After facing the brutalities of Sepsis earlier this year, Ronnie Coleman is looking to make a return to the gym. But before that, he has an announcement to make about lifting heavy.

The 8x Mr Olympia shared a snapshot of himself on Instagram, from his glory days, with a caption that read, “Never Skip Leg Day!! You’ve got to lift as heavy as possible for as many reps as possible.”

Lift as heavy as possible. This was the mantra Ronnie Coleman lived by. By relentlessly training heavy and targeting all major muscle groups, he built the mass, density, and balance that allowed him to stand out at the pinnacle of the golden age of bodybuilding.

Looking back at his career clearly shows why he places so much importance on heavy lifting. For those unaware, he holds some of the heaviest lift records in bodybuilding.

He logged 540-lb T-bar rows for reps, squatted and deadlifted 800 lb, leg-pressed 2,300 lb, and pressed 200-lb dumbbells, just a peek at his greatness. And looking at these, no wonder he shrugged Jay Cutler, Flex Wheeler, Kevin Levrone, and others in his prime.

However, one must understand that while heavy lifting is beneficial for the body, it also comes with drawbacks. Drawbacks that Ronnie Coleman faced in the later stages of his retirement.

Injuries haunt Ronnie Coleman after retirement

One of the greatest to do it, Ronnie Coleman retired from bodybuilding back in 2007 after committing decades to heavy lifting, but it came at a severe cost as well. Years of squatting an 800 pounds deadlift led to multiple herniated discs and advanced spinal degeneration.

Even when he was competing, he had these problems, but he never stopped training. “When you do something that you truly love and enjoy doing, that’s what you look forward to doing all the time, regardless of how you feel,” Coleman explained on how he was able to work through the pain.

“As long as I’m doing what I love doing, I’m OK. If you take that away, I probably wouldn’t be OK.”

Post-retirement, the consequences became unavoidable. ‘The King’ had to undergo 15+ major surgeries, including multiple spinal fusions and repeated hip replacements. If we were to talk about 2025, his spine now contains rods, which limit his stability.

The situation was so tough for him that he had to take the help of crutches. “The last three surgeries have been really bad and caused a lot of damage to my body, so I don't know if I'll be able to walk. But I'm gonna give it my best shot.”

Heavy lifting is beneficial, but it is better to know your limits and design your routine around them. Given that, what are your thoughts on Coleman?

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das