Strongest Bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman’s Reason for Lifting Weights in College Was Beyond Any Desire To Win 8 Mr. Olympia Titles

Ronnie Coleman entered the bodybuilding arena in the early 1990s, and went out there and achieved everything there was to achieve in the discipline. And yet strangely, it wasn’t the path he laid out to follow in his career. That credit would go to another popular sport. What sport was it? Let’s read further to find out.

While Coleman, was into lifting weights, gaining muscle, and building strength, he wanted to become a part of an entirely different sporting league. However, when it didn’t turn out the way he wanted, Coleman found another pursuit.

Ronnie Coleman’s first love wasn’t bodybuilding

Football was Coleman’s first and foremost love. During a Dubai Table Talk with Kai Greene, Kevin Levrone, Mike O’Hearn & Victor Martinez, Coleman said, “I played football. I wasn’t just into working out and stuff. I was into football. I was trying to do what I can to be a better football player. So I lifted weights for that”. He was responding to O’Hearn’s query about how he was strong yet athletic.

In an attempt to realize his dreams and get a contract with the NFL, Coleman trained hard from a young age. However, NFL being the most desired and coveted league in the states, was always going to be an uphill battle for him to get in. Eventually, when Coleman didn’t make it, he found a different calling – one that reaped him heavy rewards.

READ MORE – “Never Really Wanted to Be a Bodybuilder”: 8X Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman Made a Shocking Revelation About His Bodybuilding Career

However, Coleman did point out the one similarity he found in both sports – Powerlifting. He said, “Powerlifting is all about strength and power. You don’t really care about how you look”.

Ronnie Coleman talks about his early days in Louisiana

Coleman is a Louisiana native, and he claims to be the first from his state to enter the sport of bodybuilding in such a grand manner. Athletes from the Pelican State didn’t really concern themselves with physicality in those days. Bodybuilding was still a relatively newer concept in Louisiana in the late 80s when Coleman was starting out.

He said, “I am from a small town. We have about 15,000 people and we had basketball, football, and baseball and none of those sports got anything to do with feet you know”. Bodybuilding famously requires one to build strong, muscular calves to earn points in competitions. So, despite his strong physique, Coleman required a complete makeover in training when he shifted career lanes.

WATCH THIS STORY – 8x Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman’s Philosophy Would Forever Change The Way Would Look At Your Lives

While Coleman is a rare specimen, his success story of changing career paths and discovering his passion, is not unique. Do you know about other athletes who have done the same and found immense success? Let us know.