“Chad Nicholls was what made Ronnie Coleman” - Dr Mike Israetel on legendary bodybuilder’s secret to 8 Olympia wins

Eight times Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman remains one of the most respected legends in bodybuilding. Winning countless titles and defeating many legends throughout his career, Coleman also inspired an infinite number of people to start lifting. Despite undergoing numerous surgeries after retiring from the sport, Coleman seems to have no regrets.

One person who was behind Coleman's success as a bodybuilder was his nutritionist Chad Nicholls. Being one of the best bodybuilding coaches ever, Nicholls is a world-renowned nutritionist and trainer. Using his years of experience and knowledge to help out Coleman, Chad led the former to multiple Olympia wins.

Reacting to Ronnie Coleman's training videos from back in the day, fitness influencer Dr Mike Israetel made a video on YouTube recently. Applauding Chad, Israetel stated:

"He wasn't so good at bodybuilding...and then he was Mr Olympia for eight years. And someone asked him, "what was the difference?" And he said, "I hired a nutritionist" So who he really hired was a gentleman named Chad Nicholls, who's one of the greatest coaches of all time in bodybuilding." (15:09)

"Getting together with a science-minded person, like Chad Nicholls was what made Ronnie Coleman Ronnie Coleman," he added. (15:37)

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Ronnie Coleman details near-death experience during bodybuilding days

The sport of bodybuilding requires athletes to dehydrate their bodies to display as many striations as possible. In the quest to get as lean as possible, many bodybuilders face the wrath of extreme dehydration. One such incident happened with Ronnie Coleman back in 2001.

Having already participated in the Arnold Classic that year, Coleman was preparing again for the upcoming Mr Olympia. However, extreme dehydration got the better of him. This is where his nutritionist Chad Nicholls came to his rescue.

Narrating the tale recently to Tommy Fury during their workout together, Ronnie Coleman stated:

“The '01 when I almost died…Woke up exhausted…Woke up with exhaustion cause I tried to do the Arnold Classic that year. And I found out the body only peaks once a year and I thought I could do it twice, almost took me out. Never made that mistake again.”

“I was on my way to the hospital. My nutritionist told me to grab a gallon of water, that's what I did and I drank it.” (23:45)

Despite facing death in its eye just moments before the Olympia finale, Ronnie Coleman continued to win the title that year.

What are your views on Ronnie Coleman's extreme resilience and insane work ethic? Let us know in the comments.