"It was the hardest thing I ever had to do" - Ronnie Coleman on his emotional speech during the 2021 Arnold Classic

Ronnie Coleman was nicknamed "The King" due to his sheer hard work and dedication in the bodybuilding circuit. Ronnie won eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles and 26 IFFB professional titles. He also won the Arnold Classic title once in 2001.

During the Arnold Classic event in 2021, Ronnie Coleman was awarded the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award. After receiving the award from the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, Ronnie delivered a fantastic speech.

On an episode of Nothing But A Podcast released in the month of January, the legendary bodybuilder explained the difficulties of giving his fantastic speech. His speech was an emotional one after he received the award.

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Ronnie Coleman about his speech at the 2021 Arnold Classic

Ronnie Coleman explained his difficulties when he gave a speech at the 2021 Arnold Classic after receiving the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award. He said,

"It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my whole life."

Ronnie admitted the speech was the hardest thing he was ever required to do in his life. He practiced the speech again and again inside his head and he felt ready to begin the speech. But once he stood on the stage in front of the crowd, the nervousness really affected him. Ronnie said he was unable to say whatever he had prepared to say on stage.

Ronnie Coleman continued,

"I haven't won a lot of wars, you know. I have had a few here and there but lifetime achievement and then being presented by Arnold also, somebody you look up to, idolize in a way, it was a quite blood reaching experience."

The eight-time Mr. Olympia title winner felt it was a phenomenal experience receiving the lifetime achievement award from Arnold, his idol. During the podcast, Coleman quipped that he should have read off the card.

He further spoke about his mother's absence during the event. Ronnie said his mother attended all the major events he was involved in. Ronnie Coleman termed the experience as "gut-wrenching" and "overwhelming".

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What did Ronnie Coleman say after receiving the lifetime achievement award?

After receiving the award, Ronnie Coleman began his speech with his famous catchphrases, "Yeah buddy" and "lightweight". He went on to appreciate Arnold as the greatest bodybuilder of all time.

"The King" said he has always cited Arnold Schwarzenegger as the greatest bodybuilder of all time. When someone told him that they thought he was the greatest bodybuilder of all time, Ronnie said back in the day, Arnold didn't have the technology that he did. His "mass, class, and size was pure hard work."

Ronnie Coleman and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Image via Generation Iron)

Arnold achieved all the mass and class in size with pure hard work, dedication, and faith. The eight-time Mr. Olympia title winner claimed to have a little technology (he was referring to modern-day bodybuilding) behind him. Coleman said he had learned a lot from several former bodybuilders such as Arnold who came before him.

Ronnie felt lucky to be surrounded by several wonderful people like his wife Susan Coleman. He further spoke about how many believe that bodybuilding is an individual sport because everyone sees bodybuilders all by themselves on stage trying to pose hard and working out as hard as they can.

However, Coleman said he believes that bodybuilding is not an individual sport. Without the help and support of his family, it would have been impossible for him to win eight Mr. Olympia titles. His mother cooked all his food and to him, it was the best food in the world. It wasn't like dieting, because "that food was awesome." Ronnie also thanked his sisters for their support.

Ronnie revealed that he had been coming to the Arnold Classic since 1994. During this time, Ronnie underwent eight back surgeries, three neck surgeries, and three hip surgeries. He declared the Arnold Classic to be the greatest bodybuilding show on earth.

Every year, he would watch several champions win the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award and he was sure that one day he would win the award. Ronnie termed the award as the greatest reward of his life.

Ronnie Coleman became completely emotional and concluded his speech by saying,

"Mama, we got us a lifetime achievement award."

Later, he thanked everyone and left the stage. Everyone knows Ronnie Coleman as a successful bodybuilder, but during his speech, everyone was able to see his emotional side.