Steve Reeves

Born in Glasgow, Montana, in 1926, Reeves moved to California at age 10 with his mother Goldie Reeves after his father Lester Dell Reeves died in a farming accident. Reeves developed an interest in bodybuilding at Castlemont High School and trained at Ed Yarick's gym in Oakland, California. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, and served in the Philippines. After his military service Reeves attended California Chiropractic College in San Francisco. As a bodybuilder, Reeves trained three days a week. Every workout was a full-body workout, as opposed to a split workout. He did the standard three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise.

During training he had no regard for time but worked until he had completed his routine, which took anywhere from two to four hours. He reigned as Mr. America of 1947, Mr. World of 1948, and Mr. Universe of 1950 in the pre Mr. Olympia era. He was contacted by an agent who suggested he go into acting.

Reeves wrote the book Powerwalking, and two self-published books, Building the Classic Physique - The Natural Way, and Dynamic Muscle Building. George Helmer published a revised and updated edition of the Powerwalking book in 2013.