“I Stole It”: GOAT Ronnie Coleman Makes a Surprising Confession About His Most Muscular Pose From 1999 Mr. Olympia

Bodybuilding legends are not just about the sculpted muscles but also the unique poses that shed the limelight on every tiny detail that these gods have worked on. And while there are some common poses, everyone uses, the greats of the game have often come up with poses unique to them. One such iconic most muscular pose from eight-time Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman. This has an interesting origin story that connects him to another bodybuilding legend, Shawn Ray.

Recently, Coleman took a trip down memory lane and shared a picture of himself from his early Olympia days on his Instagram. This picture was taken by his friend Raymond Cassar from Muscletime, captured during Coleman’s first five Olympia wins.

Ronnie Coleman’s playful revelation of his muscular pose

The King engaged with his fans through his Instagram post caption. He challenged his fans, “Can anybody guess what year this was,” emphasizing its significance among his many victories. He expressed his fondness for the image, “I really like this photo, it’s my second best photo after the front lat spread.” 

However, one keen-eyed fan noticed a resemblance to another elite bodybuilder, Kevin Levrone, in the pose. Curiously one the users asked why Coleman was striking a pose reminiscent of Leverone’s. Coleman known for his humorous nature, responded with surprising revelation and a playful jab at the fellow bodybuilder. In a loop of the pose, Coleman shared, “@arturitx__ Levrone stole it from me, I stole it from Shawn Ray.”

This interesting admission unveiled the interconnected history of these bodybuilding giants. They are highlighting the friendliness and influence that exists within the sports community. Not only do their poses resonate with each other but Coleman and Ray also share similar sports interests before becoming bodybuilders.

Coleman and Ray dreamt of becoming NFL players

Ronnie Coleman openly shared that before his bodybuilding success, he dreamt of being in the NFL. During school and college time he played in the respective teams. However, he never got the opportunity to play in the NFL. And before he tried due to an injury he had to quit playing football, and later served as a cop. Similarly, Shawn Ray also had dreams of playing in the NFL that never came true. Earlier, in the Cutler Cast podcast, Jay Cutler asked Ray about his dream of playing professional football, to which Ray replied, “It was 100%.”

READ MORE: “I Wasn’t Good Enough to Play”: Bodybuilding Legend Ronnie Coleman Once Opened Up on His Potential NFL Career

Ray continued and discussed his brief football career, mentioning a knee strain that forced him to stop in 1983. Despite wanting to continue, conflicting schedules with the teenage nationals made him choose bodybuilding over football. These stories show that even successful bodybuilders had different goals before finding success in their chosen sport.

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