The moments just before Ronnie Coleman hit his rear lat spread and rear double biceps were contest highlights, as ridges and knots roamed and stripes and crevices emerged, morphing his back into a new and spectacular landscape each time he moved his arms. At his best, his back was like a great symphony orchestra, big and booming, sometimes overwhelming, and yet each finely tuned part played its role precisely.
On his way to a record-tying 8 Mr. Olympia victories, Coleman continually set a new precedent in back muscle and displayed an unrivaled combination of size and detail. The often-used claim, “contests are won from behind” was never more true during Ronnie’s reign as King of the Olympia. And every grainy ounce of muscle was earned with heavyweight and hard work.
Try Big Ron’s twice-per-week training program and build a legendary back of your own…
Ronnie Coleman‘S BACK WORKOUT
THICKNESS WORKOUT
- Deadlifts | SETS: 4 | REPS: 6-12
- Barbell Rows | SETS: 3 | REPS: 10-12
- T-Bar Rows | SETS: 3 | REPS: 10-12
- 1-Arm Dumbbell Row | SETS: 3 | REPS: 10-12
WIDTH WORKOUT
- Barbell Rows | SETS: 5 | REPS: 10-12
- Seated Cable Row | SETS: 4 | REPS: 10-12
- Lever Machine Pulldown | SETS: 3 | REPS: 10-12
- Front Pulldown (underhand) | SETS: 3 | REPS: 10-12
Note: Coleman alternates the thickness workout and the width workout, doing both each week.
