Before winning multiple bodybuilding championships, Ronnie Coleman served as a police officer in Arlington, Texas, from 1989 to 2001. This role provided a steady source of income and security, even as he went on to secure his Mr. Olympia titles from 1998 onward.

Earlier this week, the 8-time Mr. Olympia shared a glimpse of what an average day in his life looked like during that time. In an Instagram reel, he included clips of his workouts, and in the caption, wrote:

"What an average day looked like for me while competing and working a full-time job... Yeah Buddy!!"

Besides eating and hydrating, the video showed Coleman walking on the treadmill, doing front squats with a barbell, hack squats, bent-over barbell rows, T-Bar rows, and deadlifts.

Ronnie Coleman managed both professions passionately for a considerable amount of time. Nevertheless, after 2000, the Louisiana-born bodybuilder decided to invest completely in bodybuilding, even though it was "never a lifelong dream to be a bodybuilder."

In an interview with Muscle and Fitness, the retired bodybuilder said, "Bodybuilding was a hobby — being a cop was what I did."

That dedication was evident in his work ethic. According to Police 1, even after becoming a famous bodybuilder and winning his first Mr. Olympia in 1998, Coleman remained loyal and committed to public service, working evening shifts and weekends while training at the highest level.

What began as a passion to help Coleman be fit for his role as a police officer turned into a full-fledged bodybuilding career. However, leaving the force didn't come easily to him.

Why Ronnie Coleman left the police department

In 2020, Ronnie Coleman revealed the reason for leaving the police department. Four Olympias into his bodybuilding career, there came a new chief at his police department.

Unlike the previous chief, who allowed Coleman to have as much time off as he needed, the new chief didn't, as he wanted to play by the rules of the department.

"So I had to go by the rules, and I had to show up for work all the time," Coleman told Generation Iron Fitness Network. "I'm like, 'Man, I can't be working all the time and getting ready for the Olympia too.' So I ended up having to quit about my fifth or sixth Olympia."

Working both those jobs used to give him immense pleasure, as he reiterated in interviews over the years.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Yask Kotak