Ronnie Coleman: the story of one of history's greatest bodybuilders

Ronnie Coleman, nicknamed "Big Ron", is an American bodybuilder and a regular winner of the Mr Olympia bodybuilding competition. With 26 medals to his credit, he has beaten Vince Taylor's world record of 22 victories. A record that's the fruit of a professional's hard work. Find out more in this article about this man's impressive muscle mass.

Ronnie Coleman's impressive career

Some more info on Ronnie

• Height : 1,80 m
• Competition weight: 134 kg
• Waist size: 105 cm
• Biceps circumference: 61.5 cm
• Thigh size: 91 cm
• Time of the competitions: from 1990 to 2009

Ronnie Dean Coleman, his real name, was born in Louisiana on May 13, 1964. He was very athletic from a young age and reached a professional level in high school in American football.

His imposing build was his strong point and the number of fans kept growing with his victories. At the same time, the young Ronnie kept working hard at the University and obtained his Bachelor in science in accounting. He worked in several fast food restaurants as a delivery boy before joining the police force as an officer until 2000. He became a reserve officer until 2003.

It seems that Ronnie Coleman is a father of 8 children (this information is to be verified).

Ronnie Coleman: eight consecutive wins at the famous Mr. Olympia competition

The fame of this talented American is partly due to the eight titles he obtained at the Mr. Olympia. The latter is the ultimate title for bodybuilders around the world. Ronnie won this competition from 1998 until 2005. Jay Cultler will dethrone him in 2006 but Ronnie is the bodybuilder who holds the world record of Mr. Olympia with 8 titles to his credit thanks to his imposing musculature that was almost scary. It is 18 years after Arnold Schwarzenegger that Big Ron will win his first title at Olympia. When you compare the 2 physiques, you can see that there is a huge difference.

Ronnie Coleman last participated in this international competition in 2007. His physique had some problems including muscle injuries and he had to undergo several surgeries afterwards. In 2009, Ronnie announced his retirement as a pro bodybuilder. However, he remains an emblematic figure of this extreme sport. Moreover, he remains active and present at events related to the world of bodybuilding. Indeed, he is invited to many competitions and intervenes in particular to make motivational speeches.

A beginning due to the chance of relationships

Ronnie Coleman was originally an American football player of almost professional level. After graduation, one of his colleagues and friends, Gustavo Arlotta, suggested that he become a bodybuilder. The gym was owned by a bodybuilding enthusiast called Brian Dobson. Brian Dobson offered Ronnie the opportunity to be his personal trainer for the national bodybuilding competition in Texas.

Coleman became well known thanks to the successive victories he obtained at each competition. He then went on to compete in major international competitions to add more titles to his roster. From Canada, Russia to the great Mr. Olympia world contest, Ronnie has won 26 times in his professional bodybuilding career. His main competitors were Jay Cutler, Flex Wheeler and Kevin Levrone.

A worldwide success for the famous Ronnie Coleman

Becoming famous for his name and his sublimely muscular physique, Ronnie is also a publicity icon. He has been called upon to travel the world for various performances. Between China, Australia and Brazil, Coleman has not hesitated to make himself known in the world. He has also directed numerous videos of coaching for amateurs and professionals of the bodybuilding discipline.

He also offers professional advice based on his many years of experience. He has become a respected spokesperson for this high-level sport that requires a lot of hard work and self-discipline.

What is Ronnie Coleman's training like?

Ronnie Coleman trains for hours on end to maintain a body with more developed muscles. His secret lies in the fact that he mainly uses free weights instead of weight machines. This way, he masters the power and strength of his movements to optimize his muscle mass. He has worked hard to obtain an outstanding physique and unbeatable strength.

Ronnie's specialty is lifting more weight to be the champion in competitions. However, his daily workouts with too much weight and high repetitions took a toll on his muscles. He had serious injuries after his 8 titles in the world competition, Mr. Olympia. An unbeatable record for many famous bodybuilders.

Daily training during the week

To prepare for major competitions such as Mr. Olympia, Ronnie trains every day of the week. He stops at the weekends to rest his muscles and enjoy his personal life. However, he gives his all every day to beat his own record.

He performs a lot of heavy multi-joint movements such as bench presses, squats, deadlifts and rowing, increasing the load with each set. He is aware that his intense training can be fatal over time. The title of Mister Olympia has become the prize that the champion challenges each year for his throne.

Ronnie's typical training week

He trained several muscle groups per day. His squat record was 800 lbs or about 362 kg.

Monday

Back

• Deadlift: 4 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions
• Rowing bar: 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• T bar: 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• One-armed Rowing: 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions

Biceps

• Curl bar: 4 sets of 12 repetitions
• Dumbbell sit-up: 12 reps
• Curl desk: 12 reps
• Low pulley curl: 12 reps

Shoulders

• Military bench press: 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Seated dumbbell bench press in superset with dumbbell front raises: 4 sets of 12 repetitions

Tuesday

Thighs

• Squat: 5 or 6 sets of 2 to 12 repetitions
• Thigh press: 4 sets of 12 repetitions
• Lunges: 2 sets of 100 lunges
• Deadlift: 3 sets of 12 repetitions
• Seated leg curl: 3 sets of 12 repetitions

Wednesday

Chest

• Barbell bench press: 5 sets of 12 repetitions
• Inclined bench press: 3 sets of 12 repetitions
• Dumbbell bench press: 3 sets of 12 repetitions
• Dumbbell lunge: 4 sets of 12 repetitions

Triceps

• Seated EZ bar extension: 3 sets of 12 repetitions
• Dumbbell back extension: 4 sets of 12 repetitions
• Bench press, tight grip: 4 sets of 12 repetitions

Thursday

Back

• Rowing bar: 5 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Low pulley pull-up: 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Vertical pull-up machine: 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• High pulley pull-up in front: 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions

Biceps

• Alternating incline curl: 4 sets of 12 repetitions
• Superset machine curl with standing low pulley curl: 3 sets of 12 reps

Shoulders

• Dumbbell sit-up: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Deadlifts: 3 sets of 8 to 25 reps
• Machine lateral raises: 3 sets of 8 to 25 repetitions

Friday

Legs

• Leg extension: 4 sets of 30 repetitions
• Squat front: 4 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
• Hack squat: 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
• Standing leg curl: 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
• Extended leg curl: 4 sets of 12 repetitions

An extraordinary diet for an extraordinary athlete

Ronnie's highly developed body requires a very specific diet to maintain muscle size and to make an intense mass gain. He eats up to nine times a day to fuel and supplement the calorie needs of his massive physique. Each day he must take in at least 5,562 calories which are divided into several meals rich in protein but also in fat and carbohydrates. However, the choice of meals is a difficult one to make in order to have quality muscles.

For protein, lean white meats such as chicken or egg whites are preferred. He also feeds on complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, wholemeal pasta or black beans to get more strength. In addition, bodybuilders take supplements to build muscle mass. These are protein powders or capsules and they do not contain any illicit products in the field of bodybuilding.

Aside from the fact that he must be using steroids, we won't be discussing this on the site.

What were Ronnie's muscle injuries during his career?

The first injury Ronnie Coleman's major injury occurred in 1996. A herniated disc left him with a serious back injury and he underwent surgery for it in February 2016. Over the course of his career, he has had four spinal surgeries and his hips have also had to undergo major surgeries. a left hip replacement was reportedly done to him.

His body has been damaged over time and has various tears, joint problems and muscle pain. These injuries are the consequences of the intense and high level daily trainings. Each bodybuilder is free to train as he wants, he is supposed to know the risks related to this physical sport.

Today, this world champion has difficulty walking and getting around, but he continues to train all the same. Admittedly, not as intensely as before, but the sport is deeply rooted in him. For more information on his bodybuilding career, his life as a husband and father and his health problems, you can watch the film retracing his life which is currently on Netflix and is entitled : Ronnie Coleman: THE KING

And here's a clip from the film's video:

Do you want a complete bodybuilding program to follow?

Personal experience

I met Ronnie at a competition in Florida in 2016. He was invited to give a long motivational speech before the finals. At the time, he was on crutches. Many people approached him for photos, including me, who was helping to organize the competition.

I tested his diet on video

I eat like Ronnie Coleman, the biggest bodybuilder in the world, 8 times Mister Olympia. He weighed 145 kg in the off season and up to 135 kg in competition on stage! Join me for a day on my plate where I test his mass gain diet. His diet was between 5500 and 6000 calories per day with about 546g of protein, 474g of carbohydrates and 150g of fat. He described himself as a powerbuilder.

It should be noted that this is an explanatory video for entertainment purposes and that I do not advise following such a diet, or even its training, which is dangerous for me.

Since 2017, he has his own website where he has his own brand of supplements, with a pre-workout named Yeah buddy (ouais mec in French).

What is Ronnie Coleman up to today?

At 56 years old, Ronnie gave an interview to fitness volt where he tells his story.

The journalist asks him where he gets this relentlessness from.

It's just a desire to be the best I can be. I'm like that with everything I've done. I put every ounce of hard work and dedication into everything I try to achieve. I feel like if you're not doing it to be the best at something, you're wasting your time.

Ronnie Coleman 2020

If you speak English, find his full interview here.

Other Ronnie Coleman news in 2020 A kind of cartoon about him and Flex Wheeler featuring his first win. They show their muscles and their big muscle volume by caricaturing the event. This series of short stories should be available very soon on his youtube channel.

To conclude

The path of the athlete being what it is, and despite the controversial opinions, we can say that he will have given everything for his passion, maybe even a little too much. He remains a legend in the bodybuilding world.

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