Ronnie Coleman Is Awake! – IronMag Bodybuilding & Fitness Blog

by Christian Duque

The world of bodybuilding and fitness can take a sigh of relief as The Big Nasty is finally awake. His condition remains ‘delicate’ and his family continues to ask for well wishes. Initially it was rumored to be a blood condition, but very little information is known about this. The one thing that we can all say is that we are very happy to hear that the 8x Mr Olympia continues to fight and is showing signs of improvement. But without any real information, many of us are left to speculate. And this is the reason why I had not written an article as of yet. Of course, my heart goes out to Coleman and to his family, but content creators are circling above – like vultures. He is perhaps the greatest bodybuilder of all times and he is a champion that really, truly grew the sport. Very few champions did it like Ronnie did.

A lot of the bodybuilders of today are clockwatchers. They want to get in and get out, make their money, and go about their day. Guys like Ronnie really made the fans feel special and that went a long way. And that catering to the fans didn’t stop when Coleman hung up the trunks. He’s continued to be this way as a supplement company owner, contest promoter, and motivational speaker. The Ronnie we knew from 1998-2005, is the Ronnie we’ve known all the years after his reign ended.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that Ronnie was always dealing with a number of different health-related conditions. We can’t forget that Coleman was dealing with extraordinary back pain all the while he was lifting like a powerlifter, competing in bodybuilding, and battling at Olympia after Olympia. I don’t know if it was adrenaline or it was the fact that he was committed to reaching goals that he set out for himself, but Ronnie never fell short. It was just never an option for him.

A lot of people set goals for themselves and maybe they use them as motivation. Maybe they celebrate how close they get to them. But very few people are willing to go 110% to achieving what goals they set for themselves. And that’s something Coleman did. He didn’t start out winning shows. When he got started, he wasn’t even in the money. Most times, a lot of times, he wasn’t even talked about. Coleman was one of the guys that was overlooked and underestimated at every turn. But did he quit? Absolutely not. He was destined for greatness, but greatness wasn’t going to fall out of the sky. Greatness wasn’t going to just land in his hands. He had to work for it. He had to overcome adversity. He also had to ignore the kind of pain many of us would not even be able to comprehend. When you think about it, Ronnie is the quintessential fighter. If anybody can get through this, it’s him.

That being said, what we love about Ronnie the most can also be part of what was critical to his downfall. Bodybuilding should be a sport about longevity. it should be a sport where slow and steady wins the race. But honestly Coleman wasn’t any of those things. He had patience and he had determination, but when he was on top he didn’t exactly take care of his body. No bodybuilder should be lifting like a powerlifter. And no bodybuilder should be squatting 800 lbs or pulling 800 lbs when they’re in contest prep mode. The body is not working with enough calories and moreover bodybuilders are physique based athletes, not strength based ones. So what if Johnny Jackson says he’s the strongest bodybuilder in the world? What if Ben White says he is the strongest?

Why did Ronnie have to care? Why did he have to shut up all of the people that laid claim to being the strongest bodybuilder? At the end of the day, what did it get him? As much as I love The Big Nasty and I want him to get better, I also wish he would have considered himself more as a human and more destructible than he thought he was. I know that when people are young they feel indestructible and they put their bodies through all sorts of rigors; however, Ronnie was no spring chicken. Ronnie was already up there in numbers when he was winning the Olympia. I just wish he would have slowed down. Even in his documentary ‘The King,’ when he was asked if there’s anything he would do differently, instead of saying he would take it easier, he said that his only regret is he didn’t lift heavier. During times like these it’s hard on the fans and I can only imagine how hard it must be on his family.

Again, nothing but love for the GOAT, but could he have spared himself a lot of this pain and suffering? At this point, all we can do is hope for the best. And I don’t exactly know how a blood illness comes into play? His back, I get that. Torn ligaments? I get that. A blood infection? I don’t really get that. But like I said, I’ve been holding off for quite some time in writing this article because we don’t have a lot of information. The family isn’t giving us any and I don’t think we are going to find out until Ronnie’s out of the woods. I think Ronnie will happily tell us once he’s in the clear, but until that day comes, we’re left to wonder what is happening. And from everything I’ve read and heard, he was pretty much touch and go for quite some time. I can’t even imagine what life without Ronnie Coleman would feel like, but it seems like his condition has been that risky. So the fact that he is awake and the fact that he is making improvements is incredible news.

Being in delicate condition is not exactly being in the clear, however, it’s better than what I think Coleman has been in up until recently. The important thing now is to be patient. I know the fans want answers, but until those come with time. The last thing that should happen is misinformation. Whether that’s the product of innocent error – or – it arises out of content creators looking to publish clickbait just to gain traffi. That’s just downright shameful.

So let’s continue praying and sending well wishes to Ronnie and his family. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at IronMag. Even though it is pretty somber and depressing, it’s an article we had to release. As I’ve said, if we’re seeing signs of improvements, then let’s hope for more of them to come. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. God Bless Ronnie Coleman!