During his prime bodybuilding years, Ronnie Coleman’s immense strength was undeniable. This leads Mitchell Hooper to ponder: Could Coleman have challenged Mariusz Pudzianowski for the World’s Strongest-Man title in the early 2000s?
“Today we are going to be looking at the two titans of strength and bodybuilding from the late 90s early 2000s, I’m sure you guys can guess. We’re going to look at Ronnie Coleman and we’re going to look at Mariusz Pudzianowski and we’re going to compare.
Do you think Ronnie Coleman could have stolen one of those titles from Mariusz? We’re going to break it down head to toe.”
As the reigning World’s Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman Classic titleholder, Mitchell Hooper has firmly established himself. Furthermore, having emerged in the wake of Pudzianowski’s illustrious career, Hooper fearlessly engages in discussions.
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Furthermore, Coleman, famed for his eight Mr. Olympia titles, was also renowned for his remarkable strength. Also, his feats included an 800-pound deadlift and squat, along with a leg press of 2,300 pounds.
Mitchell Hooper Breaks Down If Ronnie Coleman Could Have Won World’s Strongest-Man Title in 2005
Hooper compared Coleman’s 800-pound deadlift to Pudzianowski’s 914-pound deadlift. He emphasized a significant disparity in sheer strength.
“Ronnie 800 pounds by two reps for a deadlift. That is good, nowadays, that is not competitive. Mariusz’s best deadlift was 415 kilos, that’s unfortunately, Ronnie not really close.”
As for Coleman’s squatting abilities, Hooper believes he could have challenged Pudzianowski effectively.
“Squatting was one of his most famous things. We have seen that video of his squatting 800 pounds for reps. That is an 800-pound double squat. The best-listed squat by Mariusz is 380 kilos, that is 840 pounds so that’s really quite close.”
Hooper was impressed with Coleman’s strength, noting his 500-pound bench press.
“Bench press, Ronnie Coleman 500-pound bench press for five reps. I could not do that. That would not be possible for me. For squats, I would be close. I could probably do three or four at 800 pounds without knee wraps on.”
However, Pudzianowski’s bench press personal best was 639 pounds. Hooper remarked that this lift “would destroy anyone” on the Pro circuit today.
“Contrast that to Mariusz’s personal best at 290 kilos… that is absurd. I actually don’t even know if I believe that because that is insane and that would destroy anyone on the Pro circuit right now when it comes to bench pressing. He does look like a good bench presser, but.”
In a hypothetical World’s Strongest Man event, Hooper believes Coleman could vie for gold. With moderate strongman training, Coleman could contend for the top spot.
“I think Ronnie could get through them all. I don’t think that’s a problem at all, a 300-pound stone. I think he can pick that up relatively easily. Might not be the smoothest thing in the world, he might not be sprinting from one to the next,” adds Hooper.
“Eight points means he is now at 59 points [total]. This is a loss [to Mariusz] by one point. But, if he were in the contest, he beat Mariusz in Fingals Fingers, and he beat him in Log Lift, this means those are two points Mariusz would have lost, meaning Mariusz would have been at 58 and Ronnie Coleman at 59.”
“I think if Ronnie Coleman competed in shape with some moderate level of directed strongman training, I think 2005 World’s Strongest Man is possible that Ronnie Coleman could have been crowned the World’s Strongest Man. Big statement to say he could have dethroned the best of all time when it comes to World’s Strongest Man.”
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As a WSM champion, Hooper ‘genuinely believes’ Coleman could have taken one title from Pudzianowski at his peak.
“I genuinely think as someone who has won World’s Strongest Man, I genuinely think it would have been possible. He was a genetic freak. He obviously knew how to train hard, he obviously was incredibly strong. It’s possible.”
Having left an indelible mark in weightlifting and bodybuilding, athletes today continue to marvel at Coleman’s legendary strength. Recently, bodybuilder, powerlifter, and influencer Larry Wheels demonstrated his prowess alongside Coleman. During their collaboration, Wheels managed to squat 600 pounds for 14 reps, earning praise from ‘The King’ for his lifting ability.
As one of the strongest bodybuilders in history, Mitchell Hooper believes Ronnie Coleman could have feasibly won a World’s Strongest Man title. While the question of whether Coleman could have defeated Pudzianowski remains unanswered, Hooper refuses to dismiss it as implausible.
Catch the complete video on Mitchell Hooper’s YouTube channel:
Overview
During his prime, Ronnie Coleman’s strength raises questions about his potential in strongman competitions. Mitchell Hooper explores if Coleman could challenge Mariusz Pudzianowski for the World’s Strongest Man title. Despite Coleman’s bodybuilding feats, Pudzianowski’s dominance in events like the bench press poses a challenge. Hooper speculates that, with moderate strongman training, Coleman could contend for the top spot. While Hooper believes Coleman could possibly win a title from Pudzianowski, the question remains unanswered.
Featured Image @MitchellHooper, @ronnie.coleman_fanpage (Instagram & Youtube)
