I know some you can't read... but for the others :
I started reading Ronnie Coleman's book Yeah Buddy on my flight from Toronto to Orlando last week. I am only about half way through with it - at the part where he just won his first Mr. O - and just to point out a few things that I noticed. This may be old news to some of you on here, but whatever.
** He wasn't planning to go to college at all. He was going to work in the local factory when he graduated high school. But a failed romance with his first girlfriend caused him to flee town. He didn't say what happened, but specifically used the word "fled" multiple times in his account of why he moved.
** Had a superhuman work ethic (outside of BBing too). Holding multiple jobs at the same time (restaurant, general store, lawn care, cotton cutting) and purchased his own car when he was only 15 years old
** Got his pro card at the Team Universe when he placed 4th and the three guys ahead of him didn't show up to take the drug test afterwards.
** worst loss (to date so far - haven't gotten to when Gunter beat him at the GNC show) was placing behind Lee Priest
** the first pro show he won (he won other before, but never with the big names in them) where he beat Flex, Kevin, Shawn, etc. he only did so because he went to Kevin's room the night before to ask Kevin what he did to pull off his amazing condition (Kevin had won 6 shows in a row at this point it said) and Kevin gave him a cup of vodka. He stayed up all night pissing and the next morning after a couple hours of sleep could not believe his conditioning. It was the best he ever had up to that point. (He went from a hopeful 6th place to a unanimous first). The other competitors were upset with Kevin over this.
** Flex Wheeler was amazed that Ronnie did all his nutrition planning himself and told him to go use his (Flex's) nutritionist. That guy was Chad. (of course). It is not stated specifically, but you can tell what he meant, Chad then devised and supplied (or directed him where to find) Ronnie with the diet and drug program that took him from the back of the field in 97 to 1st Place Mr. Olympia in 98. Leading up to the show, for (I think it said 8 weeks), Ronnie took in 2 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight (roughly 520 grams of protein per day), 100 grams of carbs from rice, and 2 gallons of water per day. He upped his cardio from one hour to two hours each day but only because the diet left Ronnie sluggish and prone to injury (surprise) with his training. Ronnie was a volume trainer and Chad had him do more cardio as opposed to more sets to be safer.
It's a fun book to read. You can nit pick things apart if you want and say he's lying about some things or not,... whatever, but he comes across as very humble in the book.
