Who Is Shawn Ray?
Former IFBB professional bodybuilder Shawn Ray, often known as the Giant Killer, is a well-known author, TV broadcaster, and businessman.
Short Career Of Shawn Ray
Shawn Ray made his professional bodybuilding debut at the IFBB Night of Champions in 1988, and during his 30-year career, he went on to become one of the best bodybuilders in history, finishing outside the top 5 just once.
In addition to his accomplishment in bodybuilding, Shawn has also appeared on multiple magazine covers, written a book, and appeared in several well-known documentaries and TV shows.
“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”
Body Measurements of Shawn Ray
| Full Name: | Shawn Ray |
| YEAR OF BIRTH: | 1965 |
| ERA: | 1980, 1990, 2000. |
| PROFESSION: | Professional Bodybuilder, Author |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
| ALIAS: | Giant Killer |
| HEIGHT: | 5′ 5″ (165 cm) |
| WEIGHT: | 215-225 lbs.(93.0 – 102.1kg) |
“Don’t do your best, do whatever it takes.”
Accomplishments
Mr.Olympia
- 1988 Mr. Olympia – 13th Place
- 1990 Mr. Olympia – 3rd Place
- 1991 Mr. Olympia – 5th Place
- 1992 Mr. Olympia – 4th Place
- 1993 Mr. Olympia – 3rd Place
- 1994 Mr. Olympia – 2nd Place
- 1995 Mr. Olympia – 4th Place
- 1996 Mr. Olympia – 2nd Place
- 1997 Mr. Olympia – 3rd Place
- 1998 Mr. Olympia – 5th Place
- 1999 Mr. Olympia – 5th Place
- 2000 Mr. Olympia – 4th Place
- 2001 Mr. Olympia – 4th Place
Other Achievements
- 1983 California Gold Cup
- 1984 Mr. Teenage Los Angeles (Short & Overall)
- 1984 Teenage Mr. California
- 1985 Teenage Mr. Orange County
- 1985 Teenage National Championships
- 1985 Jr. World Championships
- 1986 Jr. National Championships 12thPlace Light heavy)
- 1987 Mr. California (Lightheavy & Overall)
- 1987 National Championships (Lightheavy & Overall)
- 1990 Pro Ironman Champion
- 1990 Arnold Classic Champion (lost title due to failing drug test)
- 1991 Arnold Classic Champion
- Inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame for professional bodybuilding in January 2007.
- In October 2003, El Dorado High School inducted Shawn into its “Football Hall of Fame” In 1983, Shawn set the school’s all-time rushing record and record for Longest Run from Scrimmage (98 yards), both of which still stand.
Biography
Beginning of a Career
On September 9, 1965, in Fullerton, California, Shawn Ray was born. Shawn didn’t show much interest in sports and fitness as he was growing up.
Once he started attending college and the gym, his goals altered. He saw improvements in his physique right away, and he soon became passionate about weightlifting.
Ray put in a lot of effort for several months before thinking about entering a bodybuilding competition.
Shawn eventually decided to enter the competition for the first time and started getting ready.
First-place Awards
In 1983, he participated in his first tournament, winning the Orange Coast Championships and placing second.
He won the California Gold Cup that same year, which served as a springboard for Shawn to keep going with even more grit and dedication to triumph in his next competitions.
Mr. California Teen
At the age of 19, one year later, Shawn had already developed a fearsome physique, fit for the best contests at his age.
Nobody anticipated that the future tale would spread so quickly, though. He was successful in winning the 1984 Mr. Teenage Los Angeles title overall as well as in his category.
Ray kept working on the preparations for his upcoming performance, 1984’s Teenage Mr. California.
Quite impressively, the child won the title a second time that year, but Shawn’s great career had just begun.
Making Headway
Shawn continued to achieve incredible feats, taking home first place at the 1985 Teenage National Championships and the Teenage Mr. Orange County title in 1985.
He was taken aback by his development and all of his accomplishments in such a short period. He was further inspired by this to put in more effort and win other competitions.
The 1985 Jr. World Championships and the 1987 Mr. California, in which he placed first in both his class and the overall competition, were two of the many competitions Ray had won by the year 1987.
Shawn was now aiming for the Pro card, the prized possession of every amateur bodybuilder.
He receives his Pro-Card
Shawn took a break from the stage after winning Mr. California 1987 to further develop his physique.
After putting in countless hours of training and dieting, he returned with an outstanding package almost a year later. To earn his Pro status, Shawn decided it was time to compete once more.
At the 1987 National Championships, Ray, at 22 years old, entered the ring and dominated the competition with his 196 pounds of pure muscle, earning himself a pro card and demonstrating his promise to the world.
Professional Life
Shawn took part in one more event that year, possibly Mr. Olympia. He competed against athletes with the best bodies in the world and, confident in his talents, placed a respectable 13th.
At only 22, he had no reason to be dissatisfied with the outcome of his first Mr. Olympia.
Following the Olympia, Shawn spent almost 2 years off from performing before returning in 1990 and winning the Pro Ironman Show and the 1990 Arnold Classic, which he also accomplished the following year.
Mister Olympia’s Battle
Even though he is recognized by the moniker “The Giant Killer,” which was bestowed upon him when he defeated all bodybuilders of his time bar Dorian Yates and Lee Haney,
In the years 1988 to 2001, Ray competed in as many as 13 Mr. Olympias, but he never took home the trophy. He was frequently in contention for the Sandow trophy and frequently came close to winning, but he was unlucky and never succeeded.
The closest he came was when he finished second to Dorian Yates in the Mr. Olympia competitions in 1994 and 1996.
Ray was obviously disappointed, but his misfortune at Mr. Olympia didn’t lessen the enormous influence he had on bodybuilding, and it surely didn’t affect his standing as one of the most well-known figures in the sport.
Pensions and Private Life
At the age of 36, Shawn ended his career in professional bodybuilding in 2001 following his final Mr. Olympic appearance in which he finished fourth.
He worked on other aspects of his life after retiring, including writing and writing a book on how to become a bodybuilder. He also appeared as a guest star in several well-known TV shows, modeled for many well-known international magazines, and created a DVD series.
Asia Monet and Bella Blu, daughters of Shawn and Kristie, were born after their 2003 wedding.
Early on, Asia began following in her father’s footsteps; she took part in Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition and finished third.
“The key to building massive pecs will always be related to how much weight you’re tossing around in the gym! You play with little weights, you wind up with little pecs it’s that simple.
Basic chest training for mass: Three exercises, Four sets, Eight reps. This is my golden rule of thumb when packing on MASS! Keep it Basic and Simple.”
Training
Training Methodology
Shawn had a variety of training approaches in mind when it came to his training philosophy, therefore he frequently changed his routines over the years.
He is renowned for incorporating Weider concepts into his workout routine, which helped him gain weight and later polish his stage touches.
He adhered to the following ideas throughout his illustrious career:
- Principle #1 – Shawn says how important it is to use different exercises in every workout to shock the muscles and make them grow.
- Also, Principle #2 – Changing the order of the exercises in each workout is also an important factor.
- Principle #3 – He says it’s best not to train using the same number of repetitions or sets every workout.
- Also, Principle #4 – Drop sets and forced reps are some of the most crucial intensity techniques which immensely increased his progression.
- Principle #5 – Switching the training split every 4-6 weeks is very important to avoid a plateau.
Workout Split
Shawn was an advocate of high volume and heavy weights, training up to 3-4 hours a day, and this is what his training split looked like:
- Mon: Chest/Shoulders/Arms
- Tue: Back / Legs
- Wed: Chest/Shoulders/Arms
- Thu: Back/Legs
- Fri: Chest/Shoulders/Arms
- Sat: Back/Legs
- Sun: Rest
“If you don’t follow a good nutritional plan, you’re bodybuilding with one arm behind your back.”
Nutrition
Even during the offseason, Shawn preferred to eat healthily. The majority of the time, he would just increase his caloric intake during that period, continuing to eat healthfully while also occasionally allowing himself a cheat meal.
Meal Plan
During his prime, Shawn’s diet looked something like this:
- 6 AM – 10 egg whites, 3 yolks, large oatmeal, ground beef, whole wheat toast.
- 9 AM – New York steaks, baked potato, nuts.
- 12 PM – 3 large chicken breasts, steamed rice, almonds.
- 3 PM – 1lb ground beef, pasta, mushrooms, peppers, etc.
- 6 PM – 12 egg whites, 1 yolk, oatmeal with banana or strawberries.
- 9 PM – 2 slices of whole wheat bread with jelly & peanut butter.
“Be sure to use different exercises with every workout. Always confuse the muscles into new growth”
Influences and Idols
Ray recognized Bob Paris and Chris Dickerson as the two biggest influences. They were the main drivers of his interest in the sport, he claimed. François Benfatto was another important inspiration, according to Shawn.
What Can Shawn Ray Teach Us?
Shawn Ray taught us that perseverance and hard effort are incomparable. No matter how great a talent someone may have, Shawn advises, “if they’re not working on that talent and using it to grow themselves, it will stagnate.”
If there is one thing we can learn from Shawn, it is that there are no good reasons to give up; instead, you need to be persistent and disciplined.
Despite his talent, he put in more effort than other bodybuilders, which is one of the reasons he became one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.