Who is Boyer Coe?
Boyer Coe, a former professional bodybuilder, is best known for establishing himself as the sport’s undisputed champion in the 1970s and 1980s.
He battled against some of the most well-known bodybuilders of the time, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva, Mike Mentzer, and Frank Zane.
Short Career of Boyer Coe
Boyer Coe began his bodybuilding career humbly, working out in his garage with a barbell and a pair of dumbbells before joining the Lake Charles neighborhood gym.
He met one of the trainers who had worked with him to build a powerful body there. He won several prestigious titles thanks to his physique, including Mr. Texas in 1965, Junior Mr. America in 1969, Mr. World in 1970, and Mr. Universe in 1973.
Boyer has established himself as one of the greatest bodybuilders, competing for four decades (the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s) and winning multiple titles along the way. Here is his biography:
Body Measurements of Boyer Coe
| Full Name: | Boyer Coe |
| DATE OF BIRTH: | 18 August 1946 |
| ERA: | 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 |
| PROFESSION: | Professional Bodybuilder |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
| AGE: | 75 |
| HEIGHT: | 5’9″ (175cm) |
| WEIGHT: | 215-225 pounds (93.0-102.1kg) |
| ALIAS: | The Ragin’ Cajun |
Accomplishments
Competitions
- 1995 Olympia – Masters – IFBB, 10th
- 1994 Olympia – Masters – IFBB, 3rd
- 1984 Olympia – IFBB, 13rd
- 1982 World Pro Championships – IFBB, 2nd
- 1982 Olympia – IFBB, 11th
- 1982 Grand Prix Sweden – IFBB, 9th
- 1982 Grand Prix Belgium – IFBB, 8th
- 1981 World Grand Prix – IFBB, Winner
- 1981 Professional World Cup – IFBB, Winner
- 1981 Night of Champions – IFBB, 3rd
- 1981 Grand Prix World Cup – IFBB, Winner
- 1981 Grand Prix Washington – IFBB, 3rd
- 1981 Grand Prix Wales – IFBB, Winner
- 1981 Grand Prix New York – IFBB, 3rd
- 1981 Grand Prix New England – IFBB, 3rd
- 1981 Grand Prix Massachusets – IFBB, Winner
- 1981 Grand Prix California – IFBB, 3rd
- 1981 Grand Prix Belgium – IFBB, Winner
- 1981 Canada Pro Cup – IFBB, Winner
- 1980 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational – IFBB, 5th
- 1980 Olympia – IFBB, 4th
- 1980 Grand Prix Miami – IFBB, 5th
- 1980 Grand Prix California – IFBB, 5th
- 1980 Canada Pro Cup – IFBB, 2nd
- 1979 Southern Pro Cup – IFBB, 4th
- 1979 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational – IFBB, 5th
- 1979 Olympia – IFBB, LightWeight, 2nd
- 1979 Night of Champions – IFBB, 4th
- 1979 Grand Prix Vancouver – IFBB, 3rd
- 1979 Grand Prix Pennsylvania – IFBB, 5th
- 1979 Canada Pro Cup – IFBB, 3rd
- 1979 Canada Diamond Pro Cup – IFBB, 3rd
- 1979 Best in the World – IFBB, Professional, 5th
- 1978 Professional World Cup – IFBB, 5th
- 1978 Olympia – IFBB, LightWeight, 2nd
- 1978 Olympia – IFBB, 4th
- 1978 Night of Champions – IFBB, 4th
- 1977 Olympia – IFBB, Short, 3rd
- 1977 Olympia – IFBB, 4th
- 1976 Olympia – IFBB, LightWeight
- 1975 World Championships – WBBG, Winner
- 1975 Universe – Pro – PBBA, Winner
- 1975 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Short, 1st
- 1975 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Overall Winner
- 1974 World Championships – WBBG, Winner
- 1974 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Short, 2nd
- 1974 Mr. World – WBBG, Winner
- 1973 World Championships – WBBG, Winner
- 1973 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Short, 1st
- 1973 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Overall Winner
- 1972 World Championships – WBBG, Winner
- 1972 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Short, 2nd
- 1971 World Championships – WBBG, Winner
- 1971 Mr. International – IFBB, Medium, 1st
- 1971 Mr. International – IFBB, Overall Winner
- 1971 Mr. America – IFBB, Medium, 1st
- 1970 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Short, 1st
- 1970 Mr. World – AAU, Pro Short, 2nd
- 1969 Universe – NABBA, Medium, 1st
- 1969 Universe – NABBA, Overall Winner
- 1969 Mr. America – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1969 Mr. America – AAU, Winner
- 1969 Junior Mr. America – AAU, Winner
- 1968 Mr. USA – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1968 Mr. USA – AAU, 2nd
- 1968 Mr. America – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1968 Mr. America – AAU, 2nd
- 1968 Junior Mr. USA – AAU, Overall Winner
- 1968 Junior Mr. America – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1968 Junior Mr. America – AAU, 2nd
- 1967 Mr. Southern States – AAU, 2nd
- 1967 Mr. America – AAU, Most Muscular, 5th
- 1967 Mr. America – AAU, 5th
- 1967 Junior Mr. America – AAU, Most Muscular, 2nd
- 1967 Junior Mr. America – AAU, 2nd
- 1966 Teen Mr. America – AAU, Winner
- 1966 Mr. USA – AAU, Most Muscular, 3rd
- 1966 Mr. USA – AAU, 2nd
- 1966 Junior Mr. America – AAU, Most Muscular, 5th
- 1966 Junior Mr. America – AAU, 5th
- 1965 Teen Mr. America – AAU, Most Muscular, 2nd
- 1965 Teen Mr. America – AAU, 2nd
- 1965 Mr. Texas – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
- 1965 Mr. Texas – AAU, Winner
- 1964 – Mr. Louisiana
- 1964 – AAU Mr. New Orleans
- 1962 – Teen-Age Mr. South Contest, top 5
Biography
From Calisthenics to Bodybuilding
Boyer Coe and his younger sister Cindy were both born and raised in Lake Charles. At age 5, he had a curiosity for bodybuilding; nonetheless, it took him some time to fully grasp how muscles are developed.
Boyer initially engaged in calisthenics with the hope that it would help him achieve the size he had always desired.
But after reading his first bodybuilding magazine, he started to grasp that calisthenics alone weren’t enough to produce a significant amount of muscle growth and that weight training was necessary.
Boyer soon bought his first set of dumbbells and a barbell, and he started working out in his garage. Boyer’s body rapidly saw the results of switching from calisthenics to weight training.
He had a popular body among his peers by the time he was 15 years old, which inspired him, even more, to work out with weights.
Boyer quickly outgrew his home weights and began searching for a bigger “challenge,” so he decided to acquire himself a membership in a nearby Lake Charles gym.
Start of Competitive Career
Boyer decided to compete in his first-ever bodybuilding competition, the Teen Mr. South in Alabama, in the summer of 1962.
Boyer, who had never performed on stage before, was pleasantly delighted to hear his name mentioned as one of the top 5 contenders.
Boyer entered more neighborhood events during the summer, riding the momentum of his debut performance, before moving on to bigger contests.
At the 1964 AAU Mr. New Orleans contest, he had his first significant on-stage success. Just three days before his high school graduation, he won the championship.
He won Mr. Hercules, Southwest six months later, this time in a regional competition.
Boyer’s trainer Lloyd Lerille helped him further enhance his body after he received his high school diploma, putting him in reach of the IFBB and NABBA’s top divisions.
He also pursued management and psychology degrees at the University of Southwestern Louisiana during this time.
Dominance Throughout the 70s and 80s
Boyer won two significant titles in three years, including the 1968 Junior Mr. USA crown, which he won on his 22nd birthday, and his first national title at the 1966 Teen Mr. America competition.
In the 1970s and 1980s, when he won 18 titles, including the 1970 NABBA Mr. Universe, the 1971 Mr. America, the 1975 WBBG World Championships, the 1981 IFBB Grand Prix Massachusetts, and the 1981 IFBB Grand Prix World Cup, his fame in the bodybuilding world “blew up.”
During this time, Boyer also performed admirably in several Mr. Olympia contests, placing Overall in the top 4 in 1977, 1978, and 1980.
Boyer became known as one of the most accomplished bodybuilders of the 1970s and 1980s as a result of these outstanding accomplishments.
Years Later
Boyer dominated in the 1970s and 1980s before taking a long break from the sport. He returned in 1994 and competed in his final two professional events, the 1994 and 1995 Masters Olympia, placing third and tenth, respectively.
Boyer continued to be active in the bodybuilding community after his professional competition days ended by serving as the co-host of a fitness and bodybuilding TV show that was aired in the 1990s.
In New Orleans, he also started his health food store and later a gym.
“I have always supported exercises with a full contraction and full extension range of motion. The best way to avoid getting hurt is to do that. Many of the guys I see performing their workouts with a lot of momentum and incomplete reps are simply damaging their joints.
Training
Staying Powerful
Boyer used to get up at five in the morning to go to the gym and train hard throughout his competitive years.
Little has changed even now, many years after he retired from the world of professional bodybuilding. Boyer continues to get up early and work out in the gym up to five days per week.
He claims that despite not training as hard as he once did, he still has “that burning drive” to push himself to the absolute maximum in the gym. Boyer explains, “I simply trained hard and made the effort.”
Work Capacity Development
Boyer’s workout regimen was always structured to help him develop the “old-school,” iconic 70s physique, which included a small waist, wide back, defined abs, large shoulders and arms, and gigantic pecs.
This training program was designated as WCT, or work capacity training. WCT was a modified kind of high-intensity training that relied on pyramid sets and brief rest intervals.
Boyer would begin his WCT workouts by warming up with the exercise he would be performing that day.
He would then gradually increase the weight with each set until he reached a weight with which he could bare 12 reps.
He would maintain strict form while performing the negative portion of the exercise slowly. He would then rest for 60 seconds before moving on to the following set, which was lighter by 5–10 pounds.
Boyer’s Exercise Program
- Monday: Chest and Back
- Tuesday: Shoulders and Arms
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Chest and Back
- Friday: Shoulders and Arms
- Saturday: Legs
- Sunday: Rest
Nutrition
Boyer Coe was one of the Golden Era’s most famous bodybuilders who followed a diet high in protein and saturated fats.
His primary source of protein and lipids was a lot of raw eggs. He would also have a lot of poultry, fish, beef, and pork in addition to this for additional protein.
Boyer would consume a lot of carbohydrates throughout the off-season, progressively cutting back as he got closer to his “cutting” stages.
He would also prepare his protein drinks using nutrient-rich ingredients like milk powder, raw eggs, oats, and other meals.
Influences and Idols
Boyer’s primary bodybuilding role models were Sergio Oliva and Bill Pearl. He also expressed his gratitude to his friend Red Lerille for all of his assistance with training and posing.
Boyer described Red Lerille as “a man I am sincerely proud to call a friend” when speaking of him.
How Can Boyer Coe Teach Us Something?
Boyer Coe started his bodybuilding career in his garage, working out at home with light weights. From there, he advanced to more intense weight training and later, bodybuilding competitions.
What we can take away from his tale is that everyone has a beginning, even legendary figures like Boyer.
Because of this, don’t be afraid to start small and fail occasionally on your road; take baby steps, and eventually, you might be able to fulfill your life’s greatest aspirations.