Revisiting Ronnie Coleman’s Legendary 495-Pound Entrance Squat

Earlier than selfie sticks and temper lighting, the fitness center was a spot to place a hundred percent into any carry with out caring about likes or subscribers. Fortuitously, the cameras nonetheless rolled nevertheless, as Ronnie Coleman just lately shared one of the crucial retro clips you’ll see for some time, repping 495 kilos with an unbelievable show on the entrance squat.

The yr was 2000, and Coleman was taking pictures his legendary coaching DVD, The Unbelievable. Within the DVD itself, we see the large man headed to the fitness center in his Dodge Viper, donning vibrant yellow tights and a “Shut Up and Squat” T-shirt — simply to make his intentions abundantly clear. The fitness center in query was the Metroflex Gymnasium in Arlington, TX, the place Coleman crushed a herculean exercise together with hack squats and barbell weighted lunges, however this explicit entrance squat clip retains going viral, as a result of it has every little thing {that a} classic coaching video ought to must make it a basic. Grunting? Test! Questionable wardrobe? Test? Proof that old-school bodybuilding just isn’t for the faint of coronary heart? Test!

Ronnie Coleman’s Viral 495-Pound Entrance Squat Nonetheless Shocks Lifters

As Coleman reached for the Barbell, we meet Metroflex fitness center proprietor, Brian Dobson, who’s sporting a camouflage stringer and a pair of excessive reduce denim shorts.  “There’s no man who trains more durable, wherever,” mentioned Dobson on the DVD itself. Time would show that he wasn’t unsuitable.

After warming up, Coleman might be seen gripping the bar and attending to work. “I’ve the sunshine weight on it now,” jokes The King, with 5 45 kilos plates on both aspect of the bar. After some encouraging “Yeah!” motivation from Dobson, Coleman cranks out ten strong reps earlier than re-racking the bar. And, since an ordinary Olympic barbell weighs 45 kilos, this locations the overall load at 495 kilos.

Regardless of how surreal the clip seems in 2026, entrance squats are nonetheless a staple for many who want to construct greater quads, glutes, hips, and hamstrings.  However on the subject of bodybuilder’s who carry heavy, Coleman was usually in a league of his personal. Within the “Unbelievable” DVD, Coleman deadlifted 800 kilos for 2 reps, and later upped his entrance squat weight to 585 kilos for 4 reps.

“Subsequent era will say it’s AI,” wrote one amazed Instagram viewer. “Goosebumps,” wrote one other. “These denim shorts are legendary,” concluded the feedback.

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