Lessons Ronnie Coleman Taught Me

He is considered the greatest bodybuilder of all time. He started working out because someone offered him a free membership to the gym. He is considered the freakiest and inspirational Mr Olympia of all time with 8 straight wins. He was once the winningest bodybuilder with 26 pro wins. His workouts are legendary and coined so many fantastic terms such as: “lightweight baby. It ain't nothing but a peanut. Yeah, buddy. Ain’t no way through it but to do it. Where there is a will, there is a way, no matter what time of day - get stuck in and do it. And of course “Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder but nobody wants to lift no heavy ass weights.” His name is Ronnie The King Coleman and here are some of the lessons we can learn from him.

Don’t complain - work

“I didn’t cry, complain or get mad. I just kept doing what I kept doing and I got better at what I was doing.”

Ronnie Coleman is known for his sickening work ethic, not just his genetics. He also loves the sport of bodybuilding and he underpins it by not complaining but working. In the sport, in the early 2000s, there were contentions on the prize money that top Olympia competitors would earn. Those who placed low in the show wouldn’t get much but those who got good placings didn’t. Now during an Olympia conference, this was raised again and again and Ronnie got tired and said the following:

“Nothing is ever going to be perfect. From day one we have been arguing over this and arguing over that. It’s always going to be a problem. In 1992, I didn’t place at all at the Olympia. I didn’t get a dime. I didn’t get a dollar. I didn’t complain. I994, I didn’t complain when I got 15th. 1995, I didn’t complain when I got 11th. 1996, I didn’t complain when I got 6th. 1997 I didn’t complain when I got 9th. The moral of the story is, why complain? If you have a problem with the sport you are competing in. If you want to do something different then don’t compete. I didn’t cry, complain or get mad. I just kept doing what I kept doing. And I got better at what I kept doing and I beat y'all. That’s why I beat y'all. Just keep complaining and maybe one day you’ll learn like the little kid that complaining is not going to get you anywhere than where you are now. In second place.”

This was considered savage but true from Ronnie. I believe he was right: there are many languages in the world and he chose to be fluent in straight facts. Conditions may not always be favourable for you. You may not be getting the pay, opportunity or breaks you want or need. When this happens, you can be a victim, throw your hands in the air and complain. A more mature and productive approach is to keep putting in the hard and focused work. If complaining worked, then you’d hear more stories of people only complaining. Facts are, how much work you put in, will yield the results you need. Ronnie went from not placing at the Olympia to winning for eight straight years. Why? He didn’t complain - he worked. No one cares if all you do is cry and complain.

Keep the why simple

“Hard work and training. There’s no secret formula. I lift heavy, work hard and aim to be the best.”

Ronnie always loved working out, powerlifting and pushing his body to the limits. When he started lifting, he was working at fast-food restaurants and was quite broke. A friend saw his body potential and challenged him to enter a show. Ronnie was hesitant until he was made an offer he couldn’t refuse: free membership to the gym. Ronnie’s why he wanted a free gym membership, coupled with the love for working out. In the gruelling sport of bodybuilding, you sacrifice a lot to get great results. There will be times things don’t go your way and it is your simple why that will keep you going. Ronnie once lost a show to a smaller competitor, wanted to quit and then remembered that he would lose his free membership to the gym.

Complexity is the enemy of execution. The simpler something is, the easier it is to keep you going. Keep your why simple.

You have to put in the work

“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder but nobody wants to lift no heavy ass weights.”

This is one of Ronnie's most quoted lines. What this means is that many people want to be good but they don’t want to put in the work. Some people think they can lift a few weights, diet every now and then and then after a few months you become world-class. But it’s not like that; you have to work and work hard. You need to work out twice a day, have regimented meals and sleeping patterns and you need to be consistent for years. You will have to miss out on parties and family functions. You will need coaches and constantly improve. Success is not possible without consistent hard work. Messi worked really hard day in day out for 17 years to become a GOAT. Elon Musk worked 100 hours a week. Ronnie trained really hard and really heavy for well over 20 years before he won his first Olympia. 

Don’t cry for a result you didn’t work for. You have to put in the work.

Make adjustments

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.”

There was a time when Ronnie wasn’t winning any major shows. He was placing lowly in the Olympia and losing to those who had less time in the game than he was. His techniques and regimen were not working. That is when he asked for advice from others who were winning, and they taught him the adjustments in mindset, enhancements and training. Once he incorporated those adjustments, it was game over for the sport and his dominance began. This is the 2mm theory, which says the minor adjustments will get you major results. Ronnie used the 2mm theory to make adjustments and become better.

Your next breakthrough is probably 2mm away. A top surgeon noted that the difference between someone beautiful and not so beautiful is 2mm. It is the small daily adjustments you make to when you wake up, how you speak, the calls you make and the relationships you have. Make the adjustments, and let people help you make the adjustments if you need a breakthrough.

Dominate to such a point that everyone knows your name

“The bible was wrong. On the seventh day, God didn’t rest. On the seventh day, God created Ronnie Coleman.”

“Ronnie! Unbeatable at his best, nobody beats Ronnie.”

Dexter Jackson is the winningest bodybuilder with 29 pro show wins and competed at a high level well into his 50s. He, therefore, knows a lot of bodybuilding knowledge and he said about Ronnie: “Ronnie is the most dominant bodybuilder in history. Backstage, competing against him..he was a monster. Ronnie will beat anyone in any era.” He also said, “Ronnie is unbeatable at his best - nobody is beating Ronnie.” At the height of his powers, at the Olympia, the conversation was not about who will win but who will be second. All competitors showed up to lose at the show. Jay Cutler, his greatest rival, was feeling confident one year and was the biggest name in bodybuilding. During the 2003 Olympia, Jay saw Ronnie backstage and then he said ‘ah snap,’ he knew it was over. Flex Wheeler, another legend, said ‘I was keeping people off my butt for second place because I knew there was nothing I could do about it...At least I can say that I shared the stage with the greatest bodybuilder of all time.” Ronnie’s dominance is hallmarked by the greatest bodybuilders calling him the greatest bodybuilder of all time. “If you can’t go to the place where he is willing to go and train and do what he does, then you don’t have a chance against him,” said Kevin Levrone.

Dominance is having more power and influence in a specific sphere than others. This comes from separating yourself from others but operating at a higher and different frequency than others over a sustained period of time. Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Apple, Google and Amazon have dominance to such a point that everyone knows your name. Whether or not you get to that point, work so much, for so long and so well that your name will be known for dominance.

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