Understanding the Ronnie Coleman workout

Ronnie Coleman, also known as “Big Ron” in the bodybuilding circuit, is an American professional bodybuilder best known for holding 8 straight wins as Mr. Olympia, a career record total he shares with another bodybuilder, Lee Haney. His record as Mr. Olympia is enough to inspire men all over the world to give a Ronnie Coleman workout a try so they too can learn how to get muscles like the Big Ron. However, being Mr. Olympia eight times in a row is not just what Big Ron is all about. His Ronnie Coleman workout also helped him create the record for the most wins at 26 times as an IFBB professional. The previous record was at 22 wins by Vince Taylor. Big Ron broke this record in November 2004 in Moscow.

History of the Ronnie Coleman workout

The Ronnie Coleman workouts started out when Big Ron was a police officer in Arlington, Texas. He had the time to follow a proper exercise routine and he did. A gym called Metroflex was the first place that a Ronnie Coleman workout was developed, helping Big Ron win his first ever title in the Mr. Texas bodybuilding competition. However, his first win after using a Ronnie Coleman workout as a professional was in 1995 in the Canada Pro Cup. And since, with Ronnie Coleman workout variations put into place depending on the event, Big Ron has moved on to win more than 30 titles in his career. That’s pretty impressive so you can’t blame a man for wanting to toughen up like the Big Ron and see what a Ronnie Coleman workout is all about.

Most of the bodybuilding workouts youll encounter focus on building strength. However, while a Ronnie Coleman workout will indeed make you one of the strongest men around, it also does not forget how important it is to look good while you’re building your body. As such, a Ronnie Coleman workout also touches on size and definition to make you stack on muscle fast while building your strength.

Big Ron more or less tailors a Ronnie Coleman workout depending on the kind of event he is preparing for. However, a typical Ronnie Coleman workout lasts for a week, with one day for rest. Rest is important in bodybuilding because muscles also need to recover from the wear and tear they are subjected to in a work out training. And if youre doing a Ronnie Coleman workout, wear and tear will be inevitable because there’s no such thing as easy if you want to be the strongest man in the world.

The Ronnie Coleman workout routine

While the Ronnie Coleman workout changes over time to adapt to his abilities, and so should yours, this is a sample of the Ronnie Coleman workout routine:

• Mondays include 805lb deadlifts, 585lb barbell and T-bar rows, 200lb dumbbell curls and barbell curls, 150lb preacher curls, 345lb military presses, 160lb seated dumbbell presses, and 60lb front dumbbell presses. All exercises can be done for three to four sets, with up to 12 reps each.

• Tuesday’s Ronnie Coleman workout involves 800lb squats, 2500lb leg presses, 315lb stiff leg deadlifts and parking lot lunges, and 200lb seated leg curls. Squats are done for five to six sets, leg presses for four sets, parking lot lunges for two sets, and stiff leg deadlifts and seated leg curs for three sets. Each set of exercise must be done with up to 12 reps.

• Wednesdays has Big Ron doing 500lb bench presses, 405lb inclined barbell presses, flat dumbbell presses, 130lb flat flyers, 215lb seated camber bar extensions, seated dumbbell extensions, and 350lb close-grip bench presses. Exercises are done for three to four sets, with each set involving 12 reps.

• For Thursdays, Big Ron sets out to do 585lb barbell rows, 400lb pulley rows, 350lb machine pulldowns, 350lb front pulldowns, 90lb dumbbell curls (incline alternate), 200lb machine curls, 200lb standing cable curls, 170lb seated dumbbell presses, 170lb front dumbbell presses, and 250lb machine raises. Up to 12 reps are to be done for each exercise, except for machine raises that require eight to 25 reps. All exercises need at least three to four sets.

• Friday’s Ronnie Coleman workout mainly involves the lower parts of the body. Big Ron is seen doing 300lb leg extensions, 585lb front squats, 90lb hack squats, 125lb standing leg curls, and 200lb lying leg curls. Leg extensions call for 30 reps while the front squats, hack squats, and standing leg curls need at least 12 reps.

• For Saturday, Big Ron’s workout is back to focusing on presses, calling for 200lb incline dumbbell presses, 500lb decline barbell presses, 130lb incline dumbbell fly, 170lb decline dumbbell press, 215lb lying camber bar extensions, 360lb machine dips, 215lb seated camber bar extensions, 450lb donkey raises, and 270lb seated raises. All exercises are to be done for 12 reps for three to four sets, except the decline dumbbell presses that are to be done for two sets only.

• Sunday is for rest.