by Christian Duque
It’s so good to see the G.O.A.T. training but in a different kind of way that in years past. For the longest time we would see DVDs of Ronnie lifting monstrous amounts of weight in the sweltering heat of Metroflex Gym in Arlington, Texas. But nowadays years after his retirement and after 13 surgeries to address his back, hips, and neck in order to make a full recovery, he has not quit in him. To see the legend, himself, talking to another legend, in Jay Cutler, about his intention to walk again, is quite frankly one of the most powerful interview clips I’ve ever seen of the champ. He is a born leader. He is a man all about hard work. He’s a man that not only has tasted adversity but knows it on a first name basis.
Coleman represented the prime example of an underdog. Even the year that he won the Olympia back in 1998, he was said to have been happy to have cracked the Top 6. Coleman wanted to be recognized because he had spent so much time on the wings and being overlooked. and who would have ever thought that he would have won that year against the Sultan Of Symmetry, himself, Flex Wheeler. But the reality of the matter is from 1998 on, Ronnie has been a driving force in the sport of bodybuilding. Ronnie’s super stardom has only expanded over the years. He tours the world and his lines get longer and longer. Whether he is in Asia, North America, Europe or South America people cannot get enough of this Southern speaking, humble to the core, legendary bodybuilder who lived it like no one else did. His slogans of ain’t nothing but a peanut and lightweight baby have become staples of bodybuilding lingo. Even though many of the people that use these lines today may not be as familiar with Coleman as I would like to say, the lingo is the lingo. Ronnie and Ronnie’s mannerisms have become a staple of the sport. That said he’s been through hell and back.
And could you even fathom one back surgery, let alone 13 of them. Thirteen surgeries that according to Ronnie have each taken a little bit of his strength away from him. Imagine going under the proverbial knife over a dozen times thinking, will this be the time that it’s all fixed? imagine having to go back through that ordeal over and over and over again. but all the while his faith is not beaten down. This is a man who understands the trials and tribulations of life. During the height of his career he was the strongest bodybuilder in the world. And that wasn’t some empty rhetoric to sell protein powder. Nobody could hold a candle to this guy! He had some competition in guys like Johnny Jackson and Ben White, but overall Ronnie was in a league of his own. And not only was he a super strong bodybuilder but he was breaking world records while prepping for the stage.That just honestly shouldn’t make any sense because when bodybuilders look their best, they happen to be their weakest. Imagine breaking world records while in a state of caloric manipulation. Like I said Coleman just wasn’t wired like everyone else. He trained balls-to-the-wall every single time he got under the bar.
That level of hardcore training comes with a price. We are not young forever. And as we learned in the documentary King, Ronnie was actually always in pain. Even when he was winning the Olympia and looked his best and wore a big smile, he was secretly suffering in silence. One can only imagine how all of that pain piled up on top of itself year after year. And Ronnie didn’t start winning until later in his career. There were many years where he was paying his dues and he was simply not placing in the money. He just kept coming back. We have always heard the story how Brian Dobson offered him a free gym membership if he would just do a bodybuilding show. And I have no reason not to believe this. Ronnie was a full-time police officer and made his money that way. I don’t think he ever got into bodybuilding thinking that he could quit his job on the police force and become a full-time muscle man. But that’s just how everything worked out. It got to the point that once he was the best in the world that he could no longer work full time as a police officer. His contest obligations were so much that he had to make a decision.
That said, he never stopped being a great cop and he never stopped being an ambassador for the sport. Even after he retired from the stage. He was always proud of where he came from.
Sadly, all of those years of intense training took a toll. Not only that but so many surgeries also took a toll. Because Initially you would hope that one surgery would fix everything but imagine revision after revision after revision. It gets to a point where the body just cannot bounce back after so many procedures. And again Ronnie is someone who continues to train. He said so on this edition of Cutler’s podcast because of the fact that he will always be a bodybuilder. This is not a man that can say that he’s going to be on the mend for the rest of his life and simply do a little bit of cardio here and there. I have no doubt in my mind that once he gets through the next 6 months of physical therapy, we’re going to see him back in the gym pounding iron on some level.
At this point in time it’s probably second nature to Ronnie. Can you stop to think about how much time this man has spent in the gym and how much muscle means to him? I’m sure he wants to get back on the saddle again. I don’t anticipate or even foresee him doing any shows in the future, but again we’re talking about a special kind of individual who will start thinking about all things in a different way once he’s back to being able to walk again. You just get a sense that he’s just that crazy. But I want to specify when I say crazy because I don’t mean it in a reckless manner. I mean crazy in a very passionate one. Because I don’t think he sees bodybuilding, lifting, or competing necessarily as things he regrets. As he said it in his documentary King, his only regret then was that he didn’t lift more during his heyday. I don’t think that Coleman would have done anything differently except having done more. And I don’t think he’s just saying that to sell more dvds. Hell, they don’t even make DVDs anymore (lol). He has outlasted magazines, outlasted dvds. He is one of the premier bodybuilding draws right now – in 2024 – and hasn’t competed since 2007. I mean that’s pretty mind-boggling.
I will tell you, the entire bodybuilding world is rooting for Coleman to walk again. He has pretty much earned legend status. It’s like he is a walking bodybuilding myth and a huge source of inspiration. People see him and they just can’t get enough. Even look at Jay Cutler. For 4 years Jay battled Ronnie at the Olympia, taking second to him. Some years maybe he should have won, but that doesn’t really matter. Once Jay won the Olympia and Ronnie retired, the sport became boring to him. There was no one to fight anymore. Sure, there were competitors to battle against, but there was no one to fight against. Ronnie made Jay fight and even when Jay thought he couldn’t win, it was that battle that kept him coming back year after year. So it’s great to see Ronnie open up to Jay on his podcast because you just know he wouldn’t open up like that for anyone else.
I don’t know what Ronnie’s course of treatment is but if he says that he will do everything possible to walk again in 6 months, you just believe him. You want to believe him, but you really believe him as well because of the fact he’s such a workhorse and because of the fact he doesn’t complain. Ronnie has never been a quitter, he’s never been a complainer, and he’s always been the G.O.A.T. Be sure to check out the interview with Jay Cutler that Ronnie did. I think you’ll be very surprised at how candid he was and really appreciate it. I’m hoping that by the 2025 Olympia we see Ronnie walking around, maybe handing out some trophies and signing thousands upon thousands of autographs.
As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. We’re all rooting for The Big Nasty! Do you think the G.O.A.T. will walk again? Do you think he’ll make it happen in six months with a cane as planned? And in two years all on his own? I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Be sure to share (copy and paste the url) to this article on all your social media feeds.