Very few men in strength sports can say that they’ve one-upped Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ronnie Coleman is one of them–and his accomplishments have made him a bodybuilding icon and earned a royal moniker: The King.
Coleman won a record-tying eight Mr. Olympia titles, one more than Schwarzenegger’s seven. In the eyes of many bodybuilding fans, Coleman is the G.O.A.T. of his sport.
His life post-retirement has had its fair share of ups and downs. He has undergone over a dozen surgeries on his back and neck, which have taken their toll on the 57-year-old legend. Thankfully, stem cell treatments have helped him move forward with his recovery. He is also very active with his supplement line, podcast, and work as a contest promoter. Even 14 years after his last contest, he’s as involved with the sport as he has ever been.
“I think it’s all about knowledge and being willing to learn for the most part,” Coleman says about his success. He took some time to talk with Men’s Health about his early years in powerlifting, his bodybuilding journey that is second to none, and offers advice for those that want to blaze their own trails to glory.
When did you discover weight training?
When I joined the powerlifting team in high school. That was in the early 80s. I graduated in 1982. We did pretty good because we had quite a few strong guys on the team. I didn’t lift at all in college when I played football at Grambling State. I didn’t get back into powerlifting until after that.
What were your best numbers in competition?
I got 500 (pounds) in the deadlift, and I got that in the squat as well. My bench wasn’t as good back then. I don’t remember what my best number was for that lift, but I remember I wanted it to be better.
Powerlifting has become a very popular strength sport in recent years. What wisdom could you share for someone who wants to take that next step from the gym to a meet?
Keep in mind that it was a long time since I trained for powerlifting, but I remember the main focus was working on the squat. We trained four days a week, and it wasn’t a lot like a bodybuilder would do. We really worked on the squat and trained accessories for that. We actually didn’t do too much for the deadlift. We would do some bench work, but the main focus was working on the technique so we wouldn’t get a lift turned down. On the heavy days, we would do sets of 6, 4, 2, and 1 rep on the main lifts.
Aside from the eight Mr. Olympia victories, some of your lifts in the gym have become legendary in their own right, such as the 800 pound squat and deadlifts. Do you feel there is a direct connection between being stronger and being a better bodybuilder?
Oh yeah, for sure. Stronger bodybuilders have more thickness to their muscles. That thickness is one of the greatest illusions you can present onstage. Competitors that have more thickness will appear to be much larger than they really are. A lot of guys don’t have that now. I would occasionally focus on getting stronger, and it obviously paid off for me. It didn’t matter what the lift was, I trained it very heavily.
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The story about how Metroflex Gym owner Brian Dobson convinced you to compete in bodybuilding for a free gym membership is well known, but how did you feel after that first contest was over?
My first show was Mr. Texas, and I won first place in my class, and I won the overall as well. I was pretty excited after I won the contest. I wasn’t ready to make it a career at that point, though. I was still just doing it for the free gym membership (laughs).
What advice would you share to someone that may be thinking of competing in his or her own first bodybuilding show?
I tell people all the time that the reason I was so successful at bodybuilding was because I was surrounded by great trainers and nutritionists. When I started, Brian showed me a lot since I didn’t know anything about the sport. Later on, Flex Wheeler introduced me to Chad Nicholls, and he taught me everything I needed to know about competing as a pro. Seriously, I didn’t know that much until I started working with him. I think it’s all about knowledge and being willing to learn for the most part. The more knowledge you have, the better off you’ll be.
How should a beginner go about finding the right people to learn from?
I actually learned quite a bit from fellow bodybuilders. I saw Flex was winning all of these shows. So, I thought to myself “I need to have a talk with him because I don’t know what’s going on.” I went to Flex and asked him a bunch of questions, and he helped me out a whole lot. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you want to know something. I’m really good at that. I figured that out in college, and I still ask questions if I know someone can answer them for me.
Courtesy of Ronnie Coleman
In spite of your degree being in accounting, you became a police officer and worked that job full-time, even during part of your reign as Mr. Olympia. Many fitness enthusiasts try to balance a career and training—but they might think they have to make their living as a bodybuilder without a job in order to succeed. How were you able to juggle the commitment to your law enforcement career while working to stay atop the sport?
The only secret I had was that I enjoyed going to work every single day. I had so much fun, and it was the same thing with training. To be honest, I was pretty much doing two things that I loved to do all the time. To me, neither of them really was something I called work. They were hobbies.
I worked the same shift all the time, 3 to 11. That helped me plan my meals, plan my training, and kept me consistent. That may be the best advice I can offer – try to create a way that you can be as consistent as possible with both work and training. I was able to plan my day out, and then it was just a matter of going through the day.
In 2002, you actually placed second in a contest to Gunter Schlierkamp, which was considered at the time one of the biggest upsets in bodybuilding history. You then came back at the 2003 Olympia in what many people consider your best form ever, weighing 287 pounds at prejudging. How did you mentally bounce back from that defeat to redeem yourself in such a dominant manner?
It was really easy for me to be honest with you. From the time after that contest until 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 single day I went into the gym. Man, I went into the gym every single day with reckless abandon during that time. I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do because I was so motivated. I never was as locked in to a contest like I was at that one. That may be the takeaway from that. Focus on what you want with everything you have in you. If you need to see pictures or quotes to motivate you, do what you have to so you can succeed, but for me, I had all of that in my mind, and that was the only place I needed it. I did that year, and I won, Jay [Cutler] got second, and Gunter got fifth. I proved my point.
Even though your competitive career is over, you’re still involved in the bodybuilding world both as a contest promoter and through your supplement line, Ronnie Coleman Signature Series. Do you still feel as connected to your fans and the sport through those avenues as you did when you competed?
Not just those things, but I’m still training as hard as ever, there’s my documentary and my book, and I have my podcast that I do as well. I actually feel those things have helped me stay even more connected than when I competed. I’m just as passionate now about bodybuilding as I was back when I was Mr. Olympia, and I can do more now. Back then, I was training and competing. Now, I can do a whole lot more. Staying involved and giving to the sport is something I feel everybody should do if they get something from it.
What supplements would you recommend for people that are just starting out on their fitness journeys?
The basics in my opinion are a multivitamin, amino acids (BCAA), and whey protein isolate. The isolate is lower calorie, and it’s easier to digest. There are others, of course, but those in my opinion are the absolute must haves. Food is obviously very important too, but I don’t put one over the other. You need to pay serious attention to both.
Many people are aware that you’ve had numerous surgeries over the years after you retired. However, you were eventually able to receive stem cell treatments. Joe Rogan played a role in that process, correct?
Yeah. Even though I’ve had a lot of surgeries and had long recoveries, they have allowed me to continue doing the things that I wanted to do. Joe helped me tremendously after that podcast. I’ve had three of those treatments so far, and they have taken care of the pain level that I’ve 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 around two more years before I see improvement with that.
Can you describe how the procedure works for those that may not know about them?
It’s actually really easy because it’s just an IV injection. They don’t put you under or anything like that. Nothing crazy at all. They have worked really good 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’s going to be, either (laughs). Matter of fact, I was back up to 285 pounds at one point, which was great. Now, I’ve tried to drop a little, so I’m around 275 or 277. I think this is a little more comfortable for me.
You still train and share some posts occasionally on social media. What does a workout look like for Ronnie Coleman today?
I still do everything the way I used to, except squats, bent-over rows, and deadlifts. I can’t do those anymore. I can even still do the leg press. I use a hand bike for cardio now, but other than that, it’s still the same workouts I used to do. I just go for 20 reps instead of 10 to 12 like I did when I was Mr. Olympia.
You still use free weights and train hard even now in your 50s. Many people feel that they shouldn’t train with any serious effort or they should use machines only once they’re older. What is your opinion on people that are over 40 or even 50 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 go super heavy because it can put unnecessary stress on your joints, but training with everything you can shouldn’t be restricted by your age. Free weights, machines, whatever you can do, do it.
Your story in a nutshell is one of success and overcoming adversity. A lot of your fans who will read this have ambitions of creating a similar story for themselves. Any parting advice for the folks who are dreaming of reaching heights similar to those that you have?
I have five rules of success that I feel if you follow them, you’re going to be successful at whatever you want to become. Be dedicated. Be motivated. Always be willing to persevere. Have a passion for whatever it is you want to do. The most important one is to have faith. If you do those five things, you’ll always succeed because you’re going to put your best effort towards it. I personally believe that God will help you with anything if you believe in Him and you believe in yourself. If you got all five of those principles, you’re going to achieve whatever you want to do.
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