Ronnie Coleman On Being Natural

There has been a lot of discussion about whether Ronnie Coleman, the celebrated bodybuilder, was natural in the early 90s. According to several interviews, Coleman claims that he did not use steroids until he was 30 years old in 1994, which is when Flex Wheeler introduced him to them.

However, many people doubt the possibility of achieving such a muscular and lean body without the use of steroids. Ultimately, only Ronnie Coleman and his coaches know for sure whether he was natural or not.

For reference, here is a video of Ronnie Coleman posing at the 1993 IFBB German Grand Prix, where he placed 6th, which was still reportedly a natural event for him.

Is It Possible Ronnie Coleman Was Natural?

By normal standards, it’s generally not possible to be as big and lean as Ronnie Coleman was in 1993 without steroids. However, Ronnie isn’t a normal person and there are a few reasons why it’s possible that he actually was natural at that time.

First, Ronnie Coleman has once-in-a-generation genetics and responded extraordinarily well to training. He also has a narrow pelvis with long clavicles, providing a natural v-taper. Not to mention long insertions in nearly every muscle group, adding to his size and full shape.

Second, Ronnie’s rate of muscle growth didn’t really explode until a few years into his pro career, around the time he claims to have begun steroids. From 1994 on, he added another 60-70 lbs of pure muscle mass. If he had already been taking steroids, that probably wouldn’t have happened.

Third, young Ronnie Coleman didn’t show any of the telltale steroid side effects such as acne, hair loss, gynecomastia, or bubble gut. Later in his career, Coleman developed gyno and a severe gut from his steroid use.

Ronnie Coleman Natural vs Steroids Transformation

Ronnie Coleman apparently started taking steroids in 1994 because he was tired of getting his “ass kicked” in professional bodybuilding contests. Within a relatively short time, Ronnie’s physique exploded in both muscle size and definition.

To illustrate, here is a video showing Ronnie Coleman’s posing routine at the 1995 Mr. Olympia contest, where he placed 11th. You can see he has added slabs of muscle all over his body, but he is also way more shredded than he was in 1993.

Final Thoughts On Ronnie Coleman’s Natural Status

Despite everything we’ve discussed, I still think it’s entirely possible that Ronnie Coleman was taking some form of performance-enhancing drugs before 1994. But why would he lie about being natural?

Well, for one, many former bodybuilders downplay their steroid use to make them seem better than today’s athletes and add to their legacy. However, I don’t think this is what Coleman is doing.

After watching hours of Ronnie Coleman’s training videos, documentaries, and interviews, I do not think his methods seem particularly strategic. Instead, he relies on brute force and blindly follows the advice of his peers and coaches.

So, I believe that Ronnie could very well have been taking pro-hormones or other forms of steroids without realizing that he was taking performance-enhancing drugs. However, I would not go so far as to say he definitely wasn’t natural.

If it were anyone else, I would say this physique is 100% not possible without steroids. But Ronnie Coleman became the biggest and best bodybuilder of all time, so it would not surprise me if he was natural until he was 30 years old.