There is no need to tell in detail who Ronnie Coleman is. But if anyone is not yet familiar with this guy... Ronnie is the absolute winner of Mr. Olympia for 8 years: from 1998 to 2005. As a professional athlete, he is the owner of 26 victories as a bodybuilder of the International Federation of Bodybuilding, and 2006 brought him the Grand Prix at competitions in Austria, Holland and Romania. Impressive list, isn't it?
Ronnie himself prefers to use the pyramid principle when conducting his training. This way it prevents muscle injury. As for advanced training, he prefers to perform exercises without negatives. In his opinion, this is absolutely useless.
Ronnie takes his training very seriously. According to him, to achieve maximum benefit from muscle work, exercises should be performed with full amplitude: each muscle fiber should stretch as much as possible and then contract completely. Therefore, each muscle during training should be worked out as well as possible. Moreover, the prerogative lies with the technique of execution, and not with heavy weights.
Therefore, he never works to failure. He considers the main thing to be working the muscle, not killing it. Therefore, in his training, Ronnie does not use either forced repetitions or negatives, as noted above. In addition to the above training principles, Ronnie uses supersets and drop sets, in which the apparatus is “undressed” up to three times.
Below is Ronnie Coleman's training program, which is designed for 6 days. Yes, it’s hard, but the result is worth it. Go!
Saturday: train chest, triceps and calves
- dumbbell bench press with positive incline: 4×12;
- dumbbell bench press on a horizontal bench: 3×12;
- lying dumbbell fly with a positive inclination: 3×12;
- dumbbell flyes lying on a horizontal bench: 3×12;
- pullover lying on a bench: 4×12;
- chest press in the simulator: 4×12;
- seated overhead dumbbell press: 4×12;
- donkey calf raises: 4×12;
- leg extension while sitting in a machine: 4×12;
- rise to the step platform: 3×max.
Anthropometric data
Genetically gifted for bodybuilding, Ronnie Coleman, a pronounced mesomorph (body type), had the following dimensions and indicators:
- Height: 180 cm.
- Weight: off-season 149 kg, competition - 138 kg.
- Biceps : in the off-season (on weight) - 62 cm , competitive (on drying) - 60 cm.
- Strength indicators (in the off-season): deadlift - 365 kg, bench press - 250 kg.
- Training experience: since 1987
- Genetically strong (gifted) muscle groups: chest, back, biceps.
- Trainer: at the beginning of his career - Brian Dobson , later - he trained himself.
- Best achievements: 1998-2006 - Mr. Olympia
Ronnie Coleman's pre-competition form in the gym
Biography
Ronnie was born on May 13, 1964 in the city of Monroe, Louisiana, USA. Like most guys, he began to get involved in sports in early childhood, playing football, basketball and baseball, the most common games of American youth. He has excellent genes, so the young man had a strong physique. In short, he had excellent athletic ability even without serious training. At the same time, the young man often visited the gym, which was located near his home, as he liked to be a strong, muscular guy. Due to entering college, Ronnie stopped going to the gym, so he stopped pumping up his muscles. During this period, he was interested in American football and was on a team coached by Eddie Robinson, who was considered a fairly famous and successful coach at that time. As part of his team, he even took part in the Super Bowl, which took place in New Orleans.
When Ronnie graduated from university and received a diploma in accounting, he began looking for a job in this specialty. He managed to get a job as a manager at Dominos Pizza, but after a while he realized that “accounting” was not his profile. His brain simply began to melt from numbers and accounting, so he decided to go to work for the police, as he constantly wanted to be useful to people and society. To become a patrolman, he studied for some time at the police academy. Upon graduation, he received his desired position as a police patrolman in Arlington. After that, he calmed down, believing that he had found himself in this life, since he liked his new job. Realizing that a police officer must have strength and endurance, Ronnie Coleman again went to the gym to pump up his muscles and make up for lost time.
Often, the very appearance of a patrolman made it possible to pacify lawbreakers. In fact, being a policeman gave him great pleasure, therefore, with the answer to the questions: “Why don’t you quit your job and devote yourself completely to sports?”, Ronnie always had the same answer: “I’m doing a very important job - I help people!” This beloved profession always helped him not to get hung up on this sport. Thanks to this, he lasted in this sport for quite a long time, compared to other famous athletes.
In April 1990, during a routine workout, the owner of the gym approached him and invited him to participate in the Mr. Texas tournament. If he wins, the owner promised Ronnie to give him a subscription, completely free, for a whole year of classes in his gym. Ronnie was satisfied with such conditions of participation and he agreed. He managed to win and receive an annual subscription. This was his first and serious success, which determined his future fate.
Monday
Back exercises
- Deadlift – you need to perform 4 sets, each of which consists of 6-12 repetitions.
- Barbell rows with emphasis on the chest - 3 sets, including from 10 to 12 repetitions.
- T-bar row - 4 sets of 6-12 exercises.
- One-arm dumbbell rows – 3 sets, each of which includes 10-12 repetitions.
Biceps exercises
- Simultaneous curls of both arms with dumbbells – 4x12.
- Bending alternate arms with dumbbells – 3x12.
- Arm curls holding a barbell with a curved hyphae – 3x12.
- Standing cable curls – 4x12.
Shoulder exercises
- Military press – 4 sets, each of which consists of 12 exercises.
- Dumbbell press from a sitting position - 4 sets, each with 12 repetitions.
- Lifting dumbbells in front of you - 4 sets of 12 repetitions.
Ronnie Coleman training program
Ronnie Coleman
- eight-time winner of the bodybuilding title “Mr. Olympia".
The difference between Ronnie’s technique and others
- this is the alternate use of two different types of training: strength (powerlifting) and bodybuilding (pumping). He alternates these types every 3-6 weeks, and so on throughout his career.
What's more stimulating than achieving a new personal best in weight lifting? When I achieve improved results, I can't wait to get back to the gym.
Monday
Back
- Deadlift, 4 sets of 6-12 reps
- Barbell Chest Rows, 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- T-bar rows, 3 sets of 10 - 12 reps
- One-arm dumbbell rows 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Biceps
- Dumbbell curls, 4 sets of 12 reps
- Alternating dumbbell curls, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Curved barbell curls, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Standing cable curl, 4 sets of 12 reps
Shoulders
- Military press, 4 sets of 12 reps
- Seated dumbbell press, 4 sets - 12 reps
- Front dumbbell raises, 4 sets - 12 reps
Tuesday
Legs
- Squats, 5-6 sets of 8-12 reps
- Leg press, 4 sets of 12 reps
- Lunges, 2 sets of 50 steps
- Leg abduction in the simulator, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg extension, 3 sets of 12 reps
Wednesday
Breast
- Bench press, 5 sets of 12 reps
- Incline Bench Press, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Dumbbell bench press, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Flat swings, 4 sets of 12 reps
Triceps
- Cable arm extension, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Seated dumbbell press, 4 sets of 12 reps
- Close-grip bench press, 4 sets of 12 reps
Thursday
Biceps
- Bent-over dumbbell rows, 4 sets of 12 reps
- Concentrated dumbbell curls, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Lumbar curls, 4 sets of 12 reps
Shoulders
- Seated dumbbell press, 4 sets of 12 reps
- Double dumbbell lateral raise, 3 sets - 8 - 25 reps
- Crossover raises, 3 sets of 8 - 25 reps
Friday
Legs
- Leg raises in the simulator, 4 sets of 30 reps
- Sumo squat with dumbbell, 4 sets of 12 - 15 reps
- Hack squats, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Standing single leg curl, 3 sets of 12 - 15 reps
- Lying leg curls, 4 sets of 12 reps
Saturday
Breast
- Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets of 12 reps
- Flat Dumbbell Press, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Incline dumbbell lateral raises, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Dumbbell lateral raises on a flat bench, 3 sets of 12 reps
Triceps
- Pullovers, 4 sets of -12 reps
- Seated press, 4 sets - 12 reps
- Dumbbell overhead press with both hands, 4 sets of 12 reps
Calf muscles
- Donkey Calf Raise, 4 sets - 12 reps
- Seated calf extension in the machine, 4 sets - 12 reps
- Raises on a horizontal bench, 3 sets - to failure
Sunday - REST
Ronnie needs to eat 4111 kcal every day. In this case, the number of meals is divided into 8. You need to eat every two hours. Large amounts of food should be consumed in the first half of the day. Ronnie Coleman also uses sports supplements 5 times a day instead of the main meal. Let's present to your attention Ronnie's nutrition program: The first meal should include: oatmeal (500 g), fruit yogurt (670 g). The second meal consists of a milkshake, which is prepared from 70 grams of powdered milk, 2 cups of frozen strawberries, 50 grams of processed cheese and 1 wholemeal black bread toast. If you cannot tolerate milk, you can replace it with 670g vanilla yoghurt. The third meal includes: fried chicken breasts (70 g); steamed broccoli (2 cups), sweet potatoes (2 cups) Meal Four : Tuna salad (60 g); avocado (84 g), artichoke pasta (112 g), mayonnaise or lemon juice (2 tablespoons) The fifth meal should consist of a milkshake. Recipe: Mix dry low-fat milk (70 g), fresh and frozen blackberries (2 cups) in a blender and dilute with cold water to taste. Sixth meal: egg salad. It contains: hard-boiled egg - 2 pcs., egg white from 2 eggs, cabbage (1 cup), peeled apples (1 cup), mayonnaise (3 tbsp. spoons), grapefruit juice without sugar (330 g). Seventh meal: prepare a cocktail. Mix the ingredients in a blender: orange juice (225 g), low-fat frozen yogurt without sugar (885 g).
Ronnie Coleman "Training"
Ronnie Coleman training Part 6
Igor May 26, 2015
Body-building
Phil's first bodybuilding competition was the 2003 Northern Colorado Championships. The set goal, namely to become the winner of my category, was achieved. Many were surprised, because the athlete had never performed before. Fate brought together two future good friends - Phil Heath and Jay Cutler. Jay posed as a guest at this tournament, and after the tournament Phil became interested in him, thanks to which they met, became friends, and Jay soon became his mentor.
A year later, Phil became the owner of the title “Mr. Colorado”, and after another year he won the 2005 Junior Nationals tournament and the US Championship, becoming a professional. Having not lost a single competition, he received the nickname “The gift”, i.e. "Gift".
Two athletes trained in the same gym, who in the future became each other's main rivals, somewhere, perhaps, enemies, but at first very good friends - Phil Heath and Kai Greene. Both athletes always listened to Jay Cutler's advice, which helped them progress.
In 2008, Phil took part in his first Olympia. He took third place, his teacher was in second. Jay understood that his student was about to become his good opponent. However, already in 2011, Phil still beat his friend and teacher Jay Cutler, taking 1st place, thanks to his brilliant preparation. Kai Green took 3rd place.
First training cycle
Powerlifting occupies an important place in Ronnie’s life, because it was with him that he began his sports career. According to the athlete, without the power base of powerlifting it is impossible to achieve pronounced muscle growth. These exercises form the basis of the first training cycle:
- first day: deadlift 4x4, bench press 4x6;
- second day: squat with a barbell on the shoulders 6x6;
- third day: bench press 4x4, bent over row 4x4.
Please note that the bench press is repeated in two workouts. You need to perform it according to your feelings, since not every athlete is able to withstand such a load.
Overall, the plan can be used as three workouts. Coleman himself trained 6 times a week, using the maximum working weight for the first three days, and then working out with 50-70% of the maximum. So, if the deadlift and squat in workouts 4-6 can be performed with 70% of the working weight, it is better to do the bench press with 50%.
Another important nuance is the pyramid principle, which must always be adhered to. The first approach should be considered as a warm-up, performing with a small weight, then gradually increasing it so that by the 4th approach you can work with the working weight. This is true for any Ronnie Coleman training. This approach allows you to successfully withstand intense six-day training and protects against injury and overtraining.
Rest between sets is approximately 5 minutes. Here it all depends on the working weight - it is better for a beginner to rest for about 3 minutes, but for an experienced athlete who works with heavy weight, the duration of the break between approaches can be increased.
For Ronnie Coleman, perfect execution technique is important, not a race for maximum weights. Beginning bodybuilders should take this into account, because in such training it is important to feel your muscles.
Principles of nutrition
Ronnie Coleman's weight at his peak was about 140 kg; the athlete achieved such success thanks to his diet and extensive training. However, Mr. Olympia never followed a specific diet. The athlete’s entire diet is based on the following products:
- chicken and turkey;
- rice;
- oatmeal;
- green vegetables and potatoes.
The bodybuilder supplements the diet with protein, and also takes vitamin-mineral complexes and amino acids for athletes. The calorie content of the daily diet is about 6000 kcal, divided into 5-6 meals.
Anyone can train like Ronald Dean Coleman, the main thing is determination and understanding of the needs of your own body. With the correct periodization of loads, progress will not take long.
Performance history (achievements)
| Tournament | Category | the date of the | Country and city | Place |
| Mr Olympia 2007 | Bodybuilding absolute | 2007 | Las Vegas, USA |
Sunday is rest.
Ronnie eats 4111 kcal daily, dividing meals into 7 times, i.e. It turns out that they follow in 2 hours.
In the first half of the day, a larger volume of food is consumed.
In addition, the athlete consumes sports supplements that replace meals 5 times a day.
