Creed III and Ant Man star Jonathan Majors is readying for the release of his new bodybuilding movie, Magazine Dreams, so Ronnie Coleman thought it might be appropriate to give the Hollywood star the Mr. Olympia treatment by setting this brutal chest workout.
Coleman, who shares a record eight Mr. Olympia titles along with Lee Haney gave Majors no second take as they undertook this epic session, designed to really chisel the chest. Try it for yourself:
Ronnie Coleman & Jonathan Majors ‘Magazine Dreams’ Chest Workout
Seated Chest Press Machine (2 Sets x 20 Reps)
Seated Chest Flye Machine (3 Sets x 20 Reps)
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press (3 Sets x 20 Reps)
Rope Triceps Pushdown (2 Sets x 20 Reps)
The Finisher
Seated Triceps Machine (Sets x 20 Reps)
The Workout Breakdown
Coleman, who still requires a wheelchair to walk, was first on the seated chest press machine. “Yes, Sir,” encouraged an impressed Majors as “The King” went full throttle. While it’s not possible to determine the actual number of reps he completed due to the edit, Coleman appeared to smash 20 reps during his heavy set. Under pressure, Majors delivered during his turn too, equaling the same 20 reps.
Of course, many people recommend 8-12 reps for hypertrophy, but each additional rep after that will really damage those muscle fibers further, encouraging the body to build back stronger. To make it even more brutal, Coleman encouraged the weight to be increased on each set, but this was hardly a pyramid set situation, because they continued to shoot for 20 reps with each exercise. This workout is a true mass builder, just be sure to split your sessions into different body parts and add in plenty of recovery time if you want to increase your own volume on heavy sets. Perhaps inspired by his Olympia icon gym partner, Majors relished the chance to go big or go home and knocked out another 20 reps in the second set. “You got Ronnie Coleman looking after you… you gotta go!” enthused the movie star.
Next up was the seated chest flye machine, and Coleman was eager to demonstrate, appearing to complete another 20 reps. “Yeah buddy,” encouraged Majors as he followed suit with 20 before they both repeated their impressive performance with a second set. Of course, Majors is no stranger to the grind and revealed that he shot Creed III and Magazine Dreams back-to-back, meaning that he had to be in shape both as a boxer and as a bodybuilder to complete those projects. After a third successful set from Coleman, Majors shares that his chest is feeling “pretty tight,” and is beginning to wonder if he can keep up with “The King.” He gives it his all however and stays in the game.
Up third is the dumbbell decline bench press. Coleman begins with 20-kilogram (44.09 pounds) dumbbells. Perhaps due to mobility issues, the former Mr Olympia makes quick, partial reps here, whereas Majors drops his elbows as low as possible and lifts until he feels the stretch, working with the same weight as his mentor. Coleman completes a second set of 16 reps with 24-kilogram dumbbells (52.9 pounds) while Majors manages 20 reps with the same weight. “Good job,” says Coleman as the Hollywood hunk starts to look pumped. Majors then goes all out on the third set with the 30-kilogram (66.1 pound) dumbbells blasting out 21 solid reps to leave it all in the gym.
Executing his rope pulldowns, Coleman showed the progress he is making on his feet by standing without his wheelchair or crutches and using the rope for support, while Major’s revealed his bulging triceps as he took the rope’s load with a slow and controlled motion. The dedicated duo rounded out their brutal workout with the seated triceps machine. While Coleman completed a consistent 20 reps, Majors wanted to keep going while “The King” left for a bathroom break and kept on repping until his mentor returned. It turned out to be an “As Many Reps as You Can” style set, with Majors nailing at least 50 reps until Coleman came back. Well, they do say “No Pain, No Gain!”
Ronnie Coleman was known for a variety of different chest exercises during his active career but told Major’s that the straight bench press is his favorite of all time. He also surprised the young lion by telling him that he only worked out for one hour per day in his Olympia heyday. “Excuse me?” asked an astonished Majors. “One hour a day, my whole career,” confirmed The King. “And I worked a full time job (in the police).” Now, that’s an excuse killer if ever there was one!