Ronnie Coleman is a professional body builder with a stellar reputation as a former Mr. Olympia. Ronnie Coleman has one of the most admired bodies in the professional body building world—but of course, those muscles didn’t develop overnight.
Coleman used to be a police officer with no experience in body building, until he received a free membership to a gym and began pursuing the body he now proudly has today. But his muscles didn’t magically appear. Coleman needed to build his strength through persistent and intense workouts, training and a healthy lifestyle to develop those much-admired muscles.
Thankfully, Ronnie Coleman has chosen to share some of his tips and tricks to the public for developing a toned and muscular body. Ronnie Coleman’s meal plan, developed through training and research, is one of these tricks—and is considered a vital way for body builders, new and experienced alike, to grow and maintain a well toned, muscular body.
At first glance, Ronnie Coleman’s meal plan differs from some of the other popular body builder daily nutritional meal plans. This is because Coleman eats fewer meals with a higher density, as opposed to more meals with a lower density. Some body builders may eat 10, 15, or even 20 times per day—Coleman’s plan, however, is limited to 6 large meals a day. Is this plan right for you? There’s only one way to find out!
Let’s start with breakfast.
Coleman’s first “meal” of the day is actually just supplements. At 10 AM, he takes 6 to 6 Nitrix tablets with a glass of water. Half an hour later at 10:30 AM, he eats his first real meal, which is comprised of 3/4 cups of grits with cheese, 2 cups of egg whites, and a cup of coffee. This meal has a total of 420 calories, 60 grams of protein, and 22 grams of carbs. As we can see, his meal plan is already full of protein–a key role in the development of great muscles.
At 12:30 pm, Coleman eats his next meal, which is again comprised only of supplements. He eats 3 scoops of NO Explode before his afternoon workout… and then 2 scoops of CellMass after his workout, along with an additional 6 to 8 Nitrix tablets. This pre/post workout meal has 18 grams of carbohydrates and 14 grams of protein.
Coleman’s biggest meal of the day comes at 4:00 PM, after the bustle of the afternoon workouts. He eats two 8 oz chicken breasts, 1 1/2 cups of red beans, 1 1/2 cups of brown rice, and 2 pieces of cornbread. This meal has a total of 1816 calories, 281 grams of protein, and 204 grams of carbohydrates. As we can see, it is very heavy on the protein, calories, and carbohydrates and is eaten all in one meal rather than scattered throughout the day.
At 6:30 pm, Coleman takes another 6 to 8 Nitrix tablets with a glass of water.
At 7:00 PM, it’s time for another large meal. This meal is comprised of two 8 oz chicken breasts, 1 baked potato, and a glass of water. This evening meal has 917 calories, 125 grams of carbs, and 44 grams of carbohydrates. Unlike some body builders, Coleman eats many of his heavier meals later on at night, as opposed to early in the morning or in the afternoon.
At 10:00 PM, he eats another large, protein heavy meal. His 10:00 pm meal consists of a 9 oz filet mignon, a 5 oz chicken breast, 1 baked potato, 1 serving of French fries, and an 8 oz glass of lemonade. This meal has 1414 calories, 113 grams of protein, 104 grams of carbohydrates, and 58 grams of fat. This is his last “food heavy” meal of the day, eaten relatively late at night. Some bodybuilders choose to limit their food intake after a certain time in the evening, however, Ronnie Coleman prefers to fuel his body at night which will give him additional energy in the mornings.
At midnight, he eats 2 scoops of Cell Mass. And at 1:30 AM, he wakes up and eats 4 scoops of SYNTHA-6 along with 18 oz of water, for a total of 800 calories, 88 grams of protein, and 56 grams of carbohydrates. This is his last “meal,” comprised of supplements only, before his morning supplements and morning meal at 10:00 and 10:30 the next morning.
As we can see, Ronnie Coleman’s meal plan is heavy on protein and carbohydrates in food, relatively low on fat, and is typically eaten in several large portions throughout the day rather than a higher number of meals divided over smaller portions. Coleman eats later on at night, rather than in the early morning or afternoon, which some may find difficult to adjust to, however it does have its benefits because eating later at night will fuel muscle growth.
Coleman also reports that he prefers to substitute different items during different seasons. For example, in the winter he consumes freshwater fish, and in the winter he ups his fruit intakes by eating more fruits, particularly bananas. Generally, his meal plan can be described as several large meals which are heavy in protein and carbohydrates, somewhat low in fat, and are aimed at fueling the body for workouts and providing the body and muscles the energy required to develop a physically fit, toned and muscular body.
