Why does Ronnie Coleman say “everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but no one wants to lift heavy?”
Ronnie Coleman is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He won the Mr. Olympia contest 8 years in a row from 1998 – 2005, and barely came in 2nd place in the 2006 contest.
Ronnie Coleman is famous for many things, including saying some crazy things while training in the gym! Here is one of his most iconic quotes:
“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but no one wants to lift no heavy ass weights!”
Why did Ronnie Coleman say this? And what does he actually mean?
Ronnie Coleman believes most bodybuilders don’t work very hard. They don’t follow their diet, and they certainly don’t push themselves in the gym. Ronnie believes if other bodybuilders trained as hard as he did, they might have beaten him at the Mr. Olympia stage!
This attitude applies to everything in life – if you outwork your competition, then you stand a better shot at winning!
Now let’s take a closer look at some of Ronnie Coleman’s most iconic quotes of all time!
Everybody Wants To Be A Bodybuilder Quotes
1. “Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but no one wants to lift heavy ass weights!”
-Ronnie Coleman.
2. “Yeah buddy! Light weight baby!”
-Ronnie Coleman.
3. “When you hit failure, your workout has just begun.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
4. “Ain’t nothin’ but a peanut!”
-Ronnie Coleman.
5. “If you always do what you’ve always done… you’ll always get what you always got.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
6. “I’ve attained my mass basically by training hard and very, very heavy.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
7. “It is a lot of pressure to prepare for Mr. Olympia.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
8. “I work out every body part twice a week, and that is what helps me stay in shape.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
9. “I always train heavy and it worked well for me. Most people would be worried about an injury but if you’re gonna worry about it so much, it’s gonna happen anyway.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
10. “I know that in order for something to work for me, it has to be extremely powerful.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
11. “The gym is one of the few places where I can just be myself without any hindrances and inhibitions.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
12. “Just because your triceps have fallen behind your biceps, doesn’t mean you should back off your triceps workouts.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
13. “I loved challenging myself every day. The weight room was my therapy for everyday life stresses.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
14. “Father time and injuries are tough adversaries.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
15. “I always say to myself right before a tough set in the gym, Ain’t nothin’ to it, but to do it.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
Ronnie Coleman Bodybuilding Quotes
16. “I’ve had quote a few injuries during my time and if you are not injured in this sport [bodybuilding], you are not doing anything.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
17. “You can’t do this if you’re not dedicated and determined and have a strong faith. Because it’s extremely hard, especially trying to work a job and do it.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
18. “Get proper training right from the beginning. It prevents injuries and avoids wasting your time with misdirected effort, which is what most people generally don’t understand. Give it your all from day one.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
19. “Bodybuilding is a hobby. At least for me, it is. I’ve trained since I was 12 or 13 years old. It’s a hobby I just have so much fun with it. I get so much enjoyment from it.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
20. “Hard work and training. There’s no secret formula. I lift heavy, work hard and aim to be the best.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
21. “If you take a hammer and hit something over and over again, it’s gonna be destroyed. I don’t wanna destroy my body cause I want my body to last me as long as it possible can. If you train hard and push it everyday, your body is going to wear out. So I give my body time to recover.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
22. “Just because your triceps have fallen behind your biceps, doesn’t mean you should back off your triceps workouts.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
23. “I never focus on contraction. I’m focusing on my muscle. I’m not focusing on a certain style of lifting or contracting. I’m just trying to get the weight up. I’m trying to build muscle.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
24. “I eat chicken and rice, steak, and baked potato. That’s it.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
25. “I’m focusing on my muscle. I’m just trying to get the weight up. I’m trying to build muscle.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
26. “Bodybuilding is about building your body. Whether you do it to maintain your fitness levels, climb Everest, run the marathon, or be a competitive bodybuilder is up to you.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
27. “I Just take it year by year. So much time is dedicated to doing this that I can’t see having too much time for much else.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
28. “Recovery is not a gift from clinicians, but the responsibility of us all. We must become confident in our own ability to change our lives, we must give up being reliant on others doing everything for us. We must have the confidence to give up being ill so that we can start being recovered.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
29. “The next thing I would have to go with is diet because it is so hard and mentally tough. By comparison, the training is the easiest of them all because it’s my hobby as well as my job.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
30. “There were some tough times and when those came up I just used my mental strength to push through knowing that my mind-controlled everything.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
31. “I’ve been training so long, it’s second nature to push myself to the limit.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
Ronnie Coleman Motivational Quotes
32. “Time to put that secret weapon on.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
33. “I take about 12 weeks to get ready for a show. But I train all year round.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
34. “My biggest competition is always myself. I mean no disrespect, but I do not look at any of the guys as being my competition for the simple reason that I can’t control how they’re going to look. I can only control how I look.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
35. “It’s almost better than winning the lottery because you worked for it. It’s like something you want all your life, but you never thought it would happen, and all of a sudden it did.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
36. “Never underestimate the power of wide-grip pull-ups to develop width and size.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
37. “I love you all. Y’all made me have the best life that a guy could ever have. I could have never done it without you all.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
38. “A day in the life of Ronnie Coleman mainly consists of eating, training or sleeping.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
39. “I quit working in the police force full time only after I won my third Mr. Olympia.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
40. “I want to help the up-and-coming kids. A lot of times, kids don’t have much to do in the summertime. When I was a kid, I didn’t do nothing. I want to get bodybuilding out there, and it will start with the younger generation.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
41. “To have your job as your hobby – life don’t get better than that.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
42. “I’ve been in pain for so long now I’m just used to it.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
43. “As my athletic career was coming to an end in 2007, I asked myself, do I want to work for somebody, or go out and make a difference?”
-Ronnie Coleman.
44. “The time between sets should be short and just long enough so that you are sufficiently recovered to hit the next set hard.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
45. “When you love something as much as I love bodybuilding you don’t have to do much extra to push yourself, it just happens.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
46. “To have your job as your hobby – life don’t get better than that.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
47. “Progress takes time and discipline.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
48. “Eat healthy, sleep well, work hard, train hard, never give up.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
49. “The more I have to do, the better off I am.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
50. “What I’ve always tried to do is pick short-term goals.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
51. “I don’t know how well-known it is, but I had back surgery in ’07, and it took about two years to recover.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
Ronnie Coleman Inspiring Quotes
52. “There’s no secrets or magic tricks to being successful in life. It’s plain and simple. Work harder than everyone else and the only way to do that is to do it. It may sound silly but it’s the truth and there aint nothing to it but to do it!”
-Ronnie Coleman.
53. “It is important to have people believe in you. With this support, what you can achieve is limitless.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
54. “I have fans from every level of the fitness world, whether it’s the elite competitor or just someone living a healthy lifestyle, and it’s been my goal since day one to make sure that my brand has something to offer everyone.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
55. “I’ve been always a big guy – I was much larger and stronger than my peers when I was 13 years old.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
56. “One thing you can’t beat in this world is time. I learnt that the hard way. You can’t play basketball forever. You can’t play football forever. You can’t bodybuild forever. I mean you CAN do it, but not at a high level against younger guys who have more time and have not reached their peaks yet. There’s only so much the body can do and once you’re done, you can’t go back in time.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
57. “No matter what I was doing, I always wanted to be the best.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
58. “I’ve never really considered myself as being the best bodybuilder. I always try to let the people decide that. I just try to do the best I can do at whatever it is that I’m doing.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
59. “Train harder and grow bigger.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
60. “You have to train the best way that is suited to you, a way that will allow you to progress.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
61. “Your body produces a lot less testosterone each and every single year no matter who you are. We are all human, nobody is superhuman.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
62. “I’m a bodybuilder, so we do a lot of stuff on repetition.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
63. “It’s plain and simple. Work harder than everyone else and the only way to do that is to do it. It may sound silly but it’s the truth and there ain’t nothing to it but to do it!”
-Ronnie Coleman.
64. “Different things work for different people.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
65. “I’m always trying to improve on my overall package. Just try to get a little bit harder and maintain the same muscle quality.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
66. “People actually go out of their way and say a prayer for me to do this. That really means a lot. I put my heart and soul, and when they pray it makes me work even harder and harder and harder.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
Ronnie Coleman Funny Quotes
67. “Women really do pay attention to a man’s glutes. A tight, compact ass is often voted even more desirable than a man’s arms or chest. So, if you’re lacking, start squatting!”
-Ronnie Coleman.
68. “Thank god for pure natural strength.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
69. “Time to show ya how it’s gonna be done.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
70. “Where I’m from, Bastrop, Louisiana, you played football, basketball, and baseball; you ran track – and that was about it.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
71. “I’m just normal.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
72. “No dessert. I don’t do dessert.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
73. “It’s all just apples and oranges.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
74. “I was always trying to stay one to two steps ahead of the game.”
-Ronnie Coleman.
75. “Let’s go eat!”
-Ronnie Coleman.
Ronnie Coleman’s Workout Routine
Ronnie Coleman is known for his legendary bodybuilding workouts. He used to lift the 200 pound dumbbells for chest and squat / deadlift 800 pounds!
So what did his training program actually look like? The truth is Ronnie Coleman trained 6 days per week using the following training split:
Ronnie Coleman’s Training Split
- Day 1: Back / Shoulders / Biceps
- Day 2: Legs
- Day 3: Chest / Triceps
- Day 4: Back / Shoulders / Biceps
- Day 5: Legs
- Day 6: Chest / Triceps
- Day 7: Off
Wow – now that is a challenging training split!
Ronnie Coleman liked training this way because he could train each muscle group twice per week. He believed this extra training frequency was the key to building muscle mass as quickly as possible.
Here are some of his sample workouts that you can try. Check it out:
Ronnie Coleman’s Back / Shoulders / Bicep Workout
- Exercise #1: Lat pulldown, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #2: Lat pulldown (behind back), 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #3: Seated cable row, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #4: Lying dumbbell pullover, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #5: Machine curls, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #6: Dumbbell curls, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #7: Standing cable curl, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #8: Dumbbell overhead press, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #9: Machine lateral raise, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #10: Machine overhead press, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #11: Dumbbell front raise, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #12: Cable pull-apart, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #13: Bent-over cable pull-apart, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
Ronnie Coleman’s Legs Workout
- Exercise #1: Back squat, 4 sets of 6-12 reps
- Exercise #2: Leg press, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #3: Leg extension, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #4: Standing leg curl, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #5: Stiff-legged deadlift, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
Ronnie Coleman’s Chest / Triceps Workout
- Exercise #1: Flat dumbbell press, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #2: Incline dumbbell press, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #3: Flat dumbbell fly, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #4: Ez-bar extensions, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #5: Seated dumbbell french press, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
- Exercise #6: Dumbbell kickbacks, 4 sets of 8-20 reps
Talk about some intense workouts! If you are looking for a new training program to shock your body into growth, then you have to give Ronnie Coleman’s workouts a shot.
If you want to read more about Ronnie Coleman’s training program, then check out the following article:
Now let’s take a closer look at Ronnie’s bodybuilding career…
Ronnie Coleman’s Bodybuilding Career
Ronnie Coleman says he loves bodybuilding, and it’s easy to see why!
He was incredibly gifted for the sport, and he ended up dominating the professional bodybuilding scene for a record 8 years in a row.
Here are some of his greatest career accomplishments:
Ronnie Coleman’s Bodybuilding Career Highlights
- 1998 IFBB Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 1999 IFBB Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 1999 IFBB Joe Weider’s Pro World — 1st
- 1999 IFBB Grand Prix England — 1st
- 2000 IFBB Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2000 Grand Prix England — 1st
- 2000 Joe Weider’s Pro World Cup — 1st
- 2001 Arnold Classic — 1st
- 2001 Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2001 New Zealand Grand Prix — 1st
- 2002 Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2003 Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2004 Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2005 Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2006 Mr. Olympia — 2nd
Ronnie Coleman won the prestigious Mr. Olympia contest 8 years in a row from 1998 – 2005, plus a slew of other small shows along the way.
He also won several bodybuilding contests before 1998, but if we listed every competition he competed in it would take up this entire article!
Needless to say, Ronnie Coleman loved training and competing in the sport of bodybuilding.
Ronnie Coleman’s Net Worth
Ronnie Coleman is a very humble man, but he’s also incredibly wealthy!
The truth is Ronnie Coleman is one of the richest bodybuilders in the world with an estimated net worth of $10 million dollars in 2023.
Ronnie Coleman Stats
- Net Worth: $10 Million
- Birthday: May 13th, 1964
- Height: 5 feet 11 inches
- Weight: 300 pounds
- Career: professional bodybuilder
How did Ronnie Coleman make all this money?
The truth is Ronnie Coleman worked as a police officer for most of his adult life.
He also made some money every time he won a bodybuilding competition, and after he retired he started his very own supplement company!
Ronnie Coleman’s Favorite Supplements
Ronnie Coleman understands how important taking the right supplements is for building muscle. He even started his own supplement line to help bodybuilders all over the world reach their physique goals!
But what supplements should you take?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Here are 3 of the best supplements for building muscle:
1. Whey Protein
Whey protein is simply the best supplement in the world for building muscle.
If you’re serious about transforming your physique, then buying a high-quality whey protein supplement is a “no-brainer” decision.
The latest research studies show that whey protein helps you recover from your most intense workouts faster than any other kind of protein, including chicken, beef, eggs, or even casein [1, 2, 3].
Click right here to get started with our #1 favorite whey protein supplement!
2. Pre-Workout
Pre-workout supplements are the gift that keeps on giving.
If you want to have mind-blowing pumps in the gym, and hit personal records on your favorite exercises, then a good pre-workout supplement should be at the top of your list.
They use different ingredients like caffeine, citrulline malate, and creatine to give you endless energy and mind-blowing pumps [4, 5, 6].
Click right here to get started with our #1 favorite pre-workout supplement!
3. Essential Amino Acids
Essential amino acids are as good as it gets when your goal is building muscle!
Many bodybuilding coaches like John Meadows and Milos Sarcev found their physiques went to a completely different level when they started using essential amino acids during and after their workouts.
Indeed, the latest research studies show that taking essential amino acids around your workout reduces muscle protein breakdown and helps you build muscle mass WAY faster [7, 8, 9]!
Click right here to get started with our #1 favorite essential amino acids supplement!
Ronnie Coleman Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Ronnie Coleman:
Is Ronnie Coleman On Crutches?
Words words words
Ronnie Coleman sometimes uses crutches to walk around in his everyday life. He says the crutches help relieve some of the pain in his spine, as he recently had multiple surgeries in his spine.
How Did Ronnie Coleman Get Injured?
Ronnie Coleman suffered from several injuries during his professional bodybuilding career. He ended up getting more than a dozen surgeries to relieve pain in his spine, and fortunately it looks like Ronnie is mostly pain-free again!
Where Does Ronnie Coleman Live?
Ronnie Coleman lives in the great state of Texas in the United States (Arlington, more specifically).
What Is Ronnie Coleman’s Height And Weight?
Ronnie Coleman is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed as much as 300 pounds at the peak of his bodybuilding career.
Is Ronnie Coleman Natural?
Ronnie Coleman used performance enhancing drugs during his professional bodybuilding career, which means he is definitely not natural.
References
- Duarte NM, Cruz AL, Silva DC, Cruz GM. Intake of whey isolate supplement and muscle mass gains in young healthy adults when combined with resistance training: a blinded randomized clinical trial (pilot study). J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2020 Jan;60(1):75-84. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.09741-X. Epub 2019 Sep 23. PMID: 31565912.
- Park Y, Park HY, Kim J, Hwang H, Jung Y, Kreider R, Lim K. Effects of whey protein supplementation prior to, and following, resistance exercise on body composition and training responses: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. J Exerc Nutrition Biochem. 2019 Jun 30;23(2):34-44. doi: 10.20463/jenb.2019.0015. PMID: 31337204; PMCID: PMC6651693.
- West DWD, Abou Sawan S, Mazzulla M, Williamson E, Moore DR. Whey Protein Supplementation Enhances Whole Body Protein Metabolism and Performance Recovery after Resistance Exercise: A Double-Blind Crossover Study. Nutrients. 2017 Jul 11;9(7):735. doi: 10.3390/nu9070735. PMID: 28696380; PMCID: PMC5537849.
- Kaczka P, Batra A, Kubicka K, Maciejczyk M, Rzeszutko-Bełzowska A, Pezdan-Śliż I, Michałowska-Sawczyn M, Przydział M, Płonka A, Cięszczyk P, Humińska-Lisowska K, Zając T. Effects of Pre-Workout Multi-Ingredient Supplement on Anaerobic Performance: Randomized Double-Blind Crossover Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 9;17(21):8262. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17218262. PMID: 33182295; PMCID: PMC7664913.
- Curtis J, Evans C, Mekhail V, Czartoryski P, Santana JC, Antonio J. The Effects of a Pre-workout Supplement on Measures of Alertness, Mood, and Lower-Extremity Power. Cureus. 2022 May 10;14(5):e24877. doi: 10.7759/cureus.24877. PMID: 35702476; PMCID: PMC9179939.
- Curtis J, Evans C, Mekhail V, Czartoryski P, Santana JC, Antonio J. The Effects of a Pre-workout Supplement on Measures of Alertness, Mood, and Lower-Extremity Power. Cureus. 2022 May 10;14(5):e24877. doi: 10.7759/cureus.24877. PMID: 35702476; PMCID: PMC9179939.
- Church DD, Hirsch KR, Park S, Kim IY, Gwin JA, Pasiakos SM, Wolfe RR, Ferrando AA. Essential Amino Acids and Protein Synthesis: Insights into Maximizing the Muscle and Whole-Body Response to Feeding. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 2;12(12):3717. doi: 10.3390/nu12123717. PMID: 33276485; PMCID: PMC7760188.
- Wolfe RR. Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Aug 22;14:30. doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0184-9. PMID: 28852372; PMCID: PMC5568273.
- Santos CS, Nascimento FEL. Isolated branched-chain amino acid intake and muscle protein synthesis in humans: a biochemical review. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2019 Sep 5;17(3):eRB4898. doi: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2019RB4898. PMID: 31508659; PMCID: PMC6718193.
