Brian Dobson, owner of Metroflex Gym in Arlington, Texas, has been Ronnie's friend and supporter since the champ's earliest days in the sport. With experience as a competitor and trainer, Brian saw Ronnie's incredible potential the moment he walked into his gym almost a decade ago. Indeed it was 42-year-old Brian's prodding that got our new Mr. Olympia on a stage in the first place.

At the time Ronnie Coleman was brought to my attention, Metroflex Gym had only been open for about two years. One of my members, who worked as a policeman, told me of a rookie cop who had begun training haphazardly at the station, and was already quite large. With a little help he could do well, he thought. I told him to bring the guy around, thinking he may be a good training partner. When Ronnie finally came to the gym he was wearing a red sweatshirt and pants, and they were so tight on his legs I could see vascularity. I've never seen veins pop through clothing like that before or since. And his biceps were impressive, too. Ronnie's potential was obvious.

We started training together and were fairly equal, strength-wise, on most movements. Within six weeks he was blowing me away. The progression was remarkable. Ronnie's a competitive person. If you push him, he'll put in the effort. I often remarked that he had the genetics to turn pro. Ronnie listened but seemed unsure. I mean, the guy would never take his shirt off. We trained for four months before he even wore a tank top. The first time I did see him stripped down, I was like "holy shit!" Both of us entered a few shows, and he'd make sure I was signed up before he did. Backstage at one of the contests there was a skinhead-type guy who was bullying everybody. I decided to set this guy straight and grabbed Ronnie out of the audience, got him all pumped up, then walked him over to where the jerk was. When he pulled his shirt off, you could literally see the old boy's soul leave his body (laughter). Ronnie won without much opposition.