How much did Ronnie Coleman bench press?

Ronnie Coleman was one of the best bodybuilders of all time. From 1998 through to 2005, he won the Mr. Olympia title eight times in a row, besting illustrious competitors like Flex Wheeler and Jay Cutler.

Ronnie Coleman engaged in vigorous weightlifting because he thought it was the finest method for developing muscular mass. One of the largest and sturdiest chests of all time belonged to Coleman.

He used to be able to bench press 500 pounds for 5 repetitions and push a pair of 200-pound dumbbells for 15 or more repetitions!

---

Ronnie Coleman's bench press

Footage from 2003 shows Ronnie Coleman bench pressing 495 pounds for five repetitions with a wide grip. He may have had some assistance with rep number five.

The A one-rep calculator estimates his maximum bench press that day to be 557 after giving him all five (252.6 kg). Then, in the same exercise, he performed eight incline barbell presses for 405 pounds plus one extra rep. He declined to press 405 for 10 before ending.

The two sets of 12 complete repetitions he benched with 200-pound dumbbells from 2000 are even more amazing. This equals one rep with dumbbells that weigh 280 pounds!

He performed five complete repetitions of the incline press with those dumbbells as well (and two forced reps). He did not even receive assistance in placing enormous weights in any of the sets. We speculate that he may have had a stronger bench press in 2000 than in 2003 based on his achievements with dumbbells.

The catchphrases Coleman coined have been embraced by serious lifters everywhere. Do not trust our word? How frequently do you hear a guy at your gym yell, "Light weight, baby," just before he lifts something absurdly heavy? These words have evolved into battle cries. A lifter is prepared to risk everything when he says these words.

---

The Strong Ronnie Coleman

Many people associate having more muscle with being stronger. Growing up, we read comic books with heroes who had incredible strength. Their bicep peaks were so high that they nearly tore their sleeves as they uppercut the bad guys.

Their backs were so broad that even their capes appeared little, and their thighs were so large that they could start a fire just by walking. Okay, so perhaps we exaggerated a little with the final sentence, but you get the idea.

Ronnie could also hit about 800 pounds of squats. He was so strong that he could do over 2150 pounds of powerlifting. He also used to do a 2325-pound leg press.

One of the biggest and sturdiest chests in bodybuilding history belonged to Ronnie Coleman. He didn't squander time with expensive equipment or cable exercises. Instead, using large, fundamental workouts like bench presses and incline dumbbell presses, he became brutally powerful.

During his training, Coleman also employed a few cutting-edge bodybuilding methods. He virtually never did full reps while stretched out, but on the last set of each exercise, he occasionally pushed himself all the way to exhaustion.

There is a lot you can learn from Coleman's chest training concept, regardless of how you train. Ronnie would always say:

“Light Weight! Ain’t Nothin’ But A Peanut!”