break two world records.
First, with a bench press of 575 pounds at the Buckeye Strong Man in 1985. Then, in 1986, at the Florida State Bench Press, Rick Poston benched an amazing 610 pounds.
This demonstrated Eddie’s enormous capacity for heavy lifting, providing the foundation for Eddie to transition to the bodybuilding stage.
Turning to the Stage for a Bodybuilding
Knowing that he could be successful on the bodybuilding scene, Eddie had worked extremely hard to develop an incredible physique.
Eddie had never considered a bodybuilding career before, but he decided to do so after receiving encouragement from his peers.
Eddie reached the pinnacle of his bodybuilding career in 1989 when he was able to obtain his pro card and win the title of Mr. USA. Up until the 1999 Toronto Pro Invitational, where he placed eighth, he continued to compete in events. He would not again perform on stage after this.
In 2002, Eddie finally chose to stop competing in professional bodybuilding, but he insisted that his fitness career was far from ending.
Here is Eddie discussing his post-competition career:
“Please remember, just because I have retired from the sport of bodybuilding don’t think that this is the end of Eddie Robinson, I promise you this is just the beginning! I am up to bigger and better things, a new chapter in my life. I have captured all of these achievements for a reason.
Now it is time to capitalize on all of these achievements and put them to work”.
Present Day
Eddie still working in the fitness sector, providing his knowledge as a personal trainer.
For his customers to become the finest possible versions of themselves, he strives for them to reach their maximum potential during their fitness journey.
He was appreciative of the chances his bodybuilding career had provided him as well as the many significant people he had come to know over the years. In response to this, Eddie said:
“My career has enabled me to travel the world, and meet some of the world’s greatest people. I thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to meet these great people who have become my friends, and by giving me the strength to be the best athlete and father that I can be”.
Training
Eddie had an athletic build from an early age, mostly down to his outstanding genetics, but also down to his passion for American football.
When he began weight training, it didn’t take long for Eddie to see big results — turning his passion for weightlifting into a vocation.
In his prime years, his workouts were kept at a high degree of intensity to obtain maximum results in the gym.
Eddie started his workouts by focusing on his weaker body areas — to optimally create more muscular mass.
Eddie focused his lifts on a heavy weight with low repetitions, concentrating stress on flawless form for maximum contraction on the muscle. Two example workouts are presented below:
Eddie Robinson’s Leg Workout
- Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Seated Calf Raise: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Leg Extensions: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Squats: 5 sets of 10 reps
- Front Squats: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 30 reps
- Straight leg Deadlifts: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Lying Hamstring Cable Curls: 4 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell Hamstring Leg Curl: 4 sets of 10 reps
Eddie Robinson’s Shoulder Workout
- 1. Military Press: 4 sets – 10, 8, 8, 6 reps
- 2. Barbell Upright Rows: 4 sets – 10, 8, 8, 6 reps
- 3. Lateral Raises: 4 sets – 10, 8, 8, 6 reps
- 4. Seated Bent-Over Lateral Raises: 3 sets: 10, 8, 8 reps
Nutrition
In his prime, Eddie Robinson would structure his diet around meals that allowed him to maximize his muscle gains, while recovering rapidly from his strenuous workouts.
Some of the foods that he put into his diet included the following:
Eddie’s Common Bodybuilding Foods
- Goat’s Milk
- Yogurts with Live Cultures
- Sauerkraut
- Raw Honey
- Organic Vegetables
- Organic Meats
Idols and Influences
Eddie lists bodybuilding superstar Joe Weider as one of his major influences. Joe was the individual who urged Eddie to turn to bodybuilding – leaving his powerlifting days behind.
Taking on board the advice, Eddie was able to transform bodybuilding into a lucrative career for himself, making his family’s financial woes a thing of the past.
Eddie views this as one of the best bits of advice that he received in his career, speaking highly of Joe when he expressed the following:
“I owe a lot to this man for taking me under his belt, and for having faith in me as a pro athlete & contracting me for most of my professional career”.
What We Can Learn From Eddie Robinson?
Eddie was able to turn his sporting beginnings into a profession that would earn him two world records in his powerlifting days.
Eventually, he made the move onto the bodybuilding scene, becoming a prominent figure in the business.
However, Eddie’s career never really reached the heights that he had planned for, failing to recreate the success after gaining his pro card.
Despite this, Eddie maintained focus on his mission to be successful on his fitness path.
What we can learn from Eddie Robinson is, that things won’t always come easy in life. Hard work and determination are essential to reach success while conquering any challenges along the way.
Eddie Robinson was able to achieve just that – in the process becoming one of the biggest names in bodybuilding in his prime.