The Most Detailed History Of How Ronnie Coleman Discovered Bodybuilding

Ronnie Coleman goes into play-by-play detail on how he discovered bodybuilding, turned pro, and became Mr. Olympia.

GI VAULT – is an extension of our GI Exclusive interviews. The difference? These interviews come straight out of the Generation Iron vault from the cutting room floor of our feature film documentaries. With over hours of interview footage that doesn’t make it into our final films, we’re now releasing them out into the world.

Ronnie Coleman’s legendary rise into an 8x Mr. Olympia champion is well known at this point. Everyone knows he was a cop, everyone knows he started off placing low, and everyone knows the story of his sudden explosion and rise to legendary status. But the true insights come from the details.

That’s why we are releasing this full extended uncut segment from the cutting room floor of Ronnie Coleman: The King. In this GI Exclusive Vault interview, Ronnie Coleman goes into extreme detail play-by-play on how he discovered bodybuilding, went pro, and became Mr. Olympia.

There’s no better way to hear the story of Ronnie Coleman than straight from the horse’s mouth. Many of the broad strokes of Ronnie’s history are already known. But to hear Ronnie speak about it himself reveals many details that provide deeper insight into the man behind the 8x Mr. Olympia champion.

That’s why we decided to release this uncut extended clip that ranges at just under 30 minutes. It’s a long, detailed, play-by-play from Ronnie Coleman. He explains how he first discovered lifting, eventually found Metroflex Gym and bodybuilding, went pro, and worked through low placings to eventually rise up and become Mr. Olympia.

Ronnie provides little asides, details, and funny stories along the way from how he first started training for a free gym membership all the way to sharing swigs of Vodka with Kevin Levrone before a pro show. It’s a humanized look at a bodybuilder that is often seen as larger than life.

The best part about this epic retelling of Ronnie Coleman’s start in bodybuilding is Ronnie’s personality. Ronnie’s positive attitude has been spoken about at length in previous GI Exclusive Vault releases – and that attitude remains in this 30 minute history lesson. No matter the highs or lows of his story, Ronnie always tell sit with a smile on his face.

For those bodybuilding fans who are obsessed with the history of the sport, this oral history of Ronnie Coleman’s rise in bodybuilding is a treasure trove of fascinating facts. Through the pain and the glory, Ronnie Coleman will always be Ronnie Coleman. These little details in his story add up to pain the perfect picture of the true iconic legend that we know today.

You can watch Ronnie Coleman’s full oral history of his start in bodybuilding by watching the GI Exclusive Vault interview segment above. You can also watch Ronnie Coleman: The King on digital today. Click here or the banner below to stream or download!