Ronnie Coleman has watched the sport change since his days of ruling the Men’s Open with an iron fist. In a recent Instagram post shared on August 22, 2024, Coleman compared his era to today’s bodybuilding scene, underlining that social media has affected how talent approaches contests. He also revealed that due to social media, he’s more popular than he was as the reigning eight-time Mr. Olympia champion.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ronnie Coleman dominated the sport of bodybuilding with his impeccable conditioning and muscle definition. Coleman outshined competitors such as Jay Cutler and Flex Wheeler, earning eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles before finally being dethroned by ‘The Comeback Kid’ in 2006.
Coleman left a lasting impression on the bodybuilding community, so much so that even in retirement, he still inspires the athletes in today’s age. To recognize his contributions to the sport, Coleman has been honored with the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 and the 2024 Ben Weider Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year.
Ronnie Coleman Discusses How Social Media Has Impacted Bodybuilding
Though it has been years since Ronnie Coleman stepped on the competitive stage, he can remember it like it happened yesterday. During a recent interview shared on Instagram, Coleman’s blast from the past revealed how social media has impacted today’s bodybuilding scene.
“Well, the shapes and the sizes and the conditioning is just a little bit different. Back when we competed there was so much competition, there was no social media, and we basically made our money by competing and stepping on stage and when we did, you had to be in great condition because everybody was in great condition because everyone was competing for the top spot where all the money was.”
While bodybuilders can make money through social media platforms nowadays, Coleman shared that back in his day, they had to compete frequently to earn an income.
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“We didn’t have social media where we could go out and just do certain things and get money from YouTube, Instagram, and all these other ways you got of making money.”
Since social media has become more prominent, Ronnie Coleman revealed that he is busier and more popular now in retirement than he was while competing as an eight-time Mr. Olympia champion.
“I’m more popular now than I was when I was winning the Olympia because of social media and I’m more busy now then when I was Mr. eight-time Mr. Olympia, when I was right in the thick of it, you know, winning all those titles. I’m more busy now then I was back then.”
Coleman emphasized that he used to make money by stepping on the stage and being in great shape.
“They have more sources of making income than we did because of social media. We basically made our money from stepping on stage and being in great shape. Guest posing was there but it wasn’t what it is now” Coleman explained.
Ronnie Coleman described how sometimes in just one year he would do upwards of 10-12 shows just to make an income.
“They have a whole lot more ways of making money. They don’t have to step on stage like we did back in the day. I mean there were times where I would do, in a year, seven shows on the tour, I did the Olympia, I did the Grand Prix show, there were sometimes that I did 10-12 shows a year. It’s a lot of shows.”
While traveling outside of the country, not only did Ronnie Coleman compete in multiple shows consecutively but he was also expected to adapt his diet to what was available in that country since food wasn’t allowed to be brought over.
“We did seven shows in 11 days on the European tour. You have to be in shape and you can’t bring food over into a foreign country because of the dangers of infections and all that kinda stuff so you have to rely on their food.”
Speaking of social media, Ronnie Coleman is making sure to get in on the action (and money) over on YouTube. With over two million subscribers, Coleman provides his followers with updates about his health, shares training tips, and even critiques fitness influencers’ workouts including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Sam Sulek.
Having led a one-of-a-kind career filled with highs atop the Olympia stage, fans continue to marvel at Coleman’s accomplishments. He maintains that the competitive landscape has changed since his era, but he still has an appreciation for those competing at the highest levels in bodybuilding.
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