In the golden age of bodybuilding, one man ruled it all: Ronnie Coleman, eight-time Mr. Olympia, 26-time IFBB winner, and the undisputed King. And the muscle that defined his dynasty? His back. The 8-time Mr. Olympia recently took to his Instagram handle to remind fans why.

Sharing a throwback photo from his prime days, he captioned, “I’ve always said, 'Shows are won from the back. ' I knew when I turned around, it was a wrap! Ain’t nobody bringing that thickness, that width, that detail, as I did!”

‘The King’ lived by a simple principle: keep training brutally without giving any importance to distractions. Make every second count! That was the mantra, “Back in the day, training was simple: when it was back day, it was back and biceps—nothing fancy, nothing extra.”

“My back routine was straightforward but brutal. I’d start with deadlifts, the foundation of any real back workout. From there, I hit the T-bar row, then moved into heavy bent-over rows. Sometimes I’d finish with a machine movement, but honestly, the basics were enough.”

With such a monstrous back, many might wonder what his routine looked like. Here’s a direct look at the training that built it.

Ronnie Coleman’s back workout in his prime

Ronnie Coleman split his back training into two distinct sessions: one focused entirely on thickness and the other on width, hitting his back twice a day, with each session dedicated to its own purpose.

THICKNESS WORKOUT

Deadlifts: 4 sets, 6–12 reps
Barbell Rows: 3 sets, 10–12 reps
T-Bar Rows: 3 sets, 10–12 reps
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 sets, 10–12 reps

WIDTH WORKOUT

Barbell Rows: 5 sets, 10–12 reps
Seated Cable Row: 4 sets, 10–12 reps
Lever Machine Pulldown: 3 sets, 10–12 reps
Front Pulldown (Underhand): 3 sets, 10–12 reps

Well, now that you know how 'The King' used to train, when are you incorporating it in your own training regimen?

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das