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Classic Shawn
10 Questions With Shawn Ray
1. Shawn, when you were competing, did you ever feel like quitting?
I never felt like giving up on my dream at any point of my career because I was getting so close to actually realizing it every year, even when I dropped a placing or two. Staying focused and hungry was something I did well, due to my ability to feel comfortable being alone. I focused solely on my training, my body, my career and my meals without the distractions of a relationship or other employment. Being a professional bodybuilder I only had one job, and that was to focus on my physique. Losing makes you hungrier to try and win. Getting closer to winning makes you hungrier to actually win! Putting myself in the best position to win was always my goal in an industry that was slowly falling out of love with symmetry and balance and more in love with size and mass!
2. What's best way to approach leg day in the gym?
Training legs is something you need to mentally prepare for if you’re going to train them properly. Leg day is training one-half of your body in one session so added preparation is needed mentally and physically. Typically I chose four exercises: leg press, squats, leg extensions and leg curls. I never train using these exercises in the same order. I train legs twice a week; one heavy session with low reps, and the second session using moderate weight high repetitions. My goal is now on the heavy days (8-12 reps) to build size and on high-repetition days to sculpt and etch in detail (20-50 reps). I perform four sets per exercise with two warm-up sets preceding my working sets.
3. Unfortunately we had another superstar passing recently, Cedric McMillan. What are your thoughts?
Tragic. It’s never a good time when someone you know, love and respect passes before old age, especially a father. Cedric was more than just a great bodybuilder; he was a soldier, comedian, inspiration and a friend to many people. It hurts knowing he should still be here with us and contributing to the sport we all love. Forty-four is too young. Cedric was great with the microphone, quick-witted, playful and entertaining, which I think is how many of us will remember him beyond his tremendous physique and potential. Heart attacks and bodybuilding are becoming synonymous with each other in a way I’ll never be comfortable with. I’m praying there are lessons we all learn from Cedric and the things that led up to his passing. He wasn’t the picture of health and the warning signs were there as they were for the late Shawn Rhoden. We need to pay attention to our bodies as soon as we feel something is off or not right. Doctor visits and regular check-ups are essential to a bodybuilder who trains extremely hard. I’m still in shock but also paying close attention to how these deaths could be prevented.
4. You were recently in Peru and Germany and in the midst of a world tour with England, Canada, Chile, Dubai and Switzerland still to come. How cool is it to think that bodybuilding has allowed you to see the world and all it has to offer?
I believe when I was a teenager I was asked what I hope for as a pro and the next five years of my life once I turned pro. My reply then was, “I want to be Mr. Olympia, be in magazines and travel the world.” It’s funny because I’ve always set goals for myself and have a very focused vision for things I want or desire. At the time back in 1983, I didn’t realize I would actually accomplish the majority of my long-term goals, however without them it’s doubtful I could have prepared myself to be properly prepared for when the time arrived to do the business of bodybuilding. Traveling the world has given me a better understanding of how small my hometown is. Living in a little bubble and daydreaming of what the world looks like was never something for me. My mom says all the time I should have been born with a set of wings. In hindsight she’s right, because I’m never more happier than when I’m far from home and making people excited about my passion, my work and my craft. Being a missionary for bodybuilding is something I dreamt into existence and I love it!
5. Two-time Arnold Classic Physique champion, Terrence Ruffin, seems like he could be the future of the division. Do you think he can surpass CBum and take his title this year?
Ruff Diesel is the real deal! Terrence continues stay on the grind; there’s a reason he was first runner-up in the Olympia last year. When preparation meets opportunity, victory can’t be far behind. Chris Bumstead slips or blinks, and Terrence will be the champion come December! That said, to me the Classic division is the most popular and interesting because the competitors are cut from the same cloth I come from. These guys come in shape, have great interest in their presentations and hit poses reminiscent of the old school. Terrence has the tools but the judges have control.
6. What do you think of all these “social media reporters” that never go to contests yet have an opinion based on watching videos and critiquing interviews of guys like yourself who actually attend shows and interview athletes in person?
Unfortunately it’s the world we live in now. Monday morning quarterbacks hawking products through their social media and YouTube channels for pay while piggybacking the work real journalists are actively doing. Sitting on their soapboxes from their home offices not incurring any travel expenses or securing select media passes to accurately bring the news and coverage is the lazy man’s journalism. People that tune in to these guys’ social networks and follow them are getting half-truths, biased opinions and mostly inaccurate reports. It’s very “Saturday Night Live” news to me, which in other words is entertainment news. I prefer my news from people who were actually there with firsthand knowledge of the situations and storylines when reviewing contests and on-location interviews with the athletes, but that’s just me. It’s different nowadays in that any news is considered credible news because people have become too lazy to seek truth. Lies are more attractive and clickbait headlines are all the rage. I think it's an age thing, because the older I get the more skeptical I become when I hear news about something bodybuilding related and I begin seeking credible sources of facts. When you follow someone who reports real news because they follow the sport, you typically don’t have to question the veracity of their reports.
7. With so many supplement brands out there, why would a first-time buyer choose MUTANT products?
Taste! Truthfully, I have seen supplements transform from the early days to now. A lot of early protein powders, for instance, honestly tasted like dirt! Gritty. Nasty. MUTANT is its own manufacturer and I can tell you, from the gainer MUTANT Mass, on down to the amino acid products and pre-workouts, taste is always on point with MUTANT. Buy once, you’ll never go back!
8. When is the best time to walk away from bodybuilding as an athlete?
For me it was when the passion of preparation becomes or feels like work instead of excitement. I woke up to go to the gym during my preparation for the 2001 Mr. Olympia and felt like I had to go to the gym instead of wanting to go the gym. I knew then my passion had turned into work instead of love. I was falling out of love with challenging myself to be better, work harder and the desire to win. I felt as if I was going through the motions because going to the gym after breakfast was something I had to do instead of wanting to do. I thought about injury, I thought about how long I was going to be in the gym and I was thinking, When will this be over? These thoughts were counterproductive to the decades I had been training prior on my quest for the Olympia title. I had fire, passion and energy going into the gym but in the end, the challenge was no longer a fun or realistic feeling – and it sapped me of my love for the battle, in exchange for dreaming of not having to feel like it was a mandatory part of my “list of things I had to do” during my week and in my life – so I slowly let go and walked away before I could despise what I once loved. I was longing for a family and building a life after bodybuilding more than becoming Mr. Olympia.
9. On social media we see you sporting a MUTANT hoodie quite often. Where can someone get hooked up?
10. What foods do you eat just before you go to the gym?
Funny, I don’t wake up starving yet I never miss breakfast! I typically ate the same during my entire career: 8-10 egg whites, cup of oatmeal, berries, almonds, water and coffee. About an hour later, I’m on my way to the gym! Train, cardio and eat immediately after training! My body thrives on regularity, so my stomach never played tricks on my in the gym or after training.
These days, I train on an empty stomach but first thing in the morning when I rise I use the new meal replacement drink by Mutant instead, created specifically to meet my nutritional needs without having to cook! I’ve reduced the number of meals I eat per day post-competition, but still need to meet my daily nutritional requirements and this one is ideal in the form of Flex Food.
Instagram @shawnrayifbbpro
Facebook @TheRealShawnRay
shawnray.fitness
Twitter @sugarshawnray
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