I stumbled upon Ronnie Coleman’s training stats a while back, and man, it blew my mind. Eight Mr. Olympia wins? Squatting 800 pounds? Felt like reading superhero stuff. So last weekend, I challenged myself to test how close I could get to just one of Ronnie’s legendary workouts. Spoiler: it kicked my butt.
Starting Crazy Early
Ronnie trained twice daily, so I set my alarm for 5 AM – stupid early for a Saturday. Grabbed my shaker bottle and headed to the garage gym while everyone slept. Frost covered the equipment. I blasted his old interview videos on my phone while warming up. “Light weight, baby!” Yeah right, I thought, eyeing my rusty barbell.
Leg Day From Hell
Started with squats because Ronnie once did 800 pounds like it was nothing. Loaded two plates per side – half what I usually lift – aiming for his insane 10-rep sets. By rep five, my quads were screaming fire. Barely pushed through seven before bailing. Next was deadlifts: tried stiff-legged versions like he recommended. Couldn’t even lift the bar past my knees without wobbling.
- Failed moment: Tried leg pressing 400 pounds – got pinned like a bug. Had to yell for my neighbor to rescue me.
- Reality check: Found out Ronnie used to do two-hour leg sessions before breakfast. I quit after 45 minutes feeling nauseous.
Cheap Protein Disaster
Post-workout, I attempted his famous protein binge. Chugged four scoops mixed with water. Stomach cramped instantly – spent twenty minutes hugging the toilet. Ronnie apparently housed eight chicken breasts per meal! Guess my discount whey couldn’t hang.
Zero Gains, All Lessons
Woke up Sunday unable to walk. Hobbled downstairs using furniture for support. Checked Ronnie’s stats again: eight Olympias, 800-lift records, training through twelve surgeries. Realized I’d need ten lifetimes to scratch that dedication.
Final takeaways? Dude was genetically freakish plus worked like a diesel engine. My garage gym experiment barely touched his warm-up numbers. But damn, now I understand why fitness nerds worship him. Still nursing my ego – and quads – today.
