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

Most gym-goers are familiar with the name Ronnie Coleman. The man is an absolute legend. He packed the amount of muscle that nobody in the history of bodybuilding did.

He grew to a size that no bodybuilder ever did or thought was possible. This man shattered all the records. He won the Mr. Olympia title 8 times consecutively.

So anything Coleman says about working out or the tips he gives regarding the same, you know, is going to be legit. The legend speaks from decades and decades of experience. His advice certainly isn’t going to be hit-and-miss.

So, with that said, let’s get started and have the luxury of knowing five of the many tips Ronnie Coleman used to become a bodybuilding legend.

So what are Ronnie Coleman’s training secrets that he used to win Mr. Olympia for a record of 8 times? Find out below.

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The 1st Tip Of Ronnie Coleman: Shrugs don’t do much for traps

Traps are one of the muscles in the posterior part of the body. As easy as it seems to build them, they are one of the most stubborn muscles to grow. Don’t think doing the shrugs are going to cut it.

First, understand that traps aren’t just situated on the top of your back. The muscle group runs down to the middle back. So just doing the shrugs to build traps isn’t the answer. Traps are surrounded by other muscle groups, which makes it harder for them to grow.

According to Ronnie Coleman, traps can only be worked from all angles. An upward-and-downward motion isn’t optimal for growing traps. Include exercises such as Deadlifts, Barbell Rows, T-Bar Rows, Seated Low-Pulley Rows, Power Cleans, and Upright Rows to your fitness regime to grow the traps as well back.

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The 2nd Tip Of Ronnie Coleman: Don’t neglect DB Presses for chest

To grow your chest, you need to do things differently. You need to use free weights, machines, and cables to maximize the results. But, to build the mass in your chest, you must pay attention to the barbells and dumbbells mostly. They’re the ones that are going to give you the best results.

As per Ronnie Coleman, you need to do exercises that make your left and right pec completely and equally exhausted, but that process should be independent. One pec’s fatigue shouldn’t have anything to do with the other. That’s where the dumbbell presses for the chest come in.

They fulfill this goal. Both pecs do work without the help of each other yet as a team. While doing the DB Presses, make sure you’re lifting the most weight possible with good form and moving it through the full range of motion.

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The 3rd Tip Of Ronnie Coleman: Always chase the pump but…

Heavy weights, perfect form, and a good pump are all equivalent parts of the same equation. One is as important as the other. For Ronnie Coleman, it takes 12 reps to get an optimal pump. He does 3-4 sets to push the maximum amount of blood into the vessels.

As he advances into his sets, he continuously increases the weight. His advice is to pick a weight you can’t lift for more than 12 reps and use it while building a good pump. In the next set, try lifting a heavier weight for less than 12 reps and see if the pump improves.

Continue using this strategy for the next 2-3 sets. It’s going to take some time to find the right combination of weight and reps that are going to help you get an optimal pump. Just keep going. You won’t find your limits if you don’t push yourself.

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The 4th Tip Of Ronnie Coleman: The best way to build massive legs

To build a massive set of legs, you need to optimize the usage of the superset technique, and squats are the best exercise for it. First, it allows you to easily get in position from one exercise to another, although not saying other exercises are not just as effective, squats just make the transition easier.

What most people and even bodybuilders do is superset one quad and hamstring exercise to help their leg muscles grow. However, this is not the most optimal way to sustain a pump. As per Ronnie Coleman, to make the most of the superset strategy, you should pair one quad exercise with another and do the same with the hamstrings.

What this does is put maximum stress on one muscle and push a large amount of blood into it. Now don’t overuse this technique. It requires great endurance and it’s going to take some time to build that. Doing supersets every two weeks is the right way to go about it.

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Ronnie Coleman’s 5th tip: The ideal number of reps

To fulfill the demand for maximum growth in your body, you have to find the right combination of reps and weight. The combination varies from individual to individual. For the 8X Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman, it takes 12 reps of heavier weight to get things going, and all of those reps combined last for around 45 seconds.

Now you might feel the best around the 3-5, 8-10, or even 12-15 rep range. However, if you’re doing more than 15 reps and not feeling a thing as well as failing to build a good pump, then that is an indication of you needing to lift a heavier weight.

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Also Read: 5 Exercises You Need To Start Doing ASAP!

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Of course, it’s going to take some time for you to fight the right type of combination since the amount of weight and no of reps for growth varies with each muscle. It’s going to require an extensive amount of experimentation, but you can get there just in time if you put your focus on it.

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