what the experts are saying
Team Flex - http://www.flexonline.com/training/49"We've said before that the 245 pounds or so physique with which [Ronnie Coleman] won the 2001 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic is the best ever - unbeatable."
Lonnie Teper - MD, December 2005"I've always said that it's too hard to compare athletes of different eras (then he names a few Mr. Olympias including Dorian). Still, it's hard to imagine that anybody who's ever stepped on a bodybuilding stage could have beaten Coleman. So I reserve the right to change my mind on this one. No offense to the rest of the champs - you were/are all truly amazing physique athletes - but Coleman has really taken it to the next level, as all magnificent conquerors do."
Shawn Perine - http://www.flexonline.com/news/contests/top-5-arnold-classic-physiques"Of his eight Olympia and overall 26 IFBB professional wins, Ronnie Coleman has established himself as arguably the greatest bodybuilder of all times, and this is the version of his physique is the one most experts point to as being his best. Standing 5'11" and weighing 247 pounds, Coleman was hyper-muscular, tight, dry and still retained the lines (wasp waist and all) of his amateur days. From head to toe, back to front, he astounded judges, audience and fellow competitors alike. The 2001 AC Coleman was a physique for the ages."
Greg Merritt - Flex, April 2009"I submit that the Ronnie Coleman version 2.0 we saw in four contests from the '98 Olympia to the '01 Arnold (weighing between 244 and 264) is the best combination of size, shape and striations in the history of bodybuilding."
Jim Stoppani - Flex, July 2005"Has anyone ever displayed a more muscular, more shredded, higher-quality physique than a 247-pound Ronnie Coleman at the 2001 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic?"
Chris Lund (Paraphrased by Milos Sarcev) - European Flex, April 2004"Chris Lund who I consider to be a great expert in our sport of bodybuilding, told me that Ronnie is simply the best bodybuilder he has ever seen, or photographed, and he has seen everybody, during the last 35 years."
Raymond Cassar - Muscletime Editor and Photographer"There is no one alive that can beat Ronnie Coleman when he is at his best - No One! (and his best for me was when he won the 2001 Arnold Classic)"