Bodybuilding icon Ronnie Coleman is looking to break away from the wheelchair in the next few years. On March 24, 2025, he confirmed plans to walk again by January 2027 and believes in four years he’ll be able to start running again.
Ronnie Coleman is tied with Lee Haney for the most Mr. Olympia titles ever earned. He claimed eight consecutive Sandow trophies battling against superstars of the IFBB Pro League, ranging from fellow champions like Jay Cutler to contenders such as Flex Wheeler and Kevin Levrone.
He implemented intense heavy-duty training sessions for much of his tenure, but injuries have followed Coleman. He revealed that he’s endured 13 back surgeries throughout his life, and lost the ability to walk without assistance as a result. However, between consistent stem cell treatments coupled with physical therapy, he intends to regain his mobility on the horizon.
Ronnie Coleman Discusses Mobility Challenges, Sets Sights on Walking Again in January 2027
In a recently published YouTube video, Coleman explained that he faced setbacks following back surgeries, most notably, when the screws installed in his back began to break.
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
“Every time they did a surgery on me, the screws kept breaking. When the screw broke, they had to go in and immediately fix it right away. So, I did like two surgeries back to back in two weeks’ time. That occurred probably about another three to four more times, where they just kept going in and fixing broken screws.”
He shared that despite surgeries, his mobility never improved.
“With the surgeries, my mobility never got better. Actually, it probably got worse if anything because the more surgeries I had, the worse my back got.
All those discs kept falling and herniating and they would have to go in and do another surgery and put more screws in. And the more screws they put in, the more screws that were breaking.”
Three surgeries alone were needed to correct the broken screws in his back. While recovering, he revealed that a screw broke after he turned to his left side when a nurse was tending to his bandage.
“I would say probably about three surgeries were for broken screws. I remember one surgery I went in for, as soon as I got to my room, the nurse came in and wanted to look at my bandage on my back to make sure it was still holding up.
She said once you raise up and turn over to your left side, I turned to my left and soon as I got around, I heard a big pop. I’m like what the hell was that? It popped actually twice – it popped when I rolled over and it popped again when I rolled back. Coming to find out that that screw had broken just that fast.”
He stated that he was never told by doctors to stop working out, and admits that even if they did, he wouldn’t have listened.
“They never told me I need to quit working out and if they did I wouldn’t listen. I talked to this one guy that had similar problems like I do and he said it’s going to take about two years of rehab and he has a facility over in Dallas, where they got all these machines that rehab my back and help me get rid of some of that scar tissue so I can get good circulation but he said it’s going to take about two years of rehabilitation.”
What are his goals moving forward? To walk again by January 2027 and possibly run in four years.
“The journey for me to walk again, this is my commitment to you guys and to myself that in 2027 January, I will be up and walking again. I can guarantee you that because I am committed to walking again.”
“In about another four years, I’ll be able to run. I’ll be able to do a marathon,” Coleman shared.
Fans of Coleman have documented his journey to walking again closely. To boost his mobility and get him closer to no longer needing assistance, he broke down the pool rehabilitation routine he’s been using to regain function.
As one of the most beloved bodybuilding icons the sport has witnessed, it would be an amazing sight to see Coleman out of a wheelchair, especially considering all he’s done to elevate the sport to new heights. He remains a top-notch ambassador for bodybuilding well into his retirement years.
RELATED: Ronnie Coleman’s Top 3 Exercises That Built an 8x Mr. Olympia Physique
Watch the full video from the Ronnie Coleman YouTube channel below:
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
