It looks like each bodybuilding era has its personal model of the “biggest man” within the sport. Within the late Nineties and early 2000s, that place was crammed by Ronnie Coleman, whose large 295-pound physique earned him eight Mr. Olympia titles from 1998 to 2005.
In 2013, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay broke onto the scene, touting a physique that rivaled Coleman’s when it comes to sheer dimension. Elssbiay has received two Mr. Olympia titles as of February 2023 and stands out as one of the crucial achieved bodybuilders of the previous decade.
Whereas followers won’t ever get to see these two behemoths pose aspect by aspect of their primes, we right here at BarBend are breaking down their physiques and accomplishments to see how each rivals examine.
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Bodybuilding Accomplishments
Each Coleman and Elssbiay have greater than their justifiable share of {hardware} to again up their lofty reputations. Right here’s an summary of their skilled highlights.
Coleman’s Accomplishments
Ronnie Coleman turned professional on the 1991 World Newbie Championships, however it could be seven years earlier than he secured his first Mr. Olympia title. Following the retirement of six-time champion Dorian Yates, Coleman shocked the world when he defeated then-favorite Flex Wheeler to develop into the champion in New York Metropolis’s Madison Sq. Backyard in 1998.
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Coleman went on to win seven extra titles earlier than lastly being dethroned by Jay Cutler in 2006. Coleman retired in 2007, and on the time, he was the all-time winningest bodybuilding professional with 26 victories. As of 2023, he’s nonetheless tied with Lee Haney for probably the most Mr. Olympia titles in historical past. Listed here are his most notable profession accomplishments:
- Eight-time Mr. Olympia (1998-2005)
- Arnold Classic Champion (2001)
- World Newbie Champion (1991)
- 26 Complete Profession Wins
Considered one of Coleman’s most spectacular runs got here when he dominated the stage in 2003 and 2004. After being upset by Günter Schlierkamp on the 2002 GNC Present of Energy, “The King” re-emerged on the 2003 Mr. Olympia weighing 287 pounds and rode that momentum to a different Sandow.
A yr later, he positioned first once more on the 2004 Olympia in a landslide, besting Cutler and Gustavo Badell. Coleman then won three IFBB Grand Prix reveals in Russia, Holland, and England within the weeks following the Olympia, capping off arguably probably the most unimaginable yr of his storied profession.
Elssbiay’s Accomplishments
Mamdouh Elssbiay turned professional by successful the 2012 Newbie Olympia title. He then made his professional debut on the 2013 New York Pro, which he received due to his dimension and symmetry. However like Coleman, it could take him seven years to succeed in the height of the game.
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Elssbiay turned the sixteenth Mr. Olympia in 2020 by topping the then-reigning champion, Brandon Curry. Elssbiay weighed round 290 kilos at that present and would repeat in 2021 at 295 kilos. Listed here are his notable profession wins as of February 2023:
- Newbie Olympia (2012)
- New York Professional (2013, 2014)
- IFBB Kuwait Professional (2016)
- Arnold Basic Europe (2017)
- Mr. Olympia (2020, 2021)
Coaching Type
Relating to training, Coleman and Elssbiay aren’t as related as you’d suppose, regardless of their large frames. Right here’s how their types examine.
Coleman’s Coaching Type
Coleman had a background in powerlifting earlier than placing on the posing trunks. Due to that, he centered extra on free weights and fundamental compound movements all through his total profession.
[Read: Best Pre-Workout Supplements for Muscle Gain, Weight Loss, and More]
Although he’s greatest identified for his 800-pound squats and deadlifts for doubles, Coleman typically stayed in a typical 8-15 rep vary when he was pushing himself in Brian Dobson’s Metroflex Fitness center in Arlington, TX. Right here’s what one in every of his back routines appeared like:
Elssbiay’s Coaching Type
Elssbiay has used related rep ranges and quantity as Coleman, however he focuses extra on utilizing machines. Whether or not he’s figuring out within the well-known Oxygen gym in Kuwait or in his dwelling nation of Egypt, Elssbiay appears to love with the ability to isolate the muscle and never influence his joints or tendons as he might with free weight actions.
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Elssbiay’s actual exercises are exhausting to return by, however in accordance with YouTube videos and social media posts with coach Dennis James, his typical shoulder day might embrace these workouts:
Reputation
As Mr. Olympia champions, each Coleman and Ramy had been — and nonetheless are — immensely in style with followers. Although it’s unimaginable to match their reputation instantly because of the completely different eras they competed in, there are some takeaways to contemplate.
Coleman’s Reputation
Throughout Coleman’s time within the sport, most of his publicity got here from the bodybuilding magazines that dominated the scene. He additionally launched a handful of iconic coaching DVDs that includes his staggering feats of power. These lifts — together with the aforementioned 800-pound deadlift and squat for doubles — helped his legend develop even additional.
Coleman additionally achieved some mainstream publicity with an look on The Tonight Present with Jay Leno after the Mr. Olympia victory in 2000. And his catchphrases, corresponding to “Yeah buddy!” and “Ain’t nothing however a peanut,” have develop into bona fide memes right this moment.
[Related: Phil Heath vs. Kai Greene and 9 Other Fiery Bodybuilding Rivalries That Shaped the Sport]
And regardless of being retired for greater than 15 years, Coleman has remained related for a youthful era of followers. New movies on his YouTube channel repeatedly rack up lots of of hundreds of views, and he’s additionally made latest appearances on Joe Rogan’s podcast and in movies with trendy influencers like Jesse James West and Larry Wheels. And in 2018, a documentary about his life, titled Ronnie Coleman: The King, premiered on Netflix and different digital storefronts, additional solidifying his place in health tradition.
Elssbiay’s Reputation
Bodybuilding is arguably far more in style in Elssbiay’s dwelling of Egypt than it’s in the US. Because of this, he’s one of the crucial in style sports activities figures in his homeland, even having a town square named after him.
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Although you may argue that trendy rivals like Chris Bumstead outshine Elssbiay when it comes to mainstream reputation within the U.S., the massive man nonetheless holds his personal, due to his over 4.8 million followers on Instagram. Nonetheless, he has a protracted option to go if he needs to beat out Coleman’s 6.2 million Instagram followers.
The Coach Issue
There’s another excuse that these two get paired up in fantasy bodybuilding matchups: They each labored with coach Chad Nicholls throughout their Olympia reigns. From early 1998 till his retirement, Coleman teamed with Nicholls, and the duo dominated the scene for almost a decade.
After working with a number of coaches and “gurus” in his professional profession, Elssbiay then joined forces with Nicholls in early 2020. After a third-place end at that yr’s Arnold Classic, Elssbiay and Nicholls received their first Olympia collectively in 2020. They repeated in 2021 earlier than Elssbiay positioned fifth in 2022.
For followers questioning which athlete Nicholls would soak up a possible matchup, he has but to go on report with that reply, and he might not anytime within the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
Each Coleman and “Massive Ramy” outlined the “Mass Monster” look of their respective generations. They every pushed the 300-pound mark on stage but additionally confirmed up symmetrical and conditioned sufficient to attain wins on the Olympia.
Does Elssbiay have an opportunity of matching Coleman’s eight Sandow trophies? That will be a Herculean feat for any bodybuilder in right this moment’s panorama. And when it comes to who would win a side-by-side physique comparability, that’s up for the followers to judge.
[Read: The 16 Best Ab Exercises for Strength and Definition]
Coleman had mass and density that may be exhausting to beat, whereas Elssbiay’s symmetry and proportions are almost exceptional for somebody of his dimension. Whoever you select, there’s no denying that every competitor pushed the boundaries of the game and at all times wowed the audiences.
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Featured Picture: B.Stefanov through Shutterstock (Coleman) // @big_ramy on Instagram
