Ronnie Coleman, a bodybuilding legend known for his strength and muscle mass, has prioritized his health and well-being in retirement. In a recent Muscular Development interview, Coleman discussed his mobility, his stem cell treatments, leg training, and selling his house in Texas.
During his reign of eight years, Coleman was the undisputed king of the Men’s Open division. He won the Mr. Olympia contest from 1998-2005 and at that time, established himself as an all-time great. His massive physique and near-flawless definition saw him defeat formidable mainstays of the IFBB Pro League such as Flex Wheeler, Jay Cutler, and Kevin Levrone.
After stepping away from the sport, Coleman has remained an ambassador for bodybuilding. In addition to receiving prestigious honors like the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Coleman is held in high esteem for his contributions to the sport both on stage and off.
Whether he’s taking part in a training session with influencers or reacting to epic gym stunts, Coleman is a beloved figure in the fitness community. He’s been subjected to over 10 back surgeries which have left him unable to walk without assistance. Nevertheless, Coleman doesn’t use the setback as an excuse as he still trains regularly.
Ronnie Coleman Says ‘Something Is Off’ with His Quad/Hamstring Atrophy: ‘I Can’t Put My Finger On It’
Coleman feels less pain after the stem cell treatments, but they have not improved his mobility.
“That’s why I was going there [stem cell therapy] because my pain was really high, it was keeping me up at night. I go there every four months and it pretty much alleviates all my pain,” Ronnie Coleman said. “No [it hasn’t helped me walk] I didn’t notice anything, I’m still on the crutches pretty good… my walking is about the same. He was saying maybe it might help regenerate some nerves but nothing yet… you know.”
‘The King’ specified that some of his muscles are not ‘activating’ due to fused discs and hopes a chiropractor will help him fix this problem. Coleman trains his legs twice a week but shared that he loses his pump 15 minutes post-workout.
“I was talking to a chiropractor about a couple weeks ago, he was saying something that I have some muscles that are not activating and he knows a way to help me activate those – but he’s not coming down here until August to help me with that. He was saying that would help my mobility a lot if I can get some of these muscles activated that are de-activated right now, he said that’s probably why I’m having the mobility problems. After all these surgeries and stuff you go through, they fuse your discs, it kind of de-activates some of the muscles.”
According to Coleman, his walking hasn’t gotten any better and he’s concerned with atrophy in his quads and hamstrings.
“I kind of got an idea of what he’s talking about because I have a lot of atrophy in my quads and hamstrings. Something is not right. Something is off. But I just can’t put my finger on it because I train legs twice a week. It ain’t doing hardly nothing. It’s stayed the same. So something is not activating that I need to turn on.”
“Stem cells take a while to activate some of the nerves too. He said maybe a couple of years. But I should be coming up on a couple of years in about another six months or so. I think I’ve been there for about a year and a half now. He said I’ve been down there three times and like I said, I go every four months.”
Even though he deals with numbness in his extremities from time to time, Coleman said his max leg press at 59 is 360 pounds for 15-20 reps.
“I’m not that strong, for sure. The most I can leg press is like 3-4 plates for like 15-20 reps. That’s nothing compared to what I used to do. I can feel – every now and then I feel a little tightness [a pump] but it doesn’t last hardly no time. It goes away really quick. Well, when I say tightness I’m trying to say a pump. I can get a pump in my quads for about maybe 15 minutes or so, 20 minutes maybe. But it goes away really quick. Like I said, something is not activating there.”
Coleman Reflects on Selling Texas House and Upgrading to Bigger Home
Recently, Ronnie Coleman sold his Texas home of 26 years, which was listed at $495,000. He also sold all of the gym equipment and plans to move into a bigger and more kid-friendly house.
“Yeah, it’s [gym equipment from his home] all gone now,” said Coleman. “This house was pretty good for me when I was by myself. It’s five bedrooms, 3,000 square feet, it’s got the gym – another 1,000 square feet. The reason why I’m selling the house is because the kids are getting older. They’re getting where they need their own bedrooms, their own space, their own bathrooms, that’s why I’m moving to a bigger house.”
“The house we found is about 6,000 square feet. It’s got an acre of land. It’s got a pool and everything. Stuff kids really like. This house doesn’t have hardly no land, no pool or nothing. Like I said, it’s 3,000 square – it’s kind of small for a family of what six, seven of us living here now. So that’s kind of small for family of seven people.”
He said there was no point in keeping his old weights as he recently opened a MetroFlex Gym in Tampa, Florida.
“There wasn’t no need to hold on to all this [gym] equipment when I have brand new stuff coming in. I bought that gym back in 2001 and that’s back when I got all that equipment. So it’s pretty old but it’s still in good condition though.”
This isn’t Coleman’s first health update of 2023. In Feb., former two-time Mr. Olympia Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay’s stem cell doctor, Dr. Khan, began treating Coleman. He was quite optimistic about Coleman’s chances of walking again soon. At the time, he said he was confident he could ‘fix’ Coleman’s issues. However, judging by Ron’s recent update, it doesn’t appear the icon is close to walking without assistance or help.
As one of the strongest bodybuilders to ever compete, many have taken inspiration from Coleman’s career. Even though he faces challenges in retirement, he still shows the same passion for the sport that he had when he was champion.
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Published: 22 June, 2023 | 6:49 PM EDT
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Ronnie have you ever tried a person who practice kinesiology. It is amazing what they could do with the muscles. I think there’s a school somewhere in Florida.