Boyer Coe – Complete Profile, Workout And Diet

Boyer Coe is a retired IFBB Pro bodybuilder from the USA. He is best known for competing in the 1970s and 1980s era of bodybuilding and went up against some of the greatest bodybuilders of his time.

Having won several internationally acclaimed bodybuilding competitions throughout his decorated career, Coe has created a lasting legacy in the sport. This is his complete biography, statistics, diet as well as training routine.

Boyer Coe (Bodybuilder)

Born: August 18, 1946
Birthplace: Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
Residence: Huntington Beach, California, USA
Nickname: The Ragin’ Cajun
Height: 5′ 6″ (170 cm)
Weight: 216 lbs (98 kg)

Boyer Coe Biography

Early Life

Boyer Coe was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on August 18, 1946. He was raised there with his younger sister Cindy. The young boy from Louisiana was inclined towards physical activities from as early as five years old. However, his transition to bodybuilding came much later in life.

Coe started weight training at age fourteen at the Lake Charles Gym, where he often lifted in the cold under the light of a 100-watt bulb. As a boy, he’d inform anyone who would listen that someday he would be Mr. America.

He initially trained calisthenics and firmly believed that it would give him the desired body composition. However, the young boy was disillusioned after reading several bodybuilding magazines. He realized that weight training was necessary to get the muscular bodybuilder’s look.

Soon after, he began working with a set of dumbbells and barbells in his garage. The change caused a drastic change in his physique as Coe started gaining muscle fast. By the time he was 15 years old, Boyer Coe built a massive physique that stood out among his peers.

The Louisiana native also got expert advice from his trainer and former professional football player Ken Guilbeaux. Together, they turned Coe’s physique into a marvelous one. At age seventeen, he bench-pressed 420 pounds in strict style. Boyer Coe was introduced to Red Lerille when he was 16 years old and Lerille was impressed with the young boy’s appearance. He wrote in an article:

“His arms, even at this age, were almost unbelievable in size and shape and stood ‘out even though the rest of his physique was very outstanding. His measurements were large and definition as good as any sixteen-year-old could expect.”

Career

Boyer Coe started his career in 1962 with a top-five finish at the 1962 Teen Age Mr. South Contest. He entered the 1964 Mr. Louisiana contest next and walked away with a third-place finish. However, many people thought that Coe could have won the contest with some posing tips and a better pair of posing trunks.

His first bodybuilding victory came a few months later when he won the 1964 Mr. New Orleans competition. He was also selected for having the best arms, best chest, best legs, and also the most muscular bodybuilder in the contest.

Following the win, Boyer Coe started studying at the University of Southwestern Louisiana to pursue a major in preventive medicine. During this time, he started training at Red Lerille’s gym in Lafayette, Louisiana.

He first won the Mr. Louisiana title in 1965, then added the titles of Mr. Texas, Mr. Oklahoma, Teen Mr. America, Junior Mr. USA, Junior Mr. America, Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Mr. International, Pro Mr. World, and Grand Prix Champion.

Boyer Coe’s bodybuilding career spanned three decades, although he actively competed with consistency for nearly 22 years. A superstar of the 1970s, Coe also continued to be a formidable competitor in the 1980s. He brought home seven Grand Prix titles in 1981 alone. He was always a strong contender for the Mr. Olympia title and, after a decade-long hiatus from competition, stepped onstage in phenomenal condition at both the 1994 and 1995 Masters Olympia contests.

Competition History

• 1962 Teen Age Mr. South Contest – Top 5 finish
• 1964 Mr. Louisiana – 3rd place
• 1964 AAU Mr. New Orleans – 1st place
• 1965 AAU Mr. Texas, Most muscular – 1st place
• 1965 AAU Mr. Texas – Overall winner
• 1965 AAU Teen Mr. America – 2nd place
• 1965 AAU Teen Mr. America, Most muscular – 2nd place
• 1966 AAU Junior Mr. America – 5th place
• 1966 AAU Junior Mr. America, Most muscular – 5th place
• 1966 AAU Mr. USA – 2nd place
• 1966 AAU Mr. USA, Most muscular – 3rd place
• 1966 AAU Teen Mr. America – 1st place
• 1967 AAU Junior Mr. America – 2nd place
• 1967 AAU Junior Mr. America, Most muscular – 2nd place
• 1967 AAU Mr. America – 5th place
• 1967 AAU Mr. America, Most muscular – 5th place
• 1967 AAU Mr. Southern States – 2nd place
• 1968 AAU Junior Mr. America – 2nd place
• 1968 AAU Junior Mr. America, Most Muscular – 1st place
• 1968 AAU Junior Mr. USA – Overall winner
• 1968 AAU Mr. America – 2nd place
• 1968 AAU Mr. America, Most muscular – 1st place
• 1968 AAU Mr. USA – 2nd place
• 1968 AAU Mr. USA, Most muscular – 1st place
• 1969 AAU Junior Mr. America – 1st place
• 1969 AAU Mr. America – 1st place
• 1969 AAU Mr. America, Most muscular – 1st place
• 1969 NABBA Mr. Universe – Overall winner
• 1969 NABBA Mr. Universe, Medium – 1st place
• 1970 AAU Mr. World, Pro, Short – 2nd place
• 1970 NABBA Universe Pro, Short – 1st place
• 1971 IFBB Mr. America, Medium – 1st place
• 1971 IFBB Mr. International – Overall winner
• 1971 IFBB Mr. International, Medium – 1st place
• 1971 WBBG World Championships – 1st place
• 1972 NABBA Universe, Pro, Short – 2nd place
• 1972 WBBG World Championships – 1st place
• 1973 NABBA Universe Pro – Overall winner
• 1973 NABBA Universe Pro, Short – 1st place
• 1973 WBBG World Championships – 1st place
• 1974 WBBG Mr. World – 1st place
• 1974 NABBA Universe, Pro, Short – 2nd place
• 1974 WBBG World Championships – 1st place
• 1975 NABBA Universe Pro – Overall winner
• 1975 NABBA Universe Pro, Short – 1st place
• 1975 PBBA Universe Pro – 1st place
• 1975 WBBG World Championships – 1st place
• 1976 IFBB Mr. Olympia, Lightweight – Did not place
• 1977 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 4th place
• 1977 IFBB Mr. Olympia, Short – 3rd place
• 1978 IFBB Night of Champions – 4th place
• 1978 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 4th place
• 1978 IFBB Mr. Olympia, Lightweight – 2nd place
• 1978 IFBB Professional World Cup – 5th place
• 1979 IFBB Best in the World, Professional – 5th place
• 1979 IFBB Canada Diamond Pro Cup – 3rd place
• 1979 IFBB Canada Pro Cup – 3rd place
• 1979 IFBB Grand Prix Pennsylvania – 5th place
• 1979 IFBB Grand Prix Vancouver – 3rd place
• 1979 IFBB Night of Champions – 4th place
• 1979 IFBB Mr. Olympia, Lightweight – 2nd place
• 1979 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Invitational – 5th place
• 1979 IFBB Southern Pro Cup – 4th place
• 1980 IFBB Canada Pro Cup – 2nd place
• 1980 IFBB Grand Prix California – 5th place
• 1980 IFBB Grand Prix Miami – 5th place
• 1980 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 4th place
• 1980 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Invitational – 5th place
• 1981 IFBB Canada Pro Cup – 1st place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix Belgium – 1st place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix California – 3rd place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix Massachusetts – 1st place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix New England – 3rd place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix New York – 3rd place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix Wales – 1st place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix Washington – 3rd place
• 1981 IFBB Grand Prix World Cup – 1st place
• 1981 IFBB Night of Champions – 3rd place
• 1981 IFBB Professional World Cup – 1st place
• 1981 IFBB World Grand Prix – 1st place
• 1982 IFBB Grand Prix Belgium – 8th place
• 1982 IFBB Grand Prix Sweden – 9th place
• 1982 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 11th place
• 1982 IFBB World Pro Championships – 2nd place
• 1984 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 13th place
• 1984 IFBB Mr. Olympia Masters – 3rd place
• 1995 IFBB Mr. Olympia Masters – 10th place

Boyer Coe Workout

During the initial years of his training, Boyer Coe worked out mostly with basic movements like bench presses, squats, chins, presses behind the neck, incline curls, push-downs, toe raises, etc. However, his coach Ken Guilbeaux tracked every workout and kept an excellent record of Coe’s progress, which helped tremendously during his bodybuilding career later. During this time, the Louisiana native mostly did ten sets of each exercise for six reps.

After he started training under Red Lerille, Boyer Coe’s workout routine was similar to what he did previously. However, he slowly started making changes to the routine as time went by. Coe was now using more than one exercise per body part and his physique underwent some serious changes after these changes were implemented. He now had better muscle definition and an even better shape.

Red Lerille explained that the changes in training routine did not adversely affect his strength and said:

“It didn’t seem to hurt his strength any, for he won second place at the Southwestern Powerlift Championships with a total of 1320 (Bench Press, 355; Squat, 465; Dead Lift, 500) in the 198-pound class. He also won the 1964 Mr. Southwestern U. S. A. physique contest held in conjunction with the powerlift meet.”

At the peak of his bodybuilding career, Boyer Coe used at least three exercises per body part and performed four sets of each exercise. By 1965-1066, Coe had added at least 15 pounds of lean muscle mass to his physique using these training methods.

Boyer Coe typically trained six days every week and aimed to work every muscle at least twice through the week.

Following is the training routine Boyer Coe followed for two months before the teenage Mr. America contest:

Monday and Thursday

• Bench Press – 4 sets of 6 reps
• Incline Bench Press – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Dips – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Behind the Neck Presses – 4 sets of 6 reps
• Press on Press Machine – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Lateral Raises to the Side – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Push down on Lat Machine – 4 sets of 8 reps
• French Press on Bench – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Reverse Grip French Press on Bench – 4 sets of 8 reps

Tuesday and Friday

• Barbell Squats – 4 sets of 6 reps
• Leg Press – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Leg Extensions – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Behind-the-Neck Chins – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Pull Down on Lat Machine – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Incline Bench Curls – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Curls on Preacher Table – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Regular Curls – 4 sets of 8 reps

Wednesday and Saturday

• High Pulls – 4 sets of 6 reps
• Barbell Shoulder Shrugs – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Shrugs – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Barbell Stiff-Legged Deadlifts – 4 sets of 8 reps
• Prone Hyperextensions – 4 sets of 10 reps
• Forearm Work – 10 sets of 20 reps

Boyer Coe Diet

Boyer Coe was a heavy eater and ate four to five large meals throughout the day. Like a typical yesteryear bodybuilder, Coe followed a high-protein, moderate carbohydrate and a low-fat diet.

To tip the scale in favor of protein, he ate a portion of a high-quality protein supplement with each meal. Vitamin and mineral supplements were also a part of his diet. He consumed his protein from all varieties of meat but lean cuts of beef were his favorite source of protein.

Coe also ate cheese, eggs, and cottage cheese for good quality protein and fats. High-carbohydrate foods like breads and processed foods were out of bounds for him. While the veteran bodybuilder consumed milk throughout the year, he completely restricted its intake for the last four to six weeks of competition prep.

Personal Life

Boyer Coe married his wife Valerie on 15th December 1979 at Huntington Beach, California on board a luxury yacht sailing around the harbor. Many famous bodybuilders attended the ceremony, with Joe Weider giving Valerie away to Boyer.

“I feel fortunate for the experience bodybuilding has given me. Now I would like to put something back into the sport. I take every opportunity to talk before different civic groups, explaining bodybuilding and its benefits. It has come a long way since I started”.

Boyer still starts early every morning at the gym. He trains for the same reason he did back in Lake Charles when he was 14 years old and for the nearly half-century that followed because he loves to. As the four-time Mr. Universe says with a laugh:

“Old habits die hard.”

To Conclude…

Boyer Coe always found time to bring his fitness philosophy to others who could not come to him. He started a training program for the state prison in Louisiana and another for the children at the Louisiana State School for the Deaf. Coe credits his parents with instilling in him the basic values of hard work and perseverance. At home, he learned, by example, not only the value of self-discipline but also how to set and meet personal goals.

This substantiates a claim that Arnold Schwarzenegger has made of many champion bodybuilders – that they had disciplined early lives.

“If you think that winning a major contest will make major changes in your life, you will end up very frustrated. You’ve got to do things for yourself first,” said Boyer Coe’s father.

His father’s primary focus was on Boyer’s education, but he supported his son’s desire to excel in bodybuilding and even accompanied him to many of his early regional contests. Setting personal goals continues to be central to Coe’s philosophy of living.

“If you believe you will be the champion, then you have the battle half won,” says Boyer. 

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