Ever since the retirement of the great Ronnie Coleman, bodybuilding fans have been looking for the next generation’s version of him to rise. Many people who follow the sport felt that Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay of Egypt was that man. His rise to prominence began in the eyes of many at the 2013 New York Pro, which he won easily. Although he wasn’t as tall as Coleman, he showcased muscle that was so big you couldn’t take your eyes off him.
He made his Olympia debut in 2013, where he placed 8th. He has placed as high as second at the prestigious contest, forging a rivalry with seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath. As Ramy’s placings at the Olympia grew year after year, his physique appeared to do the same. He regularly weighed over 300 pounds in the offseason, and at times he came close to that weight on stage.
Of course, being that big means moving big weights, and his Instagram proves that he is both show and go in the weight room. Here, we take a look at some of the awe-inspiring posts he’s shared with his over 2 million followers.
As you can see, he isn’t just strong with one or two exercises. He can handle a lot of weight for reps on any movement he wants—that leg press is insane!
Notice how he’s lifting in this chest training clip. It isn’t just that he’s pushing big weight—his form is pretty good, too. He controls the weight, not the other way around.
Ramy’s quads are among the biggest in the sport, but he still has to train them hard, as shown in this post of him doing 14 reps on the leg press with 28 plates. We’ll save you the time doing the math—that’s over 1,200 pounds!
You don’t have to be 300 pounds to train with Ramy. When Bakhar Nabieva, one of his female teammates joined him for a leg-training session the intensity didn’t wane.
There are two takeaways here. First, he reached more than 2 million followers on Instagram and was showing his appreciation. Second, he has a bigger back than every one of them.
