Ronnie Coleman won the Mr. Olympia eight times, and his incredible monstrous physique set a new standard in the pro ranks. Check out the back shot on the right—striations on top of striations. Incredible…
His training was also legendary, with strength off the charts, as he demonstrated on his in-the-gym videos.
While many thought his training consisted mainly of ultra-heavy singles and doubles, he mentioned in later interviews that those were more demonstrations for the camera. His real training was a bit less powerlifting and more bodybuilding—but still heavy…
It’s interesting that he often used what we call X-Rep-Only sets, or X-O. Those are partial-rep sets, moving the weight from the semi-stretch point up to the halfway point or just above. That worked like mass-building magic for him…
For more on how Ronnie Coleman’s training from an X-Rep and X-Only perspective, see…
Ronnie Coleman—Bonus Chapter A: Analyzing Mr. Olympia’s Workout from an X-Rep Perspective, Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building, available HERE
And it’s also interesting that his onstage nemesis Jay Cutler, who won the Mr. O four times, often used X-Only sets as well; however, Jay favored much lighter weights and higher reps than Ronnie. Yet they were both incredibly massive…
For more on Jay Cutler’s training, see…
Jay Cutler—Chapter 5: Mr. O’s Wild X-O Workouts, X-Rep Update #1, available HERE
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
Build MASS with bodyweight training
One way you’re guaranteed to pack on stacks of muscle is through a process called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which more than doubles 24 hours after an intense workout…
Until recently, MPS was only elevated when trainees would lift 70-90% of their one-rep max…
That’s not only dangerous for your joints, but it also sets you up for high injury risk every time you exercise…
It used to be believed that training with your own bodyweight couldn’t get you the same results as training with your 70-90% one rep max… Until NOW.