“I Wasn’t Talking to Them”: Ronnie Coleman Once Opened Up on His Estranged Relationship With Family Due to Hectic Schedule

Through Ronnie Coleman, one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, the world witnessed the strength of endurance and will. He made his pro-debut in IFBB World Amateur Championships in 1992. Soon after, he got his shot to participate in the most coveted tournament, Mr. Olympia, held in Helsinki, Finland. It meant leaving his country to take part in the competition and also, his family.

Ronnie joined the police force after failing to find work related to his college degree in accounting. Noticing his physique, a gym owner in Arlington not only offered him a free membership, but also promised to transform him into a pro. He trained from Monday to Saturday in the dusty, dungeon-like gym. The passionate bodybuilding giant had no choice but to distance his family to prepare himself for his Mr. Olympia debut in 1992.

Ronnie Coleman explains the reason for being away from his family

In a YouTube video interview in 2021, Ronnie discussed with Shawn his life during the 1992 Mr. Olympia competition. Shawn asked what Ronnie’s family thought about leaving the country for the competition. He said that his family wasn’t in Texas and he came all by himself. He continued he was on his own, living in an apartment. Also, he said most of his family-his mom and everybody was in Louisiana. 

Furthermore, the eight times, Mr. Olympia said his family wasn’t keeping up with what he was doing. Also, Coleman continued, “I wasn’t talking to them” with people back home because he was always busy. However, since he took care of the bill payments, it implied he found no reason to talk to them much back then. 

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In agreement with this, Shawn added it was pretty much like that for a lot of people. He described bodybuilding as a ‘cold sport’ and getting into it meant giving undivided attention to bodybuilding while the family did their thing for at least a few months before the competitions. 

Coleman was not interested in competing

In the chat with Shawn, Ronnie spoke about how Brian Dobson, the gym owner, planted the idea of competitions in his mind. The gym owner was stunned by his size. “I had a 22-inch arm,” described Ronnie. However, he was reluctant and showed no interest. He said he worked in the police department. ‘The King’ said neither had seen a bodybuilder nor knows what the competition was like. Also, he said he was not following any diet. Any of these explanations did not convince Dobson.

On the fifth day after asking Ronnie for the first time, Dobson said he would give a free membership to the gym if he agreed to compete in the show. Excitedly, Ronnie said, “dude that’s all you had to say at first” and started training. And after several attempts, he claimed his first Mr. Olympia title in 1998.

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