Introduction
Ronnie Coleman is not only a generational talent but also considered one of the top 3 athletes in the history of bodybuilding. During the late 1990s into the 2000s, he dominated the sport winning multiple Mr. Olympia 8 straight years and setting the record for the most wins for any IFBB professional ever (which was later broken by Dexter Jackson).
At his peak size, he was 5'11'' and an incredible 300 pounds for the contest, and 315 pounds in the offseason. His arms were as large as 25", chest almost 60", calves 23", and his waist a tight 35".
In this article, we will take a look at his incredible life, his bodybuilding career and speculate on his steroid use.
Early life
Ronnie was born in the 8th most populous city in Louisiana called Monroe, which is near the Arkansas border and has rich Southern history. He was raised by a single mother and had 3 siblings.
Ronnie was blessed with incredible genetics and was a very good football player, who was intimidating to his peers his age, due to his muscular physique and strength. To be his very best he learned that weight training was key, so he spent a lot of time in the gym building a strong base. After high school, he earned a scholarship to Grambling State where he played football and majored in accounting. Once college was over he looked for an accounting job with no success, so he worked delivering pizzas to pay the bills.
He found a job opening to work for the police and took the job. The police force not only gave him a steady paycheck but also had a modest private gym he could work out at for free. However, that small gym did not have the necessary equipment for a talented athlete like Ronnie, so he found a much better one, and got to know the gym owner in the process. Everyone there encouraged him to try a bodybuilding competition and his first one was the 1990 Mr. Texas where he won it at 26 years old. He then finished 3rd at the 1990 NPC Texas Championships against stiff competition, which led to him taking a break from competing to nail down his physique.
Earning his pro card
After spending a year focusing on improving his body he traveled to Poland to compete at the 1991 World Amateur Championships where he won 1st place and earned his pro card.
With his pro card in hand, he was ready for his toughest show yet, the 1992 Chicago Pro. Going up against the best in the world he got 11th place. He competed in 3-4 competitions yearly over the next few years and routinely finished high, but was not able to win 1st place.
Finally, at 31 years old, he won his first major competition at the Canada Pro Cup and he never looked back again. He would go on to win more than two dozen competitions in the next decade, cementing himself as one of the best of all time.
Mr. Olympia success
Mr. Olympia is the most prestigious competition and Ronnie dominated it like never seen before. See below for the year and his placing:
1994: 15th
1995: 11th
1996: 6th
1997: 9th
1998-2005: 1st place
2006: 2nd place behind Jay Cutler
2007: 4th
Training
Ronnie was an explosive weight lifter in the gym and lifted for size and strength first. He did not hesitate to do 3 rep lifts or less and was not afraid to even do 1 rep maxes to show off his brutal strength. He has been known to train 5 times a week every day during the week, while taking the weekends off to rest his body and spend time with his loved ones.
A typical workout for him was 24-27 sets of 15 reps and he followed a 5-day split. He loves compound lifts including bench press, squats, rows, and dips.
Diet
Ronnie's diet was intense and he was known to eat sometimes 9 meals a day with a lot of protein, carbs, and fats. On some days he easily exceeded 500g of protein a day and would get over 400g of carbs.
His favorite protein options were eggs and chicken.
His favorite carbs were brown rice, beans, and potatoes.
He also took in a lot of supplements pre and post-workout.
For an average person this much food would make you morbidly obese, but for someone like Ronnie with top .001% genetics and the intensity of his workout routine he was able to stay lean and mean atleast on the outside.
Medical issues
Ronnie was always known as a powerlifter first, which took a toll on his body with a lot of wear and tear. Here is a video of him doing 800-pound squats.
He had over 7 back surgeries and had to be in a wheelchair just to move around. In total, he says he had done more than a dozen surgeries post bodybuilding.
Sadly, in 2020 he said that his surgeries were botched and that he may never be able to live a normal life. He says he ended up spending over $2M on just his last 3 surgeries which may have done more damage than help. He is a video of him in a wheelchair in early 2020
Social media
Ronnie has 4.5M Instagram followers which is impressive. He has videos of himself lifting weights, gives some quick advice, and displays some of his daily hobbies. Click here to view Instagram chanel.
His youtube videos are full of impressive training and date back a decade. Click the link and you can spend days going through his videos. click here to view you tube chanel.
Opinion
It is sad to see an athlete we have grown to love and admire end up crippled for life. However, Ronnie has said he has no regrets and believes in living life to the fullest. He also has other hobbies he enjoys that he can still do like fishing, spending time with family, and educating others on the sport he loves. Our bodies are very fragile and we must do a better job of taking care of it or we all can end up with major medical issues as we get older. I am a believer in always using proper form in the gym and learning how and when to give your body a break.
Steroid use
Ronnie's steroid use is complicated on the surface. He says he started to use steroids at 30 years old to keep up with his competition but maintains that he only used legal steroids or ones that were prescribed to him. The reality is the steroids he would have needed to use would not have been available via a script, but with his background as a police officer, it is understandable why he would say this. We can speculate his steroid cycle leading up to Mr. Olympia looked something like this:
1100mg a week Trenbolone acetate
1200mg a week Testosterone Propionate, stopped 4 weeks ahead of the competition
1200mgs Masteron Propionate
800mgs Equipoise
600mgs Deca Durabolin
150mg per day Proviron
200mgs a day Winstrol
22Iu's per day HGH
15Iu's per day Insulin
Forum Quotes
In regards to interviews where Coleman denies steroid use "IMO Ronnie is lying. I have been on TRT for years so I would know they don't prescribe pro bodybuilder dosages!"
"Bro if Ronnie Coleman was using TRT to look like that...I am an Italian opera singer"
"Without Ronnie's genetics you can take anything you want and you will never look like him. He basically had the perfect physique"
"I like when Ronnie says he is -3% body fat"
"Damn Ronnie is a thick mofo, almost 400lbs that's INSANE!"
"What's the world coming to with that mass"
Forum
Finding real yk11?
Best bodybuilder of all time
Ronnie Coleman on Joe Rogan Podcast interview opinions
12 weeks back what do you think
low dose nandrolone options geneza
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7145311/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7757476/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7696474/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4735978/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6152663/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5732775/
Written by Steve Smi
Steve Smi (Also known as Steve Smith), has over 12 years of experience in the bodybuilding and fitness industry. He's the co-Host of the popular Evolutionary Radio Podcast - over 500,000 listens! He has been a personal trainer and writer for the last 10 years with over 1000 articles written. He's been a moderator on forums for over 10 years. Steve holds the following certifications and records: NASM Personal Trainer NASM Fitness Nutrition Specialist Florida Local Powerlifting champion Top writer for 2019 Fitness rated
Ronnie Coleman is not only a generational talent but also considered one of the top 3 athletes in the history of bodybuilding. During the late 1990s into the 2000s, he dominated the sport winning multiple Mr. Olympia 8 straight years and setting the record for the most wins for any IFBB professional ever (which was later broken by Dexter Jackson).
At his peak size, he was 5'11'' and an incredible 300 pounds for the contest, and 315 pounds in the offseason. His arms were as large as 25", chest almost 60", calves 23", and his waist a tight 35".
In this article, we will take a look at his incredible life, his bodybuilding career and speculate on his steroid use.
Early life
Ronnie was born in the 8th most populous city in Louisiana called Monroe, which is near the Arkansas border and has rich Southern history. He was raised by a single mother and had 3 siblings.
Ronnie was blessed with incredible genetics and was a very good football player, who was intimidating to his peers his age, due to his muscular physique and strength. To be his very best he learned that weight training was key, so he spent a lot of time in the gym building a strong base. After high school, he earned a scholarship to Grambling State where he played football and majored in accounting. Once college was over he looked for an accounting job with no success, so he worked delivering pizzas to pay the bills.
He found a job opening to work for the police and took the job. The police force not only gave him a steady paycheck but also had a modest private gym he could work out at for free. However, that small gym did not have the necessary equipment for a talented athlete like Ronnie, so he found a much better one, and got to know the gym owner in the process. Everyone there encouraged him to try a bodybuilding competition and his first one was the 1990 Mr. Texas where he won it at 26 years old. He then finished 3rd at the 1990 NPC Texas Championships against stiff competition, which led to him taking a break from competing to nail down his physique.
Earning his pro card
After spending a year focusing on improving his body he traveled to Poland to compete at the 1991 World Amateur Championships where he won 1st place and earned his pro card.
With his pro card in hand, he was ready for his toughest show yet, the 1992 Chicago Pro. Going up against the best in the world he got 11th place. He competed in 3-4 competitions yearly over the next few years and routinely finished high, but was not able to win 1st place.
Finally, at 31 years old, he won his first major competition at the Canada Pro Cup and he never looked back again. He would go on to win more than two dozen competitions in the next decade, cementing himself as one of the best of all time.
Mr. Olympia success
Mr. Olympia is the most prestigious competition and Ronnie dominated it like never seen before. See below for the year and his placing:
1994: 15th
1995: 11th
1996: 6th
1997: 9th
1998-2005: 1st place
2006: 2nd place behind Jay Cutler
2007: 4th
Training
Ronnie was an explosive weight lifter in the gym and lifted for size and strength first. He did not hesitate to do 3 rep lifts or less and was not afraid to even do 1 rep maxes to show off his brutal strength. He has been known to train 5 times a week every day during the week, while taking the weekends off to rest his body and spend time with his loved ones.
A typical workout for him was 24-27 sets of 15 reps and he followed a 5-day split. He loves compound lifts including bench press, squats, rows, and dips.
Diet
Ronnie's diet was intense and he was known to eat sometimes 9 meals a day with a lot of protein, carbs, and fats. On some days he easily exceeded 500g of protein a day and would get over 400g of carbs.
His favorite protein options were eggs and chicken.
His favorite carbs were brown rice, beans, and potatoes.
He also took in a lot of supplements pre and post-workout.
For an average person this much food would make you morbidly obese, but for someone like Ronnie with top .001% genetics and the intensity of his workout routine he was able to stay lean and mean atleast on the outside.
Medical issues
Ronnie was always known as a powerlifter first, which took a toll on his body with a lot of wear and tear. Here is a video of him doing 800-pound squats.
He had over 7 back surgeries and had to be in a wheelchair just to move around. In total, he says he had done more than a dozen surgeries post bodybuilding.
Sadly, in 2020 he said that his surgeries were botched and that he may never be able to live a normal life. He says he ended up spending over $2M on just his last 3 surgeries which may have done more damage than help. He is a video of him in a wheelchair in early 2020
Social media
Ronnie has 4.5M Instagram followers which is impressive. He has videos of himself lifting weights, gives some quick advice, and displays some of his daily hobbies. Click here to view Instagram chanel.
His youtube videos are full of impressive training and date back a decade. Click the link and you can spend days going through his videos. click here to view you tube chanel.
Opinion
It is sad to see an athlete we have grown to love and admire end up crippled for life. However, Ronnie has said he has no regrets and believes in living life to the fullest. He also has other hobbies he enjoys that he can still do like fishing, spending time with family, and educating others on the sport he loves. Our bodies are very fragile and we must do a better job of taking care of it or we all can end up with major medical issues as we get older. I am a believer in always using proper form in the gym and learning how and when to give your body a break.
Steroid use
Ronnie's steroid use is complicated on the surface. He says he started to use steroids at 30 years old to keep up with his competition but maintains that he only used legal steroids or ones that were prescribed to him. The reality is the steroids he would have needed to use would not have been available via a script, but with his background as a police officer, it is understandable why he would say this. We can speculate his steroid cycle leading up to Mr. Olympia looked something like this:
1100mg a week Trenbolone acetate
1200mg a week Testosterone Propionate, stopped 4 weeks ahead of the competition
1200mgs Masteron Propionate
800mgs Equipoise
600mgs Deca Durabolin
150mg per day Proviron
200mgs a day Winstrol
22Iu's per day HGH
15Iu's per day Insulin
Forum Quotes
In regards to interviews where Coleman denies steroid use "IMO Ronnie is lying. I have been on TRT for years so I would know they don't prescribe pro bodybuilder dosages!"
"Bro if Ronnie Coleman was using TRT to look like that...I am an Italian opera singer"
"Without Ronnie's genetics you can take anything you want and you will never look like him. He basically had the perfect physique"
"I like when Ronnie says he is -3% body fat"
"Damn Ronnie is a thick mofo, almost 400lbs that's INSANE!"
"What's the world coming to with that mass"
Forum
Finding real yk11?
Best bodybuilder of all time
Ronnie Coleman on Joe Rogan Podcast interview opinions
12 weeks back what do you think
low dose nandrolone options geneza
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7145311/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7757476/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7696474/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4735978/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6152663/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5732775/
Written by Steve Smi
Steve Smi (Also known as Steve Smith), has over 12 years of experience in the bodybuilding and fitness industry. He's the co-Host of the popular Evolutionary Radio Podcast - over 500,000 listens! He has been a personal trainer and writer for the last 10 years with over 1000 articles written. He's been a moderator on forums for over 10 years. Steve holds the following certifications and records: NASM Personal Trainer NASM Fitness Nutrition Specialist Florida Local Powerlifting champion Top writer for 2019 Fitness rated
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