With his superhuman physique, extraordinary measurements, and relentless training, Ronnie Coleman has become, in 20 years, one of the most spectacular figures in the world of Bodybuilding.
Ronnie Coleman He also commands admiration for his record of trophies which he has managed to conquer, with tenacity, throughout his career, between 1998 and 2007.
The development of his musculature from a very young age:
On May 13, 1964, Ronnie Coleman was born in Louisiana, USA. As a young teenager, he wanted to become
professional footballer. Possessing a strong will and determined to give himself every chance of achieving his dream, Ronnie Coleman therefore began bodybuilding at the age of 13..
Developing the foundations of his bodybuilding, Ronnie Coleman already possessed remarkable musculature at the age of 19. He then chose to focus on powerlifting. A strength sport, powerlifting taught Ronnie Coleman to lift much heavier weights than those used in weightlifting, starting with fairly basic movements such as the deadlift, bench press, and squats. During his years in powerlifting, Ronnie Coleman acquired remarkable strength.
While practicing his strength sport, Ronnie continued his accounting studies, eventually earning a master's degree. With his diploma in hand, Ronnie's professional beginnings were difficult. He lived off odd jobs and volunteered as a reserve police officer, a position he held until 2003.
His encounter with bodybuilding This was made possible thanks to a gym owner who, already seeing Ronnie Coleman's potential, offered him a free lifetime membership at his gym.
Ronnie Coleman then abandoned powerlifting to turn to bodybuilding
Intense training with enormous weights:
With powerlifting, Ronnie Coleman managed to assimilate, at the highest level, athletic strength movements. He will then use this experience to the building and intensification of his muscle mass.
Contrary to the opinion of most trainers, Ronnie Coleman bases his training on basic exercises such as deadlifts and squats, accompanied by enormous weights.
Watching his training sessions is a spectacular experience, as demonstrated by his numerous videos, available on YouTube.
In "The Unbelieveable", we can see Ronnie Coleman performing sets of 800 Poundx2 deadlifts, that is, 360 kilos of load, on each side of the bar.
Or again in "The Cost of Redemption" where he performs two repetitions of squats at 360 kg. Simply impressive!
Ronnie Coleman therefore opted for a training regimen based on powerlifting exercises and the use of free weights. He uses very few guided machines. Ronnie Coleman performs short sets with extremely heavy weights and high repetitions.
Each video made of his training shows Ronnie pushing his limits a little further each time.
At this training session, Ronnie Coleman joined a balanced diet and adapted to his efforts and goals. As a result, like many bodybuilders, he eats 6 meals a day, spread throughout the day, for a total of 5560 calories. Â Â
The results of his training: an extraordinary physique
While we may not always know the measurements of our favorite athletes, Ronnie's have become simply memorable due to their extraordinary nature.
Ronnie Coleman therefore displays the following measurements:
- Height: 1.80 m
- Weight in competition: 161 kg (Ronnie holds the record for weight in competition)
- Waist circumference:105 cm
- Biceps: 61.5 cm
- Chest: 147 cm
- Thighs: 96 cm
- Calves: 53 cm
- Body fat percentage: 3 % (Ronnie is the most massive of the bodybuilders, but also the leanest in competitions. This remarkable leanness makes Ronnie's physique even more spectacular).
A physique with multiple trophies:
Hard work and his imposing physique propelled Ronnie Coleman to the rank of the best bodybuilder in the world.
It must be said that in terms of bodybuilding, Ronnie Coleman has a more than brilliant career:
- He obtained his professional bodybuilder's card in 1991.
- Just 5 years after his professional recognition, Ronnie won his first title in 1996.
- Two years later, in 1998, he reached first place in Mr Olympia, the most renowned bodybuilding competition.
- He will win the prestigious competition of Mr. Olympia 8 times in a row. Between 1998 and 2005, it was impossible to dethrone the giant. He then held the record for most titles. Mr Olympia. However, in 2006, he was beaten by Jay Cutler and finished in second place.
A look back at his years of competition, between 1990 and 2007:
- 1990: He attempts the competition of Mr. Texas in the heavyweight category and finished 3rd in the NPC National Competition, still in the heavyweight category. Â
- 1991: He competed for Mr. Universe and the NPC USA Championships in the heavyweight category where he finished 14th.e. But his best performances came at the NPS National Heavyweight Championship, where he finished 4th.e and the IFBB amateur world championship which he won.
- 1992: That year, He competes in three competitions (Night of Champions – IFBB, Chicago Pro Invitational – IFBB and Mr. Olympia) where it ranks 14e and 11e for the first two and fails to rank for the last one.
- 1993: At the Chicago Pro Invitational – IFBB, he finished 6th. At the Grand Prix France – IFBB, he placed 4th.e and at the German Grand Prix – IFBB, 6e. He also competed in the Niagara Falls Pro Invitational – IFBB, and finished 6th.e.
- 1994 : He competed again in the IFBB French Grand Prix and the IFBB German Grand Prix, where he finished 3rd in both competitions. At the IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational, he finished 4th..
- 1995: This year, Ronnie wins his first professional title at the Canada Pro Cup – IFBB. He also participates in 6 other competitions around the world: French Grand Prix – IFBB (4e), Russian Grand Prix – IFBB (6e), Ukrainian Grand Prix – IFBB (3e), the Houston Pro Invitational – IFBB (6e), the Night of Champions – IFBB (3e) and Mr. Olympia – IFBB (11e).
- 1996: That year, Ronnie wins his prize again at the Canada Pro Cup – IFBB. He climbed in the rankings of the 6 other competitions, compared to the previous year: Florida Pro Invitational – IFBB (2e), English Grand Prix – IFBB (5e), German Grand Prix – IFBB (5e), Spanish Grand Prix – IFBB (5e), Night of Champions – IFBB (2e) and Mr. Olympia – IFBB (6e).
- 1997: A busy year of competitions as Ronnie will be competing in 11 events : the Arnold Classic – IFBB (4e), the Czech Republic Grand Prix- IFBB (4e), the IFBB English Grand Prix (5e), the Finnish Grand Prix – IFBB (3e), the German Grand Prix – IFBB (5e), the Hungarian Grand Prix – IFBB (6e), the Russian Grand Prix – IFBB (1er), the Spanish Grand Prix – IFBB (7e), the Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB (3e), Mr. Olympia – IFBB (9e), the San Jose Pro Invitational – IFBB (6e).
- 1998: The year Ronnie stood out and entered the legend of Bodybuilding.He finally becomes Mr. Olympia and wins the title in 4 other competitions. : the Finnish Grand Prix – IFBB, the German Grand Prix – IFBB, the Night of Champions – IFBB, the Toronto Pro Invitational – IFBB. He also took second place at the San Francisco Pro Invitational – IFBB.
- 1999: He retains his Mr Olympia title as well as his British Grand Prix title. – IFBB. He is also a world champion at the World Pro Championships – IFBB.
- 2000: He retains his three previous titles.
- 2001: He renews his title of Mr Olympia for the third time and arrives 1er for the Arnold Classic – IFBB, as well as for the New Zealand Grand Prix – IFBB.
- 2002: It still sits enthroned at the first place in Mr Olympia. He won the IFBB Holland Grand Prix and placed second at the IFBB Show of Strength Pro Championship.
- 2003: 6e times Mr Olympia. He also won the Russian Grand Prix – IFBB.
- 2004: Ronnie reigns supreme in the following competitions: IFBB England Grand Prix, IFBB Holland Grand Prix, IFBB Russia Grand Prix, and still Mr Olympia – IFBB. Ronnie is at the height of his fame.
- 2005: He holds the record for titles of Mr. Olympia by winning it for the 8the consecutive times.
- 2006: This year, despite a good ranking, Ronnie begins his downward curve in the rankings by winning only second place in the following competitions: Austrian Grand Prix-IFBB, Dutch Grand Prix – IFBB, Romanian Grand Prix – IFBB, and the famous Mr. Olympia – IFBB where he is overtaken by Jay Cutler.
- 2007: He only finished 4th in the Mr. Olympia competition. Ronnie retired from competitions that same year..
Ronnie Coleman remains a key figure in bodybuilding, still holding the record for most Mr. Olympia titles and the record for the highest competition weight of 160 kg. In 2012, Ronnie admitted to using steroids in 1995 to boost his muscle mass.
Despite his retirement from competitions, Ronnie remains very involved in the bodybuilding community.. He provides nutritional advice. . Ronnie Coleman also launched his own brand of nutritional supplements to help bodybuilding enthusiasts develop their physical potential to the fullest. Â Â
I would have liked to see what it would have been like if Arnold and Ronnie were from the same generation.