Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman is back doing what he loves — training, teaching, and proving that the fire never fades.
After a gruelling battle with sepsis over the summer that left him hospitalised for weeks, the bodybuilding icon has returned to the gym and taken fans down memory lane, breaking down his 10 all-time favourite poses — from the legendary crab most muscular to his iconic King Pose.
The 59-year-old’s YouTube and Instagram breakdowns offer a rare insight into the mindset of one of the most dominant athletes in bodybuilding history. Coleman — who reigned supreme from 1998 to 2005, collecting eight consecutive Olympia titles — doesn’t just list the moves. He ranks them in tiers, tells the stories behind them, and reminds everyone why, at his peak, his physique redefined the sport.
In his video, Coleman divided his favourites into tiers: five “superior” poses, three in the “A” tier, and two in “B.”
Superior (S Tier):
- Most Muscular (Crab)
- Front Lat Spread
- Back Lat Spread
- Double Back Bicep
- Front Double Bicep
A Tier:
- Side Tricep
- Side Chest
- King Pose
B Tier:
- Front Relax Pose
- Arnold Twisting Pose
And at the top of his hierarchy? The crab most muscular — the pose he says sums up everything about the sport. “There’s nothing higher than the crab, most muscular,” Coleman said.
It’s the pose that brings every fibre to life — arms, chest, traps, and that granite-like conditioning that made him untouchable on stage.
Still, while the “most muscular” reigns supreme in his rankings, Coleman declared another move his most personal.
He pegged his King Pose as his “favorite shot of all-time.”
He also gave credit to one of his inspirations, Arnold Schwarzenegger, when it came to the twisting double biceps. “There is no one who can do it like Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Coleman admitted.
The Poses That Made Him Mr. Olympia
For Coleman, certain poses weren’t just performances — they were weapons. In an earlier YouTube video titled “The Greatest Bodybuilding Poses of All Time”, he broke down four defining moves that helped him dominate the Olympia stage.
Starting with his calling card: “I pretty much won the competition [1998 Mr. Olympia] from the back,” Coleman explained. “I’ll never forget a judge approaching me after the show and claiming my back was so wide it reminded him of a cobra head. It stuck with me throughout my career. One of my most extraordinary poses was as deadly to my competitors as a cobra.”
That, of course, was his Back Lat Spread — the pose that turned a police officer from Texas into a global legend.
He followed with the Side Chest, which only earned its spot after years of effort.
“Coming into my second Olympia victory, I felt my side chest was a weak point,” Coleman said. “So, I spent extra attention during my training and ultimately flipped the weakness into a massive strength. This is my favorite pose now because I worked my butt off for it.”
Then came the Most Muscular, the powerhouse staple of bodybuilding routines — and one that few could hit with Ronnie’s density.
“The most muscular pose is probably the most common and popular pose of all-time because it incorporates nearly every muscle in your body and gives the judges, and the audience, an overall view of your conditioning,” he noted. “I’ll never forget the room going quiet and the faces in pure shock.”
Finally, the Front Lat Spread, which showcased the sheer width and balance that made him unbeatable.
“I brought some serious width with this pose [the front lat spread],” Coleman said. “It felt like I was on an island all on my own when it comes to balance. Hell, I was usually told that I could fly with those wings and I believed it.”
And if any pose summed up his confidence and power, it was his back shot — which he once described as near-supernatural.
“The rear lights out lat spread. Nobody got this bad boy covered like me,” he said. “When I do that bad boy, the lights go out because this back is so wide it covers up the lights.”
Coleman’s enthusiasm for posing hasn’t dimmed, even as his body continues to recover from years of surgeries and his recent sepsis ordeal. He was first hospitalised on June 30, with family confirming the diagnosis of sepsis on July 11. During his recovery, his loved ones launched the RONNIE STRONG initiative, pledging proceeds to Sepsis Alliance to help raise awareness about the condition, which can take up to 18 months to fully recover from.
Coleman’s determination to walk unassisted again has been well-documented, and his return to training marks another milestone in a life defined by perseverance. “The motivation and dedication that helped Coleman win eight Olympia titles during his career,” his family wrote in one update, “is the same drive that’s helping him through recovery.”
From his famous “Yeah Buddy!” battle cries to the impossible weights he moved in training videos, Ronnie Coleman’s legend was built on an unshakable blend of humour, grit, and unmatched work ethic.
Now, with millions of fans still following his every update, he’s reflecting on the artistry that went hand-in-hand with the iron. For anyone who ever watched him under the Olympia lights, there’s nothing higher than Ronnie Coleman.
Featured image credit: YouTube/RonnieColeman/MrOlympia (screenshot)
