Ronnie Coleman's Ultimate Mass Program
RONNIE COLEMAN'S ULTIMATE MASS PROGRAM
By Ronnie Coleman
The more I change, the more everything remains the same. In other words, the more I grow, the more convinced I am that what I'm doing is what works best and the less likely I am to change it. That's a common-sense approach to anything in life, but an especially sure-fire formula for bodybuilding.
So, for all of you valued fans out there who beg me to
Instead, dig in, tether yourself to the basics and forge ahead. That's what works slickest and quickest. It's tried and true, and it's what I do. So if you want to do what I do, within your own strength limitations, heed the following.
The 11 Year Stretch -
Analyze the workouts I'm revealing here, and you'll see that I'm using the same exercises and the same basic principles as I did when I turned pro 11 years ago: extremely heavy poundages; high reps; hit each bodypart twice a week with alternating workouts, one for power, the other for muscle separation; and there's no such thing as precontest training.
My offseason routine is my precontest routine. Nothing changes in terms of sets, reps, schedule, you name it, right up to the day of the show. If you've been wondering how I can take to the stage with the same amount of mass I carry during the offseason, that explanation should solve the mystery.
Beyond those immutable principles, you'll find that change itself is also immutability, in the sense that no consecutive workouts are exactly the same. Something will change, even if it's as minuscule as repetitions or the angle of an exercise, the reason being that there are more valid training techniques in bodybuilding than can be accommodated in a single workout. If I throw in a different one every workout, I am, over time, utilizing every principle of value without straying from my basic mass-building premise.
My training cycle is six days on, one off, working every bodypart over three days, before starting the cycle again on the fourth day.
The first time through (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday), I train my body with powerlifting movements, compound exercises and very heavy free weights to build mass and power. The second time through (Thursday, Friday and Saturday), I use bodybuilding techniques to develop individual muscles and exaggerate separations.
I don't know of any other pro who employs this contrapolarized style of training, but without it a physique will not retain the two essential qualities of muscularity. A strict powerlifting routine will sacrifice separations, and a strict bodybuilding routine will sacrifice mass. By using the former in the first half of the week and the latter in the last half of the week, I integrate the advantages of both extremes into my muscle mass.
Count Reps
Regardless of the technique, I count reps for every set, rather than put my faith in failure. The former commits you to a fixed and objective goal; the latter is determined by your vague whims.
A numerical goal won't let either my mind or my body off the hook, but I take it even further. If I set for myself a 10-rep goal, for example, I put on enough weight so that it's virtually physically impossible for me to complete eight, but I won't stop until I've done at least 12. Somehow, I always find a way to exceed my goal.
To some people, extremely heavy weight with plenty of reps is a paradox, but to me it's one principle. You need extremely heavy weight to force yourself beyond your boundaries, but you also need repetitions to fully stimulate a muscle in all its fibers. As for what constitutes too many reps, that depends upon what it takes to work the intended muscle. If you feel the joint doing more work than the muscle, you know you're doing too few reps; if you're getting a surface burn without a deep pump, you're doing too many reps. During leg extensions, for example, I can't get the right pump until I've done at least 30 reps; when I squat, I get my best pump with 10 to 12 reps.
Whether it's a powerlifting exercise or a bodybuilding exercise, I want to feel it giving the muscle a ******* challenge. The burn doesn't have to fry the flesh off my bones, but at least there has to be a hard pull at the muscle insertions and an assurance that the belly of the muscle is being swollen with blood under high pressure. That sensation cannot be generated unless you use a full range of motion. Partial reps are a farce. Only a complete extension and a hard peak contraction can hammer that muscle into place.
I'd love to have you follow my training program to the letter, but I'm afraid that's too much to ask. My recuperative powers are so extraordinary that about an hour after a workout, I'm again ready to go. Consequently, I have yet to find anyone who can stay with me.
Let's assume, though, that you're the exception. If so, tag along and, if you're still with me at the end of the week, I'll probably see you on the Mr. Olympia stage some day.
