Did You Know: Ronnie Coleman had the lowest body fat percentage in the bodybuilding history

What Makes Ronnie Coleman A Great Bodybuilder?

Ronnie Coleman – The 8X Mr. Olympia Champion

Ronnie Coleman is inarguably one of the biggest names in the history of bodybuilding. The legend had such a gigantic and well-defined size during his peak years that he just bullied his way into consecutively winning the Mr. Olympia 8 times.

No one was able to catch up to Ronnie until Jay Cutler managed to defeat him for the first position at Mr. Olympia 2006. Even then, it was a close competition.

Though it might be unfair to compare, the bodybuilders of this generation can’t come close to Ronnie Coleman and his physique. Coleman was such good at managing his body that he got his body fat percentage to an unimaginable number during the on-season. Hint: It was lower than 1%.


What’s The Lowest Body Fat Percentage Ronnie Coleman Had?

During his appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, Ronnie Coleman once opened up about his bodybuilding days. He discussed various things at length such as his workout routine, steroid use, meal plans, and a few other things.

One of the interesting things he revealed was his body fat percentage during the off-and-on season. Before you get to know about it, take a seat because it’s insane!

While talking about how lean his body was during his peak year, Ronnie Coleman said that his body fat was only 0.33%, to which Joe Rogan himself was left stumped after listening.

Ronnie then went on to reveal his body fat percentage during the off-season, which was around 3%. Yikes!

Interestingly, Ronnie achieved such low body fat numbers at the weight of whopping 330 Lbs.

After learning what Ronnie had to say, Rogan asked him if having such low body fat numbers didn’t interfere with his mood and made him lethargic all the time. To this, Coleman replied – NO!


Is This Really True? Ronnie Coleman Had 0.33% Body Fat?

The body fat percentage numbers Ronnie Coleman revealed on Joe Rogan’s podcast are impossible. It isn’t scientifically possible for a human to hold such a low amount of fat in their body.

Even though he was on steroids, the human body isn’t just capable of going to such extreme lengths.

So, why did Ronnie make such a bold claim? Well, during Ronnie’s competing days, there was no proper way to measure body fat. So, in his defense, the 8x Mr. Olympia is making statements based on the body fat measuring methods of those days. Plus, he believes his genetics were just great.

No doubt, they were. Ronnie had a great physique since the start of his bodybuilding days. However, they weren’t so great that they would defy the extent a human body can go to. No disrespect!


Why You Shouldn’t Aim For A Low Percentage Of Body Fat?

According to the University of New Mexico, a good amount of fat is needed for the human body to perform necessary functions. And women need a higher percentage of body fat than men in order to regulate reproductive functions.


Also Read: Ronnie Coleman: 8X Mr. Olympia Shares His Top 5 Workout Tips


As per the American Council on Exercise, women shouldn’t go any lower than 10% to 13% body fat. Whereas, men shouldn’t aim for lower than 2% to 5% of body fat.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *