"He’s like, ‘You need to call this guy'" - Ronnie Coleman credits Flex Wheeler for winning his first Olympia and introducing him to Chad Nicholls

When it comes to bodybuilding, there is only one athlete that goes by the nickname 'The King' - Ronnie Coleman. Competing in the late '90s and the early 2000s, Ronnie etched his name in history as he set the ceiling in modern-bodybuilding by winning eight Mr. Olympias.

Ronnie won his first Olympia in 1998 after multiple attempts and finishing out of the top five. In a recent episode of Nothin' But A Podcast, Ronnie opened up about a major event that led to his first Olympia victory. He credits Flex Wheeler for introducing him to Chad Nicholls, the veteran nutritionist.

"It was the same way for me and the guys coming up; a lot of people don’t know it – but Flex Wheeler is pretty much the reason why I won the Olympia because he turned me on to Chad Nicholls. He was like, ‘Hey man, who are you working with?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m doing my own thing.’ He’s like, ‘You need to call this guy Chad Nicholls.’ I’m like, ‘Chad Nicholls…’ yup."

To this day, Chad Nicholls remains one of the best nutritionists in the game. He helps athletes reach their potential through dieting, including two-time Mr. Olympia Big Ramy and two-time Arnold Classic winner William Bonac.

Coleman detailed how Wheeler, despite being a fierce competitor, introduced Ronnie to Nicholls.

"He gave me his number I called Chad but Chad didn’t pick up the phone. I said, ‘Flex why’d you have me call this guy Chad he didn’t pick up the phone.’ He says, ‘Nah, he’s just like that man. Call him again, and he’ll call you back.’ He called me back and the rest is pretty much history. I won my first Olympia that year by hooking up with him."

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"He changed everything" - Ronnie Coleman on how Chad Nicholls drastically changed his diet and training

Coleman was drawing up his own diet until he met the legendary nutritionist. According to him, Nicholls changed the way Ronnie approached the sport, which led him into his heyday.

"I was doing my own thing pretty much ... He changed everything I was doing, everything. Everything. I went from doing like an hour to cardio a day to two hours. I went from eating half a pound of food with every meal to a whole pound. I went from training maybe 45 minutes to an hour a day to about maybe an hour, an hour and a half, sometimes an hour and 15 minutes of training because I was trying to do some of everything. I was working all my body parts as much as I could. All my weak ones, especially!"

Ronnie added that a common misconception people have is that steroids are the sole reason for a bodybuilder's growth. According to Coleman, there is no substitute for calorie intake.

"A lot of people think it’s the drugs was going to put on all that size, no. You had to eat. You can take all the drugs in the world but if you ain’t eating you will not grow. I learned that the hard way."

Coleman went from finishing ninth at the 1997 Olympia to winning the title the very next year. Chad Nicholls' introduction into Coleman's life definitely had an impact as he went on to become the most-successful figure in the sport.