Joe Rogan Experience #1489 — Ronnie Coleman Transcript

Transcript

0:00 One. Mr. Coleman. It was crazy to see. because I got in bodybuilding real late. You know, where I'm from, we didn't have it, and I was on the powerlifting team. You can work on it and get better at it, Oh, that Game of Thrones He's an enormous human being, though. And, you know, it was just something that I think I was kind of born with a little bit, you know,

3:03 You got a cast on. Damn, you were big. So I put on a little bit more weight as i got on up there but is it one of those things where you just kind of have to keep up with everybody else and everybody just I mean, it wasn't a lot to me, you know, but if somebody, you know, normal tried to eat it, it'd probably be a lot. Really? Oh, really? I was 0.33.

5:44 How does a human get that low? So 3% was a high? That's good in fat. 3% body fat real good in fat. That's good in fat. Yeah, you were big, man. row yeah they're telling you you're getting too big yeah getting too big ronnie take it down a It's really just taste, right? 04 is the number seven. Like the Hulk is working for the Avengers. Break it down a notch.

8:59 No, it's not. I think you see that picture right there. Yeah, yeah, pretty much. I worked out with me and the chief and some other guys. this idea that one day that was this a dream no no no i i did it because the guy gave me a free Yeah, I was 24. Really? That's the biggest they got. Yeah. 91, yeah. I won the first one in 98. So I didn't really need money from bodybuilding.

12:53 So what did you do? First Olympia? Yeah. And I graduated with honors and all that kind of stuff. Uh-huh. So two years later, okay, I'm done. the interviews I went on, I can't believe that you didn't really get serious until after you won Mr. Olympia. And just the intensity and thinking, this guy's doing this for 12 weeks straight. When you won the first Mr. Olympia, how old were you then?

16:39 No, no. I was four. part, it's a lot of high reps with I squatted, I went up to like 600. you've also, since then, you've had a bunch of surgeries. 13 so far. And what started I guess it just got So I didn't have surgery or nothing like and then you hurt something else? And how are those now? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Does it give you any pause at all knowing that you've been through all these surgeries?

21:22 Yeah, but as long as I'm doing what I love doing, I'm okay. of get used to it and doesn't really bother you that's why you know i'm imagining that you have a I lost a little strength, and that's why that disc snapped on me like that. In like an hour My back is still hurting Yeah, it was that bad. Well, So I stayed at home I was getting ready for a show.

24:26 that's the most i could do for 10 reps you know wow 10 to 12 reps so i'm like okay this is good And a whole lot of pain. Yeah. I was good for a while. Yeah. Yeah. So it just kind of went bad on me again, and I had to have another surgery. That was back in like 2008, 2009, somewhere in there. And that's kind of what happened. All of them. Yeah. Neck and back.

28:15 What does that feel like? fused yeah it's always something though you know yeah yeah when you an athlete I've gotten used to it now. But, you know, after being up for so long, my legs get real weak. I mean, you know, maybe one day they'll come out with something that'll help get it stronger. Let me see if Dr. Reardon, he'd been in here before with Mel Gibson, and he was talking about Mel Gibson's dad.

31:15 think it'll do me a lot of good so is it there's scar tissue around the nerves that's pushing So it's a cage around your spine? Yeah, pretty much. Where is it at? it like hey this is the the price that i paid to be a legend yeah i look at it like, hey, I'm still alive and I can still work out every day. I'm only like 250 now. You got anything, Jamie?

33:47 Yeah, they're about three inches long, two to three inches long. And what does the doctor say about that stuff? Would that be possible that if they did that, it would alleviate some of the pinching on your nerves? Oh, boy. called regenikine have you ever heard of regenikine no they invented it down in uh germany and uh a within two weeks and then now there's no no bulging disc at all I went back

36:51 Well, I would wonder what would help you, like stem cells and getting those screws out. That's why I went to the doctor because they said after about a couple years, everything would be... seems like it, though. too. If possible. In Fort Worth, Texas. And that gave me a lot of problems. put in so many discs. Put in so many screws. No, no. I remember getting off the plane in Russia

40:02 And how far out from the surgery was this? Dr. Reardon, his office is in Dallas. And a guy who is the level of athlete that you were when you were in your prime. I don't want to guarantee, but he's a real expert in stem cells and the benefits of stem cells. I'm taking them to Burger King every day. you're just walking on these crutches They've become my best friend.

42:40 I got lazy. Like, you feel better because you're not traveling all the time. Wow. I didn't get jet lag after a while. So when you would land somewhere, would you just immediately work out? When I land, I go to the gym. So by the time I get to where I'm going, you know, I'm all rested up. the gym I worked at there's no AC so I was drenched every day after work

45:34 Yeah, I did blood work probably like three times a year. There's a whole— That was about it. Lean steak, you know, like filet mignon. I had that in the room when I got back. Really? Because I felt I needed it. kind of stuff. Is it weird to make that And then January, start back up. So you just had it down to a science. That's still difficult to do.

49:16 Yeah? Yeah. A lot of crazy people. 15 years. back then, at least me. Well, one time I got in trouble. So that was the only time that I really got, you know, So that report that I wrote on that use of force complaint, they used that report to train recruits. And I was very, very confident. nobody never run to their fights You're 300 pounds. I didn't expect it then.

53:32 You need the police. I've never needed it, but I went on a lot of calls yeah well I If you get 100 people in a room, just 100 random people in the room, what are the odds that one of them is a fucking idiot? They're bullies. They're mean. It all depends on where you are, I think. I can see it. Yeah. Yeah. Everything that's wrong. Yeah. not writing enough

56:50 Yeah, that doesn't make sense. You know, that's more tickets, you know. Arlington Police Department? Because, you know, a couple guys I worked with, they got in trouble once, and they're like, no more? You are out. good to the people in the state. So they want people educated, respectful, do a good job. I mean it's real sad yeah i mean i feel like defunding is just going to make it worse make it worse yeah and make it

1:00:16 should be trained the same way the military's trained and that that way they weed out the And you're gonna, you can't suck at being a cop. Are you still in touch with all the guys in the force that you worked with? They must have really enjoyed having a guy like you as a cop on the force. Oh, what the fuck is that? And then after you'd win, you'd come back?

1:02:27 Oh, I see. There's always a disturbance. Right. Yeah. So he adopted. That's where I'm from. he adopted this fake Louisiana accent, like real heavy. But it was a real cop. Look at him. And sometimes I would have a guy just follow me the whole shift. Yeah of course. What'd you learn? they must have felt like they were made out of pillows. Bad in the sense that, you know, I missed out on a lot of action.

1:05:55 Contact. but you never did it. Yeah. Look at the size of you. And the highest I ever got was 3%. That's so crazy. Yeah, there you go. That's hilarious. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, yeah. I had a lot of fun lifting all that hard training is done to your body. Yeah, yeah. All the fun I had in the gym. I had a lot of fun lifting all that heavy weight. You know, when you're pulling from the floor, you know, gravity.

1:09:33 And I put it up and I'm like, oh man, I could How much? 2,300. Yeah, I had to bring out a calculator to add it up This is so ridiculous Yeah. I'm a Eight. 50 of them. How are your knees right now? I mean, basic. What kind of steroids would they give you a prescription for? See, I didn't know what that was when I was a kid. So was this while you were doing Mr. Olympia?

1:13:53 I don't think they got the heat on the guys now like that now. Yeah. Because otherwise they'd put you in jail. Yeah, yeah. No. They're not gifted for it. Yeah, exactly. I don't have any health problems besides the back. like tons of stuff. Dorian Yates said basically Besides my back surgery and neck surgery, I'm all good. I didn't take anything or nothing.

1:16:51 Yeah, I mean, obviously, there's no way you could take all, you know. know seven eight hundred naturally wow so you basically kept a lot of your gains. Exactly. Yeah. to some supplement that they were selling No, it's definitely not going to do that. People are not stupid. like marketing bad stuff you know right yeah but there were some guys that would just say well

1:19:52 What? Yeah. Yeah. Huge. Flex had won major contests and was a real experienced bodybuilder at the time. Night and day and your ability to work, to put in work? Yeah, the way I looked. Yeah, well. But, you know, that was something I loved to do. Really? And I had all these jobs, too. Yeah, my first one. Yeah. It's the perfect storm. I'm like, I don't, I'm not.

1:25:00 Everybody was just big to me. Isn't that crazy looking back? Right. Well, I think that mindset, too, is the only way you become a champion like yourself. I only enjoy it now. And once you get there, you found the formula. You know, look at all those. Yeah. like that's the same thing but same thing does the nutritionist maintain your schedule for your

1:27:58 You can only do what you can do. what do I have to do to be like you? He taught me how to train as a bodybuilder and not a powerlifter. basics yeah and then from then on it was all you yeah i had to get other trainers and nutritionists. Just one? Yeah. Just one long workout? You felt like it was too much? Wow. I'm just thinking you're so big. So this is just to burn off the fat. Yeah, exactly.

1:31:03 Well, you get used to it after a while, you know. Yeah. No, no. I want to connect you to him and wish you the best of luck. Yeah, Buddy. And my book is called Yeah, Buddy, one of my favorite sayings. We got 25, 30 different products. Thank you for having me on.