Ronnie Coleman’s massive legs weren’t built in a day, they were crafted through a brutal regimen, and he recently shared the mentality that fueled his grueling leg workouts.

A dominant force during his prime, Coleman, an 8x Mr. Olympia, was known for his unmatched size, strength, and sculpture-like muscle structure. While his massive physique was unmatched, his brutal leg workouts truly set him apart from the competition.

The bodybuilding legend shared a throwback video on his Instagram page on March 16, which gave fans a glimpse into the punishing leg workouts from his Mr. Olympia days. The caption to his video detailed his thought process behind the workout, mentioning, "Leg Day mantra: Lift as heavy as possible for as many reps as possible…Yeah, Buddy!!!"

During his peak years, Coleman had a simple yet grueling workout regimen. His philosophy was to go as heavy as possible, without compromising your form.

His leg workouts consisted of movements such as squats and leg presses, which he executed with astonishing weights that were anything but “lightweight,” as he called them. 

Here is a breakdown of his full leg-workout regimen:

• Front or rear squats (5 sets of 10 reps)
• Leg presses (4 sets of 12-10 reps)
• Walking lunges (2 sets of 100 yards)
• Leg extensions (3 sets of 20 reps)
• Standing one-leg curl (4 sets of 15-10 reps)
• Lying leg curls (4 sets of 15-8 reps)

Ronnie Coleman was a beast in his prime 

Coleman's aforementioned Instagram video is just a trailer of the massive strength that 'The King' held. He uploaded another video of himself on March 18, performing a Barbell Front Squat. What was impressive was that the barbell was loaded with five plates, possibly 45 lbs each, and it took three men to load it onto the rack, but Coleman lifted it without breaking a sweat.  

There are other videos of him squatting 765 lbs for 4 reps and 800 lbs for 2 reps, and deadlifting 800 lbs. He would keep his reps moderate but never compromise on weights. He was capable of bench pressing 200 lbs for 12 reps and leg-pressing a ton for 10 reps. The 61-year-old also performed a T-bar-row of 645 lbs once. 

Even after retiring from professional bodybuilding, Coleman continues to inspire aspiring bodybuilders all over. While modern training methods are evolving, the core principles that he preached, intensity, discipline, and unwavering commitment, remain the same.

So, how do you draw inspiration from 'The King'? But beware, trying to replicate his workouts may lead to serious physical issues.

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Souvik Roy