In the late 90’s, 8-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman impressed the masses with his massive muscles and grainy conditioning. But 4 years before winning his first bodybuilding competition, he had made his name in the powerlifting circles as well. Turns out not just fans but the Bodybuilder himself is missing his Powerlifting days.

On June 22, Coleman shared a glimpse into his early powerlifting days by posting an old clip from a competition he competed in.

“One of my first powerlifting competitions back in 1994!! Can you guess the weight of my heaviest deadlift on this day?!” said the caption.

From the date Coleman mentioned in the video, it was identified that he was referring to January 29, 1994.

'The King' participated in a United States powerlifting competition where he earned 1st place, and during the event, Coleman demonstrated his strength by deadlifting an impressive 727.5 lbs.

Coleman also set records by deadlifting and squatting with 800 lbs of weight, and this ability to train with such intense weight came from his interest in powerlifting.

It is important to note that Coleman participated in the Texas Deadlift Classic between 1991 and 1994. After that, he focused more on bodybuilding, and his first Mr. Olympia title came in 1998. From that point on, there was no looking back. From 1998 to 2005, Coleman earned all the Mr. Olympia titles.

So, what was the intense workout approach that helped him demonstrate that much strength on stage?

Ronnie Coleman’s workout approach behind his intense strength

Weightlifting has definitely helped Coleman stand strong on the bodybuilding stage. Apart from that, from an early age he chose a different workout approach that shocked many.

“He was known for doing more reps in a set, often 12 to 16, with extremely heavy weights,” according to Bill Dobbins of Muscle and Fitness.

Revealing his strategy, Coleman said, “I started out using high reps with lighter weights and then worked up to heavier poundages.”

According to Generation Iron, he used to train specific body parts on specific days, which looked like:

• Monday: shoulder, back, and biceps
• Tuesday: legs
• Wednesday: chest and triceps
• Thursday: shoulder, back, and biceps
• Friday: legs
• Saturday: chest, triceps, and calves
• Sunday: rest.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi