Over the decades, Ronnie Coleman has survived several surgeries to correct what went wrong with his body. Yet, one could never see the champion’s pain since his passion for bodybuilding shone brighter. The eight-time Mr. Olympia winner was more than a regular mass-monster athlete wanting to make it big, and that’s because of his incredible power.
Known for his superhuman strength, Coleman’s feats have often caused quite a stir in the bodybuilding world. Since he resorted to powerlifting as a form of training, his routine would consist of working with heavy weights. Once, he even stunned the fitness world with his heavy squats.
Recalling the good old days with a throwback, Coleman posted an old video of the heavyweight squats he did for training. One such session contained a shocking 800-pound weight stack that the bodybuilder intended on squatting. Quoting his motivating words from the video, he believed that everything began from somewhere.
“There’s a First Time for EVERYTHING!! 800lb squat.”
Not only did Coleman manage to squat with those heavyweights, but he also performed two reps with them. The environment in the gym was high in adrenaline because of his huge undertaking. Amidst lots of cheers and screams of joy, the feat was possible because of his pure strength.
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But this wasn’t his only extraordinary achievement in terms of power. He once pressed 495 pounds for five reps, according to a training video from 2003. He also once leg-pressed more than 2000 lbs and deadlifted about 800 lbs. All of this, combined with his regular training, gave him an edge over his competitors.
Eventually, the strength training contributed to Coleman’s massive size and conditioning. He never stopped training heavily, even when he began experiencing injuries and debilitating pain. However, all good things come to an end, and in 2006, arch-rival Jay Cutler overthrew his reign over Mr. Olympia.
The saga, sadly, didn’t end there. The injuries and tears that Coleman had sustained over the years finally caught up to him. Even when he tried competing for another year, he brutally lost and was forced to accept his retirement. Since then, his life has been permanently altered.
What happened to Ronnie Coleman?
Back in the day, before he trained to become a police officer and bodybuilder, Coleman was a successful college football athlete. However, in one of the interviews, he confessed that the sport caused one of his biggest back injuries that he now regrets not checking earlier.
Turns out, he had herniated discs that just got worse over time. In the end, he had to undergo 13 surgeries, botched procedures, and operations on all of his spinal discs, hips, and neck. Currently moving with some external support from wheelchairs or crutches, Coleman’s recovery has finally taken a positive turn as he resorted to stem cell therapy and specialized physiotherapy.
