Dexter Jackson’s greatness is a given, even as time marches on and younger competitors rise and fall. His beard is gray, and his face is lined, but his physique refuses to age. What helped Dexter Jackson avoid injuries like the ones Ronnie Coleman suffered from? In an effort to discover his secrets, we examine what makes the Blade so phenomenal, from A to Z.
~
~
Dexter Jackson the Legend
No competitor is more associated with a contest than the Blade is with the Arnold. He holds every significant record: most wins (5), most entries (15), and most top-five finishes (14). In addition, he’s won the Arnold Classic Australia and Arnold Classic Europe. With all due respect to the contest’s namesake, Jackson owns the A.C. He has two of the highest-caliber guns ever flexed on a stage,
~
but if you’re looking for the key to bulbous biceps here, the secret is there is no secret. He does the same things most every other bodybuilder does for moderate volume and moderate reps. A typical routine consists of EZ-bar preacher curls, seated alternate dumbbell curls, and one-arm machine curls, all for four sets of 8-10 reps. “There are a lot of different ways to do a curl with free weights and machines,” he says.
~
Around the time he turned 41 at the end of 2010 when it seemed his physique might actually be fading, Jackson enlisted trainer Charles Glass, even though it meant “commuting” from Florida to California.
~
Why He Avoided Injuries?
The Blade’s remarkable longevity has only been possible because he’s avoided trauma. “I don’t do all those crazy, heavy, compound movements that I did when I was younger,” he says. “As I got older I changed my training. Guys like Ronnie [Coleman] and Dorian [Yates] kind of fell apart at the end because they didn’t change their training. I do more isolation and machine exercises now. It works for me, as long as I train hard with good form.”
~
Dexter Jackson on his Olympia Win
It takes most winners only two or three tries. Jay Cutler won on his sixth try, but he’d been second four times. This was Jackson’s ninth Olympia, and he’d never previously been runner-up. Even he didn’t envision himself as the world’s best bodybuilder. But at 38, he bested Cutler to win the 2008, Mr. Olympia. “Mr. Olympia. Come on, that’s crazy,” he said afterward.
~
~
Ronnie Coleman Takes a Shot at Dexter Jackson
The King, Ronnie Coleman, insists he’ll never stop, and even took a shot at Dexter Jackson for suggesting he take it easy. Ronnie Coleman knows people may be worried about his health, and probably think he should slow down or stop working out altogether. But The King has an important message: he’s not quitting the gym—ever. In fact, he would rather work out than eat or sleep, he revealed in his latest Instagram post.
~
“Trust me, I love you guys to death for being concerned about me but it’s not gonna happen,” he wrote. “In closing I would like to say, oh yeah it ain’t over mulbuckers, once again it’s on like Ding Dongs.”
~
What Were Ronnie Colemans Injuries?
Eight-time Mr. Olympia and iconic bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman has been in and out of the hospital several times in recent years. Ronnie Coleman’s life took a very bad turn after having one of the most renowned bodybuilding runs ever. He confessed that he worked out and won many consecutive contests while battling a herniated disc, a spinal condition that can lead to severe pain and even paralysis. If someone has a back condition,
~
they usually seek treatment straight away. But not Coleman. He disregarded the pain and continued to compete. He needed many back operations and a few hip surgeries as a result of this.
~