|
"RONNIE
COLEMAN - THE UNBELIEVABLE"
In
1996, Dorian Yates set a new standard for bodybuilding training
videos with the release of his hard-core tape "Blood and
Guts". It's only fitting that the video that raises that
standard should come from Dorian's successor to the throne of
Mr. Olympia, none other than Ronnie Coleman himself.
In
"Ronnie Coleman - The Unbelievable", Mitsuru Okabe has
collaborated with the 3 Time Mr. Olympia to create the most incredible
display of brutal, hard-core training ever witnessed. After viewing
the tape for the first time, I had to question if Coleman is even
human because the workouts he performs only 5 weeks away from
the 2000 Mr. Olympia contest are anything but.
Mike
Quinn once commented that his competitors have to beat him in
the gym first if they wanted to beat him on stage. If this is
true, I can't imagine anyone beating Ronnie Coleman for a long,
long time because I sincerely doubt if anyone is putting out the
kind of intensity and effort that he is.
The
video chronicles a week of Coleman's preparation for the Mr. Olympia
contest. A true training tape, it includes four workout sessions
that cover every bodypart. The video begins with a delts and trap
training session. Ronnie states that his goal while training for
the Mr. Olympia is to use the same poundages that he routinely
uses in the off-season even though he is limiting the amount of
calories and carbs that he normally takes in.
During
his deltoid workout, Coleman easily performs Seated Military Presses
with 315 pounds for 12 reps. After the basics are out of the way,
Ronnie demonstrates his version of Giant Sets as he applies them
to the Side Lateral Raise exercise. His incredible delts look
like oversized coconuts as he pumps them up with set after set.
The workout concludes with 200 pounds Dumbbell Shrugs as he trains
those massive traps that threaten to reach up and touch his ears.
After
the workout, we watch as Ronnie gets ready for work as a police
officer with the Arlington, Texas police department. The sight
of the 285 pound Mr. Olympia as he arrives at a domestic disturbance
is hilarious. Having Ronnie arrive at your door has to be quite
a sobering experience.
Coleman's
dedication is evident as he works his training and diet around
his work schedule. He is on the treadmill for an hour when he
wakes up at 7am and then again when he gets home from a long day
at work at midnight. In between, he can be seen eating his home-cooked
chicken in the squad car as he attempts to get his meals in on
time.
The
second workout on the tape is an incredible back training session.
Beginning with Deadlifts, Ronnie warms up with several sets before
displaying world-class powerlifting strength as he pulls a gargantuan
805 pounds off the floor for 2 reps! Has this ever been done by
a bodybuilder before, let alone 5 weeks out from a contest?? Barbell
Rows with 495 pounds are performed next with relative ease considering
they are done after the Deadlifts. Wait, he's not finished yet!
Rows with the end of the barbell in the corner finish the workout.
We watch in amazement as he rams up 12 plates (540 pounds)for
an amazing 9 reps! Ronnie delivers the most quotable line in the
video as he states, "Everybody want to be a bodybuilder but
don't nobody want to lift no heavy ass weights!"
The
next workout on the video is for chest and triceps. Everyone knows
how strong Chris Cormier is in the gym. I recall watching the
"Road to the Olympia 99" tape and being very impressed
when Chris did 5 shaky reps with 200 pound dumbbells on the Dumbbell
Bench Press exercise. You can imagine how amazed I was when Coleman
manhandles the same weight for an easy 12 reps. I'm telling you,
this guy is not human!
All
of Coleman's workouts take place in the Metroplex Gym in his hometown.
After seeing so many of bodybuilding's "superstars"
with their support "teams" working out in some of the
most glamorous gyms in the country, I was shocked to see Mr. Olympia
himself training alone in a hard-core gym with NO support and
NO help. Ronnie doesn't even have a training partner throughout
the tape and he often has to call for gym owner Brian Dobson to
come from behind the front desk to give him a spot. Of course,
that doesn't stop him from performing some of the most mind-blowing
workouts ever as he prepares to win another Olympia title.
The
video concludes with a leg workout that has to be seen to be believed.
A true proponent of basic exercises and heavy training, Ronnie
demonstrates what intensity is all about as he begins with the
Front Squat exercise. In what has to be some of the most incredible
training footage ever filmed, Coleman pumps out reps in the Front
Squat with 585 pounds! You will watch in amazement as the bar
bends under the strain of the weight and Ronnie's head looks like
it's going to pop off from the tension. After 4 reps, Ronnie drops
the bar but comes back in the next set to pump out an easy 10
reps with a mere 495 pounds.
Super
heavy Hack Squats are next and Ronnie wraps up the workout by
doing Walking Barbell Lunges in the parking lot of the gym. Coleman
looks like a modern-day Hercules as he toils under the hot summer
sun walking the length of the parking lot with 185 pounds on his
shoulders.
Even
more amazing than Ronnie Coleman's strength and physique is his
attitude and character. There is never a hint of self-pity or
despair during this incredible display of superhuman workouts.
Ronnie truly loves bodybuilding and I could not imagine him any
happier than he is when he is lifting heavy weights and pumping
up. Throughout the video, he routinely lets out exultations of
"Light Weight!" and "Yeah buddy!" as he psychs
up to lift these incredible poundages.
The
video concludes with Ronnie's tribute to gym owner Brian Dobson.
He touchingly refers to Dobson as his own personal "angel".
Ronnie states that he believes everyone has a purpose in life
and his purpose was to be Mr. Olympia. When Brian Dobson approached
Ronnie in 1989 and offered him a free gym membership if he would
enter a bodybuilding contest, he set into motion a series of events
that have culminated with Ronnie Coleman as 3 time Mr. Olympia
winner and one of the biggest and most intense bodybuilders on
the planet. We should all be thankful!
This
is what Ronnie Coleman himself had to say about my review of the
video.
 Wow
John that was one incredible review, it brought tears to my eyes,
I'm surely gonna frame it when it comes out in the Magazine. Thanks
a whole lot bro, I really and truly do appreciate that you appreciate
the hard work and dedication that went into making that video.
I did have a lot of fun making it and now I know it was well worth
it from that review.
Ronnie
Visit Ronnie
Colemans Website at www.BigRonColeman.com
|
