Eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman had a special guest enter his gym to train chests and triceps under his expert guidance: 2022 New York Pro champion Blessing Awodibu. The workout consisted of three chest exercises and two triceps exercises, combining free weights and machines:
Push Day Training
- Flat Dumbbell Press
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Panatta Chest Press Machine
- Dip Machine
- Cable Overhead Extension
The 60-year-old Coleman used much less weight than the 200-pound dumbbells he used during his prime. He still, however, posted sets of 20 reps. Awodibu stayed in the 10-15 rep range for most of his sets.
Awodibu is training for hypertrophy. Coleman focused on range of motion and endurance. Both of which are beneficial for building muscle. (1) Range of motion was the most significant differentiator between Coleman and Awodibu’s training.
Coleman kept his range of motion short and rarely locked out. On Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Coleman said this methodology was purposeful because it maintained tension on the working muscle.
Awodibu used a greater range of motion and briefly paused at the bottom of his reps, which has been shown to help maximize hypertrophy (2). He maintained constant, methodic control throughout.
Awodibu took the entire 2024 season off but intends to compete during the 2025 season to qualify for the 2025 Mr. Olympia contest, though he did not share which shows he’s considering. He has not been on the Olympia stage since 2022.
Coleman is on a quest to walk without crutches. After retiring from the competitive stage, he had to use a wheelchair for several years following a dozen-plus surgeries.
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References
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D. W., & Plotkin, D. L. (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 9(2), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032
- Pallarés, J. G., Hernández-Belmonte, A., Martínez-Cava, A., Vetrovsky, T., Steffl, M., & Courel-Ibáñez, J. (2021). Effects of range of motion on resistance training adaptations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 31(10), 1866–1881. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14006
Featured Image: @ronniecoleman8 on Instagram
