It looks as if each bodybuilding era has its personal model of the “largest man” within the sport. Within the late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s, that place was crammed by Ronnie Coleman, whose huge 295-pound physique earned him eight Mr. Olympia titles from 1998 to 2005.
In 2013, Mamdouh “Massive Ramy” Elssbiay broke onto the scene, touting a physique that rivaled Coleman’s by way of sheer dimension. Elssbiay has gained two Mr. Olympia titles as of February 2023 and stands out as probably the most completed bodybuilders of the previous decade.
Whereas followers won’t ever get to see these two behemoths pose facet by facet of their primes, we right here at BarBend are breaking down their physiques and accomplishments to see how each rivals evaluate.
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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 outline of their skilled highlights.
Coleman’s Accomplishments
Ronnie Coleman turned professional on the 1991 World Newbie Championships, however it might 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 below are his most notable profession accomplishments:
- Eight-time Mr. Olympia (1998-2005)
- Arnold Basic Champion (2001)
- World Newbie Champion (1991)
- 26 Whole Profession Wins
One in every 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 kilos and rode that momentum to a different Sandow.
A 12 months later, he positioned first once more on the 2004 Olympia in a landslide, besting Cutler and Gustavo Badell. Coleman then gained three IFBB Grand Prix exhibits in Russia, Holland, and England within the weeks following the Olympia, capping off arguably probably the most unimaginable 12 months of his storied profession.
Elssbiay’s Accomplishments
Mamdouh Elssbiay turned professional by profitable the 2012 Newbie Olympia title. He then made his professional debut on the 2013 New York Professional, which he gained because of his dimension and symmetry. However like Coleman, it might 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 below 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 Fashion
In terms of coaching, Coleman and Elssbiay aren’t as comparable as you’d assume, regardless of their huge frames. Right here’s how their types evaluate.
Coleman’s Coaching Fashion
Coleman had a background in powerlifting earlier than placing on the posing trunks. Due to that, he targeted extra on free weights and primary compound actions all through his whole profession.
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Regardless that he’s greatest recognized 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 Health club in Arlington, TX. Right here’s what considered one of his again routines seemed like:
Elssbiay’s Coaching Fashion
Elssbiay has used comparable rep ranges and quantity as Coleman, however he focuses extra on utilizing machines. Whether or not he’s understanding within the well-known Oxygen gymnasium in Kuwait or in his dwelling nation of Egypt, Elssbiay appears to love having the ability to isolate the muscle and never impression his joints or tendons as he could with free weight actions.
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Elssbiay’s precise exercises are arduous to return by, however in line with YouTube movies and social media posts with coach Dennis James, his typical shoulder day might embody these workout routines:
Reputation
As Mr. Olympia champions, each Coleman and Ramy have been — and nonetheless are — immensely in style with followers. Although it’s unimaginable to match their reputation immediately because of the totally different eras they competed in, there are some takeaways to think about.
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, akin to “Yeah buddy!” and “Ain’t nothing however a peanut,” have develop into bona fide memes in the present day.
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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 commonly rack up tons of of 1000’s 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 rather more in style in Elssbiay’s dwelling of Egypt than it’s in the USA. Because of this, he’s probably the most in style sports activities figures in his homeland, even having a city sq. named after him.
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Although you’ll be able to argue that trendy rivals like Chris Bumstead outshine Elssbiay by way of mainstream reputation within the U.S., the large man nonetheless holds his personal, because of his over 4.8 million followers on Instagram. Nonetheless, he has an extended approach to go if he desires to beat out Coleman’s 6.2 million Instagram followers.
The Coach Issue
There’s one more reason 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 12 months’s Arnold Basic, Elssbiay and Nicholls gained 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 document with that reply, and he could 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 in addition 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 in the present day’s panorama. And by way of who would win a side-by-side physique comparability, that’s up for the followers to decide.
[Read: The 16 Best Ab Exercises for Strength and Definition]
Coleman had mass and density that will be arduous to beat, whereas Elssbiay’s symmetry and proportions are almost unparalleled 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
