He was the best bodybuilder in the world, but the gym ruined his body and at 56 he uses a wheelchair: the life of Ronnie Coleman

Ronnie coleman He was just another Louisiana kid studying accounting at Grambling State University in the 1980s, when he spent his afternoons training football and hitting the gym to build up muscle. Already at that time, he made constant visits to his chiropractor for certain back problems that he managed to alleviate thanks to the work of the specialist. After graduating, it was difficult for him to find a job, and since he had no income, he started working in a pizzeria, where he worked for almost two years until, thanks to From a newspaper clipping, he learns that the Texas police needed new officers.

“After I graduated from the academy, when they let you go down the street, one of the boys saw me on a call and said, ‘You’re big enough, where do you train? ? I told him that I trained at the (police) station because it was free. He said to me: “You have to come to Metroflex, I work there.” So I went there and Brian (Dobson, owner of the place) was there, ”he recalls in the documentary which premiered in 2018 and is available on Netflix. It was this man who told her that Because of his build, he would have great possibilities in the bodybuilding world and if he allowed him to train him to be a part of this unknown universe, he would give him a gym membership.

So Colemn and Dobson began a relationship that soon bore its first fruits. In 1990, Ronnie won the Mr. Texas title in the heavyweight and general categories, where he even beat his friend. In 1995, he won his first professional trophy, the Canadian Pro Cup, a title he repeated the following year, and in 1997, he was crowned at the Russian Grand Prix.

Over time his body grew and perfected in the style that this world desires, but since the money he was taking was not too much, he continued to work as a police officer, while s striving to achieve his ultimate dream of becoming a Mr. Olympia. This tournament is considered the highest professional bodybuilding competition in the world, it takes place once a year and big names like Arnold Schwarzenegger have won it. For Coleman, it wasn’t easy to pull it off and in his first appearances his name barely featured in the top positions, so much so that He believed he would never become a figure, although at the time that was none of his concern, as he appreciated the demands of training to reach such a level.

In December 1996, As he worked out at the gym doing 270-pound squats, a weight he considered a “warm-up” since he could repeat it up to 15 times without getting tired, he heard a sound that l ‘alarmed. “It was painful, the disc was moving. I was getting ready for the Arnold Classic. “, he recalled in his documentary named King, as they nicknamed him for his talent on stage. “I was going up in eighth and boom! disk. I didn’t know what had happened, I only heard the noise and thought that whoever was helping me hit me to encourage me to continue. But he told me he hadn’t touched me. I asked what that sound was and I didn’t know. “At the end of his workout routine, he went to the hospital because the pain was still after a shower, and then he found out he had a herniated disc.

Despite the fact that his doctors recommended that he not lift as much weight, the man who could already squat with over 350 pounds on his back continued to exercise this way. and in no time the reward came. In 1998, Mr. Olympia was crowned, a title he repeated continuously until 2005, which only he and American Lee Haney (in the 1980s) achieved.

Coleman has become a king of the stage. His size, muscles, tenor of veins and movements were hypnotic for the judges who year after year chose him as the best in every competition he appeared in and immediately won the admiration of his opponents. , who admitted his superiority and went on to compete directly for second place. His transformation was brutal: for 2004, he weighed 134 kilos, almost 40 kilos more than what he wore during his first presentation at Mr. Olympia.

But Ronnie’s effort hid a deep pain that ultimately brought him the worst problems of his life.

Former bodybuilder who still trains in the gym has had surgery 15 times. The hip and spine problems got him used to the pain, as he himself admitted in 2018, the year in which He had to take up to four pain relievers a day to be at least a handful of hours without feeling any discomfort in his body. Is it due to his lifestyle, hip and spine problems started, so he needed two prostheses to walk. This desire for the biggest muscles on the planet made her body completely fragile and The giant who paraded through the stages receiving trophies and medals needed a wheelchair to cover long distances and even crutches to go to the bathroom.

Today, it is difficult for him to stand for too long, according to what he himself has recounted in some social media posts this year. Even during his last vacation with his family, he photographed himself in the wheelchair: “I’ve had it for 2 years. I use it whenever I have to travel long distances or walk for long periods ”.

Mike Hisey, an orthopedic surgeon who worked on Coleman’s body, explained in the documentary what was happening to his patient: “It’s an advanced state of wear and tear, despite all the weight he put on his back. over the years. Your records are worn out. And he had operations before I met him to try to loosen some nerves and make room for them. Also an attempt to hold the bones that have not healed. Several specialists have worked with him for years. The number of surgeries required on his spine and hip led him to his body was damaged in such a way that after one of these numerous surgeries he had to take a month of rehabilitation to learn to walk again.

In January 2020, Coleman, a father of four daughters, underwent surgery for the last time. The doctor who took care of his body was Dr Said, who “replaced the two cups that hold the titanium hook and then put a cage around the two so that he could do leg presses without a problem,” explained the former bodybuilder in a post. on his social networks. “Everyone knows I have to do my presses to make those legs bigger. Because he said that in 4 or 6 weeks I can go back to the gym. And you all know it, I can’t wait. “

It is that despite everything, Ronnie never gave up training. Before becoming a bodybuilding legend, when he wasn’t even close to stepping on Mr. Olympia’s podium, he confessed to one of his rivals that he continued to compete because he enjoyed the sport. asks and this lifestyle, since it is the only one he knows and the one that, even today, despite the pain, continues to be pleasant. Obviously, due to its limitations, there are several exercises that you can no longer perform, but there is still a world of machines that you can continue to sit on to work your muscles.

In October of this year, the American will be one of the guest stars at the Arnold Sports Festival to be held in the UK, which is defined as the largest sports, fitness and multisport festival in the world. The, Several characters will be able to meet Coleman again, although of course he has long since ceased to be that muscular giant everyone called a king and turned into a man who can barely stand.

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