'NO REGRETS'
What happened to Ronnie Coleman?
COUNTING muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger as his competition, Ronnie Coleman changed the face of bodybuilding forever.
But his glittering career came at quite the price - and has changed his life forever.
Ronnie Dean Coleman hails from Monroe, Louisiana, where he was born on May 13, 1964.
He began to play football as a middle linebacker with the GSU Tigers while he attended Grambling State University studying accounting.
The graduate relocated to Texas but failed to find work as an accountant and was forced to work at Domino's Pizza instead.
Ronnie recalled how he would sneakily munch on orders as he couldn't afford food at the time.
But he soon managed to move on, and became a police officer in Arlington from 1989 to 2000.
After being invited to attend the Metroflex gym by his fellow officer Gustavo Arlotta, the cop's new career path began to emerge.
The owner of the facility, amateur bodybuilder Brian Dobson, offered Ronnie a free lifetime membership if he allowed him to train him for the upcoming 1990 Mr Texas bodybuilding competition.
The then-26-year-old police officer accepted and went on to win in both the heavyweight and overall categories, defeating Dobson himself.
It was the start of his budding bodybuilding career, that saw him become a household name across America.
After gaining notoriety with his huge physique and extreme workouts, Ronnie continued to compete as a bodybuilder.
But his first big break only came in 1998 when he earned his first Mr Olympia win - which catapulted him to stardom.
He earned a string of product endorsements and traveled the world to promote them, becoming a well-known public figure in the US.
The professional sportsman enjoyed shocking his audience as well as using free weights, and combined the two to boost his profile.
Ronnie became renowned for competing as a powerlifter and bodybuilder, completing squats and deadlifts with 800lb weights.
But his draining and daring training eventually took a toll on his body - forcing him to undergo several serious procedures.
The bodybuilding icon has had two hip replacements alongside various attempts to alleviate chronic pain due to his damaged intervertebral discs.
The painful injury is caused when a rubbery disk between your spinal bones pushes through the casing, causing pain, numbness, and even paralysis.
Some of his surgeries - which totaled up to millions of dollars - had such poor outcomes that Ronnie may never be able to walk unassisted again.
The strapping star has lost a lot of his mobility and has to use a wheelchair to travel long distances at the age of just 58.
But he still doesn't regret his radical workout regime and "would do it all over again" if he had the chance.
Ronnie even joked he wished he had done four reps instead of two when squatting 800lbs, saying it "is the only regret in my career".
He has continued to train despite his health woes to try and prevent muscle loss, but can only lift light weights now.
Throughout his illustrious bodybuilding career, Ronnie won a string of competitions - and even kept one crown for eight years in a row.
The strongman's genetics and superhuman proportions made him a memorable contestant, earning him the nickname 'The King'.
He won the top spot in the following competitions:
Mr Texas (Heavyweight & Overall) 1990
World Amateur Championships (Heavyweight) 1991
Canada Pro Cup 1995 and 1996
Grand Prix Russia 1997
Toronto Invitational 1998
Mr. Olympia from 1998 - 2005
World Pro Championships 1999
Grand Prix England 1999
World Pro Championships 2000
Grand Prix New Zealand 2001
Grand Prix Holland 2002
Grand Prix Russia 2003
Grand Prix England, Holland, Russia 2004
In 2001, Ronnie became the first man to win both the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia titles the same year.
His most noticeable achievement is winning eight Mr. Olympia titles consecutively from 1998 to 2005, as well as achieving first place in 26 IFBB professional titles.
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