Ronnie Coleman believes he is more popular now than during his career due to social media.
Ronnie Coleman is a bodybuilding legend that has remained active in retirement. Coleman has created successful social media platforms since ending his competitive days. Recently, he spoke on the impact that social media has had on bodybuilding today.
“I’m more popular now than I was when I was winning the Olympia because of social media and I’m more busy now than when I was Mr. eight-time Olympia.”
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Coleman professional debut was in 1991 at the IFBB World Amateur Championships and his first win as a professional was at the 1995 Canada Pro Cup. Then after his first place win at the Canada Pro Cup, Coleman’s meteoric rise to fame could not be stopped. He currently holds the record for most wins of the Mr. Olympia title (8 times, tied with Lee Haney) and the most overall wins for any IFBB professional (26 wins).
Coleman continued to discuss today’s era of bodybuilding compared to his days on stage.
Ronnie Coleman Talks Social Media & Bodybuilding
Ronnie Coleman competed in a time before social media. Now, it has made an impact on the sport as a whole.
“Back when we competed, there was so much competition. There was no social media and we basically made our money by competing and stepping on stage and we did. You had to be in great condition because everybody was in great condition because everyone was competing for the top spot where the money was.”
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Because of this, competitors have more opportunities to make money using their physiques off stage. The IFBB Pro League has attempted to persuade competitors to compete in more shows by upping prize pools. Coleman explained how he used to compete at a high level many times during the year.
“They have a whole lot more ways of making money. They don’t have to step on stage like we did back in the day. I mean, there were times where I would do, in a year, seven shows on the tour. I did the Olympia, I did the Grand Prix show. There were sometimes that I did 10-12 shows a year.”
Ronnie Coleman has found great success in multiple avenues over the course of his career. Since his competitive days are done, Coleman has been able to communicate with fans and share his different thoughts, workouts, and opinions via social media.
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