“I’ll Take Them to War” Bodybuilding Legend Ronnie Coleman Took Mr. Olympia to a Different Level During His Peak Physique in 2003

Ronnie Coleman, the eight-time Mr. Olympia, left no stone unturned to transform himself into the biggest guy on the stage during his peak phase. He started his career as an accountant. Bodybuilding didn’t happen until he joined a gym while working in the Arlington police department. The King didn’t look back since then. He won 26 IFBB professional titles. 

Coleman followed a stringent schedule and understood the recipe for success to continue his winning spree. He underwent several surgeries to maintain a monstrous physique. It is true that legends are not born; they are made with relentless effort. With that in mind, one can’t be prouder learning about the bodybuilding giant’s journey through numerous titles and championships. Especially, his contribution to taking Mr. Olympia’s title several notches higher during his peak phase.

Ronnie Coleman reminisces the phase during Mr. Olympia 2003

Touted as the G.O.A.T. of bodybuilding, Ronnie has dedicated his life to being a name synonymous with bodybuilding. Recounting his days during Mr. Olympia 2003, he said in a podcast interview, “I went to the gym with this attitude every day. If they wanna go to war, I‘ll take them to war.” and reiterated his competitiveness on the stage. 

He also shared about the unimaginable heavyweights he included in his workout regime and said, “I was crazy that year.” The incredible Ronnie put 250 pounds or more for a pull-down workout and still found it not enough. He said, “They weren’t enough for me,” and added another 40 or 50 pounds of weight. 

READ MORE: “Weren’t Made for a Guy as Big as Me”: Ronnie Coleman, Who Spent Millions on His Surgery, Ended Up Breaking the Screws in His Body Due to His Built Back in 2016

Ronnie also recalled his diet. He said that they were not given food like what they ate at home, for instance, clean chicken or clean steak. “You just eat what they give you,” he continued. “A lot of times, they were giving us hamburgers,” he laughed.      

It took him a lot of time to reach where he was in his prime

Ronnie redefined and set world-class standards for size and conditioning. “What a lot of people don’t understand is you see me big up there, but it took a long time for me to get there,” Ronnie explained. He said that he hadn’t gotten there overnight. He put on between five and 10 pounds of muscle a year, and it resulted from heavy lifting and a lot of eating.

His contest weight usually ranged between 130 and 136 kg whereas he weighed as high as 145 kg during the offseason. The King revealed he used to have a meal of almost a pound (450g) of grilled chicken breast with half a cup of rice and about six such meals every day. “It’s kind of hard to eat like that.” he explained his eating pattern during preparation.

It literally takes blood, sweat and tears to be where legends like Ronnie Coleman established themselves to be. One can only look back at their journey and derive inspiration to move ahead in their goals.

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