Despite being rivals, Coleman thinks Wheeler aided him turn into a legend.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ronnie Coleman and Ken “Flex” Wheeler experienced a terrific bodybuilding rivalry. Of his 8 in general Mr. Olympia victories from 1998 to 2005, Coleman would most effective Wheeler for 4 of them (1998-2000, 2002). The closest Wheeler came to toppling Coleman were consecutive runner-up finishes in equally the 1998 and 1999 editions. The 1998 contest, in individual, retains a distinctive spot in bodybuilding record as Coleman’s very first Olympia get. It is that really very same contest in which Coleman believes Wheeler gave him an first advantage.
On Apr. 12, 2023, Coleman mentioned elements of his bodybuilding career in a phase of a conversation with recent bodybuilding star Derek Lunsford. Coleman and Lunsford not long ago educated collectively in a assembly of past and present superstars. In his dialogue with Lunsford, the legend disclosed it was Wheeler who introduced him to legendary coach Chad Nicholls and transformed his dietary outlook.
In accordance to Coleman, when Wheeler introduced Coleman to Nicholls sometime just before the 1998 Mr. Olympia, he altered the class of bodybuilding background.
His eventual rival assisted flip Coleman into the all-time legend he’s now recognised as.
“A ton of men and women really don’t know it but Flex Wheeler is fairly a great deal the cause why I won the [1998 Mr.] Olympia because he turned me on to Chad Nicholls,” Coleman explained to Lunsford.
At to start with, Coleman had issues achieving Nicholls. Nevertheless, that was only a minimal and envisioned deadlock in the pair’s education partnership. Sooner or later, they’d get collectively, and Coleman’s dynastic run would start before long immediately after.
“He [Wheeler] gave me his selection and I known as Chad [Nicholls] but Chad didn’t choose up the cell phone,” Coleman described. “I mentioned, ‘Flex [Wheeler] why’d you have me simply call this person Chad, he did not decide on up the telephone.’ He [Wheeler] says, ‘Nah, he’s just like that, male. Connect with him once again, and he’ll call you back again.’ He [Nicholls] called me back again and the rest is fairly considerably historical past. I gained my very first Olympia that 12 months [1998] by hooking up with him.”
How did Nicholls modify Coleman’s Olympia preparing strategy? For each Coleman, among other tidbits, the coach revamped his nourishment, eventually possessing the athlete consume nearly a full pound of food in each individual meal.
“He [Nicholls] modified anything I was undertaking, almost everything,” Coleman mentioned. “I went from performing, like, an hour of cardio a day to two hours. I went from consuming half a pound of meals with every single food to a entire pound. I went from schooling it’s possible 45 minutes to an hour a day to about probably an hour, an hour and a fifty percent, in some cases an hour and 15 minutes of coaching due to the fact I was seeking to do some of everything.”
In recent decades, lengthy just after following his function with Coleman, Nicholls is possibly most noteworthy for his partnership with former two-time Mr. Olympia (2020-2021) Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay. The trainer’s son, Morgan, is also an ascending powerlifter.
Even though he never conquer Coleman for a Mr. Olympia title, Wheeler can nonetheless boast 4 Arnold Vintage (AC) victories (1993, 1997-1998, 2000) as very well as a runner-up positioning in the 1993 Mr. Olympia, at the rear of 6-time winner Dorian Yates. With his aggressive history, Wheeler is generally regarded as a single of the best bodybuilders to never earn the sport’s most prestigious title. With the two legends’ professions now in the rearview mirror, the former rivals each have a thing to dangle their hat on. It is ironic, then, that without the need of Wheeler’s schooling intervention, Coleman most likely under no circumstances ascends to bodybuilding prominence.
Featured image: Ronnie Coleman on YouTube