When did Ronnie Coleman retire from bodybuilding?

Ronnie Coleman is widely regarded as one of the finest bodybuilders in the world. He won numerous accolades in his long career spanning more than a decade.

Coleman was crowned Mr. Olympia a whopping eight times in a row. He has also won 26 IFBB professional championships and currently holds the record for the most victories by a professional bodybuilder.

From 1998 to 2005, Coleman was simply invincible. He made his final appearance at the Mr. Olympia competition in 2007 and placed 4th. Ever since 2007, he has undergone multiple surgeries, including two hip replacements and various attempts to alleviate chronic pain from damaged intervertebral discs.

He spoke about the pain while featuring on the The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

"The first time you herniate a disc, it’s as if you stack a bunch of cans on top of each other and you snap one out. Well after a while, the other ones are going to start falling out of place, too."

Coleman retired from professional bodybuilding around the same time, in 2007.

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Can Ronnie Coleman walk unassisted once again?

Ronnie Coleman (Image via Generation Iron)

Retired US bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman has undergone several surgeries following his retirement in 2007. He first dislocated his disk during an intense squatting session in 1996. However, he didn't ask for any help at the time.

He said:

"I just kept working out."

In fact, he did not stop working out even after realizing that something had gone wrong that day.

"There was a loud crunching sound. I lost a little strength. I heard it, but the athlete in you is like, 'Let’s go on.'"

While speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast about how he was able to work through the pain, he explained that he loved and enjoyed bodybuilding so much that he always looked forward to doing it irrespective of anything else.

"When you do something that you truly love and enjoy doing, that’s what you look forward to doing all the time regardless of how you feel. As long as I’m doing what I love doing, I’m OK. If you take that away, I probably wouldn’t be OK."

He only had surgery after his retirement, but the damage was much beyond saving at that point. He later underwent multiple surgeries on his spine and was almost rendered paralyzed due to all the screws, cages, and bolts put into him. Some of his surgeries went poorly and affected his mobility.

According to Muscle and Fitness, he said:

"All the hardware kind of interferes with the nerves. I used to be able to bend over and do all these crazy stretches. I can’t do that no more."

In June 2020, he revealed that he could never walk unassisted again. Coleman blamed his problems on questionable and botched surgeries.

However, in a fortunate turn of events, Ronnie Coleman recently revealed that he just might be able to walk unassisted once again—all thanks to the stem cell treatments he has employed. Although it might take a couple of years, the treatment has shown tremendous progress towards his recovery.

He spoke about it in an interview with Joe Rogan:

"Every time I get one, it gets better and better, so I just got to keep getting it. I’ve got another one in May. Every time I get one, I feel improvements. I’ve had two so far. The pain is gone now. I’ve only got a little bit now, not a lot at all. So it’s getting better."

Ronnie Coleman is confident that it is only a matter of time before it will reduce the numbness in his feet and he will be able to walk unassisted again.

"It will be about two years before I can get my full mobility and balance back. Then I can work on walking unassisted."

Indeed, the bodybuilder has been working very hard towards recovery, traveling to Mexico every four months for the stem cell treatment.

"I’m working real hard on that. Right now, I’m going to Mexico every four months, getting these stem cell treatments — and they are working out real good. So, when will I walk without a chair? Only time will tell, but hopefully soon and very soon!"

He added that he had gained 30 pounds due to the treatment and that no surgeries since 2021 have helped him regain the mass.

In the meantime, it is important to note that Ronnie Coleman never stopped working out. He continued training regularly all these years.

"I look at it as I’m still alive and I still workout every day."

He added that athletes are always in pain for something or the other. Certainly, everyone hopes that Ronnie Coleman's efforts and will power come to fruition and that he will be able to walk unassisted once again.