Very few men in strength sports can claim to have surpassed Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ronnie Coleman is one of them, and his achievements have made him a bodybuilding icon and earned him a royal nickname: The King.
Coleman won a record eight Mr. Olympia titles, one more than Schwarzenegger’s seven. In the eyes of many bodybuilding fans, Coleman is the GOAT of his sport.
His post-retirement life has had its fair share of ups and downs. He has undergone more than a dozen back and neck surgeries, which have taken a toll on the 57-year-old legend. Fortunately, stem cell treatments have helped move forward with his recovery. He is also very active with his line of supplements, podcast and working as a contest promoter. Even 14 years after his last competition, he is more involved with the sport than ever.
“I think for the most part it’s about knowledge and being willing to learn,” Coleman says of his success. It took a while to talk to men’s health about his early years in weightlifting, his bodybuilding journey that is second to none, and offers advice for those who want to blaze their own paths to glory.
When did you discover weight training?
When I joined the weightlifting team in high school. That was in the early ’80s. I graduated in 1982. We did pretty well because we had a lot of strong guys on the team. I didn’t lift anything in college when I was playing football at Grambling State. I didn’t go back to weightlifting until after that.
What were your best numbers in competition?
I got 500 (pounds) on the deadlift, and I got that on the squat as well. My bank wasn’t that great back then. I don’t remember what my best number was for that lift, but I remember wanting it to be better.
Powerlifting has become a very popular strength sport in recent years. What wisdom could you share with someone who wants to take the next step from the gym to a competition?
Keep in mind that it’s been a long time since I’ve trained for weightlifting, but I remember the main focus was working on the squat. We trained four days a week, and it wasn’t much like what a bodybuilder would do. We really work on the squat and train props for it. In fact, we didn’t do much for the deadlift. We did a little bit of bench work, but the main focus was working on technique so we didn’t get a lift rejected. On heavy days, we would do sets of 6, 4, 2, and 1 rep on the main lifts.
Aside from the eight wins at Mr. Olympia, some of your lifts in the gym have become legendary in their own right, such as the 800 pound squat and dead weight. Do you feel there is a direct connection between being stronger and being a better bodybuilder?
Oh yes, sure. Stronger bodybuilders have more thickness in their muscles. That thickness is one of the greatest illusions you can present on stage. Competitors that are thicker will appear much larger than they really are. A lot of guys don’t have that now. From time to time I focused on getting stronger, and obviously it paid off. No matter what the lift was, I trained it very hard.
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The story of how Metroflex Gym owner Brian Dobson convinced him to compete in bodybuilding for a free gym membership. it is well knownbut how did you feel after that first contest ended?
My first show was Mr. Texas, and I won first place in my class, and I also won overall. I was very excited after I won the contest. However, he wasn’t ready to make it a career at the time. I was still doing it for the free gym membership (laughs).
What advice would you give to someone thinking of competing in their first bodybuilding show?
I tell people all the time that the reason I was so successful in bodybuilding was because I was surrounded by great trainers and nutritionists. When I started, Brian showed me a lot since he didn’t know anything about the sport. Flex Wheeler later introduced me to Chad Nicholls and taught me everything I needed to know about racing as a pro. Seriously, I didn’t know much until I started working with him. I think it’s about knowledge and being willing to learn for the most part. The more knowledge you have, the better off you will be.
How should a beginner find the right people to learn from?
In fact, I learned quite a bit from other bodybuilders. I saw that Flex was winning all these shows. So, I thought to myself, “I need to talk to him because I don’t know what’s going on.” I went to Flex and asked him a lot of questions, and he was very helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if he wants to know something. I am very good at it. I figured that out in college, and I still ask questions if I know someone can answer them for me.
Even though his degree was in accounting, he became a police officer and worked that job full-time, including during part of his reign as Mr. Olympia. Many fitness enthusiasts try to balance a career and training, but may think they have to make a living as a bodybuilder out of a job to be successful. How were you able to juggle the commitment of your police career while working to stay at the top of the sport?
The only secret he had was that he enjoyed going to work every day. I had a lot of fun, and it was the same with training. To be honest, I was doing two things that I loved to do all the time. For me, none of them were really something that I called work. They were hobbies.
I worked the same shift all the time, from 3 to 11. That helped me plan my meals, plan my training, and stay consistent. That may be the best advice I can offer: Try to create a way where you can be as consistent with the job and training as possible. I was able to plan my day, and then it was just a matter of getting through the day.
In 2002, he came second in a contest behind Gunter Schlierkamp, who at the time was considered one of the biggest upsets in bodybuilding history. You then returned to the 2003 Olympia in what many people consider to be your best form yet, weighing in at 287 pounds at pre-judging. How did you mentally bounce back from that loss to redeem yourself in such a domineering way?
It was very easy for me to be honest with you. From the time after that contest to the Olympia, I thought to myself “oh, they want to go to war? Okay, I’ll take them to war. That was my motto every day I went to the gym. Man, I went to the gym every day with reckless abandon during that time. I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do because I was so motivated. I was never as focused on a contest as I was on that one. That can be the takeaway of that. Focus on what you want with everything you have in you. If you need to see images or quotes to motivate you, do what you have to do to be successful, but for me, I had all of that in mind, and that was the only place I needed it. I did it that year, and I won, Jay [Cutler] got the second place and Gunter the fifth. I proved my point.
Although his competitive career is over, he is still involved in the world of bodybuilding both as a contest promoter and through his line of supplements. Ronnie Coleman Exclusive Series. Do you still feel as connected to your fans and the sport through those avenues as when you were competing?
Not only those things, but I keep training as hard as ever, there are my documentary and my book, and I have my podcast that I also do. In fact, I feel like those things have helped me stay even more connected than when I was competing. I am as passionate about bodybuilding now as I was when I was Mr. Olympia, and now I can do more. Back then, I was training and competing. Now, I can do much more. Staying involved and giving to the sport is something I feel everyone should do if they get something out of it.
What supplements would you recommend for people just beginning their fitness journeys?
In my opinion, the basics are a multivitamin, amino acids (BCAAs), and whey protein isolate. Isolate has fewer calories and is easier to digest. There are others, of course, but those, in my opinion, are absolutely must-haves. Obviously, food is also very important, but I don’t put one on top of the other. You need to pay close attention to both.
Many people know that you have had numerous surgeries in the years after you retired. However, she was eventually able to receive stem cell treatments. Joe Rogan played a role in that process, correct?
Yes. Although I have had many surgeries and long recoveries, they have allowed me to continue doing the things I wanted to do. Joe helped me a lot after that podcast. I have had three of those treatments so far, and they have taken care of the level of pain I have been feeling.
I still have to deal with a lot of numbness in my feet and it will take a long time to regenerate those nerves. I’m looking at about two more years before I see an improvement with that.
Can you describe how the procedure works for those who don’t know about it?
In fact, it is very easy because it is just an intravenous injection. They don’t subdue you or anything like that. Nothing crazy at all. They have worked very well for me so far.
Have there been any side effects or negative experiences from the treatments?
No, nothing yet, and I don’t think there will be either (laughs). In fact, I was back to 285 pounds in no time, which was great. Now, I’ve tried to go down a little bit, so I’m around 275 or 277. I think this is a little bit more comfortable for me.
You still train and share some posts occasionally on social media. What’s a workout like for Ronnie Coleman today?
I still do everything like before except squats, bent over rows and deadlifts. I can’t do that anymore. I can even still do the leg press. I now use a hand bike for cardio, but other than that it’s still the same workouts I used to do. I only do 20 reps instead of 10-12 like when I was Mr. Olympia.
You still use free weights and train hard even now that you are 50 years old. Many people feel that they should not train with any serious effort or that they should use machines only when they are older. What is your opinion about people who are over 40 or even 50 years old training?
I don’t agree with that at all. Free weights can still be very beneficial for people, regardless of their age. I don’t think they should be very heavy because they can put unnecessary pressure on your joints, but training as hard as you can shouldn’t be restricted by your age. Free weights, machines, whatever you can do, do it.
His story in a nutshell is one of success and overcoming adversity. Many of your fans who will read this have ambitions to create a similar story for themselves. Any parting advice for people who dream of reaching heights similar to yours?
I have five rules of success that I believe if you follow them, you will be successful in whatever you want to become. Be dedicated. Be motivated. Always be willing to persevere. Have a passion for whatever you want to do. The most important is to have faith. If you do those five things, you will always be successful because you will put your best effort into it. I personally believe that God will help you with anything if you believe in Him and believe in yourself. If you have the five principles, you will achieve what you want to do.
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