Review of Ronnie Coleman’s legendary 495-pound front squat – Muscle and Fitness

Before selfie sticks and mood lighting, the gym was a place where you could hop on any lift one hundred percent without worrying about likes or subscribers. Luckily the cameras were still rolling, because Ronnie Coleman recently shared one of the most retro clips you’ll ever see, weighing in at 495 pounds and putting on an incredible display of the front squat.

It was 2000 and Coleman was recording his legendary training DVD, The incredible. The DVD itself sees the big man heading to the gym in his Dodge Viper, donning bright yellow tights and a ‘Shut Up and Squat’ T-shirt – just to make his intentions abundantly clear. The gym in question was the Metroflex Gym in Arlington, Texas, where Coleman performed a huge workout including hack squats and lunges with barbells, but this particular front squat clip continues to go viral because it has everything a vintage workout video should have to make it a classic. Growling? Bill! Questionable wardrobe? Bill? Proof that old-fashioned bodybuilding isn’t for the faint of heart? Bill!

Ronnie Coleman’s viral 495-pound front squat still shocks lifters

As Coleman reached for the barbell, we meet the owner of a Metroflex gymBrian Dobson, wearing a camouflage thong and high-cut denim shorts. “There is no man anywhere who trains harder,” Dobson said on the DVD itself. Time would prove him wrong.

After warming up, you see Coleman grab the bar and go to work. “I’ve got the light weight on it now,” The King jokes, with five 45-pound plates on either side of the bar. After an encouraging “Yes!” motivation from Dobson, Coleman cranks out ten solid reps before setting the bar again. And since a standard Olympic barbell weighs 45 pounds, the total load comes to 495 pounds.

Despite how surreal the clip looks in 2026, front squats are still a staple for those looking to build bigger quads, glutes, hips, and hamstrings. But when it comes to heavy lifting bodybuilders, Coleman was often in a class of his own. On the “Unbelievable” DVD, Coleman deadlifted 800 pounds for two repsand later increased his front weight to 585 pounds for 4 reps.

“The next generation will say it’s AI,” wrote one surprised Instagram viewer. “Goosebumps,” wrote another. “Those denim shorts are legendary,” the comments concluded.

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