Classic Shawn: 10 Questions With Shawn Ray
Classic Shawn
10 Questions With Shawn Ray
“We are rising above the noise and spreading a positive message.”
1. Shawn, you travel a ton to support all of your regular shows and promotions. This year we notice MUTANT literally is in lockstep with you on the road with appearances, events and support. Interesting to see this tactic while many other brands and companies have backed away from grassroots-type efforts. What’s up with MUTANT Nation and what they are calling the World Tour?
MUTANT World tour! Yes 100%. Being a big part of MUTANT’s strategy in 2022, we wanted to show unprecedented support and connection to our cause. Extremely important with all that’s gone on to spread the word and really give back to the community that we all love. The pandemic slowed us all down but we are just getting started. The Shawn Ray Hawaiian Classic, up to Toronto for the Pro Show and then the Arnold, Olympia, FIBO and more. We are rising above the noise and spreading a positive message. It’s great overall to see the fans and be face to face with our friends around the world.
2. At this year’s Olympia in Orlando, MUTANT launched Madness ALL-IN in the pre-workout category. It was the first of the Shawn Ray Signature series. What’s next and when???
Ahh yes. My lips are sealed! I’ll tell you, though; something big is coming right before the Arnold that is really unique. A smart product that will help the fitness and bodybuilding crowd daily. That’s all that I can say, but rest assured, MUTANT will do it right. Stay tuned!
3. You’re a decorated former pro and Hall of Fame Bodybuilder. How do deal about social media and people who can’t handle or digest that, being that you only won two pro shows during your career?
Well, being that my main focus as a pro was to win the most prestigious contest in the world, the Mr. Olympia, which I spent my entire pro career pursuing – that includes 13 attempts with 12 consecutive top-five finishes against the world’s best and against at least seven of the 16 Mr. Olympia champions in the sport’s 56-year history – it wasn’t too bad. I competed with these Olympia winners: Chris Dickerson, Samir Bannout, Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Dexter Jackson, Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman. When you look at it this way, it gives more perspective of just how competitive the Mr. Olympia contest really is!
I went on to compete and win the first-ever Iron Man Pro contest in 1990 and the third-annual ’91 Arnold Classic, which is the second-most prestigious title to own. It seems the historians think at 5-foot-7 and 210 pounds, beating all my contemporaries at one time or another with the exception of Lee Haney and Dorian Yates, who own 14 consecutive trophies between them, was something special to accomplish during my competition years. Later I was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2007 after I retired in 2001, and then presented with the Ben Weider Lifetime Achievement Award last year, neither of which I sought when I first started competing as a teenager but was honored to receive in retirement.
4. Has social media helped or hurt the promotion of our sport?
Both. Like anything, we’ve evolved as a people to be able to communicate faster with wider reach, which brings us closer together but eliminates the personal space and distance from our admirers and fans. The connection between the two has closed the gap eliminating the editors, wait time for feedback and anticipation for replies. Today anyone can be contacted and connected in seconds via Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
5. What words would you provide a teenager aspiring to follow your path into this sport of bodybuilding?
I’d mostly try to gauge his desire, not his interest. Lots of teens get excited when they see something shiny and new, however, in bodybuilding you have to approach it as an art student. By that, I mean they need to learn and understand the body first. The function of the muscles, and the food required to make them grow and repair. The tools needed to sculpt and shape their appearance and the necessity for rest and recovery. Today, kids want the end result now. Many exhibit zero patience to do the work and/or learn the craft of building and then sculpting. They seemingly rush into trying to get big at all costs then rush to burn off all the gains in order to get ripped and appear flat, smooth or watery.
My experience and age has taught me to dumb things down in talking to teenagers and use lots of illustrations so they understand it’s a process to get to the pros and then the Olympia, not something you can buy from a coach. Education is key to not only helping but also preserving our sport and lives of the ignorant.
6. In retirement, do you still train or exercise?
Exercise is the operative word in order to preserve my health and not get hurt. Lots of fans prefer that pro bodybuilders never let up, keep pushing, motivating and inspiring others, but it’s simply a matter of preference and goals. I’ve seen huge bodybuilders in retirement that look like they’ve never touched a weight. I’ve witnessed former world champions get fat and sloppy as well due to inactivity and time management, and neither of the two situations are mutually exclusive. Sometimes it’s choice and other times it’s simply interest. I stay active with light exercise and some weight training, however I do not train. I’m officially done with beating up my body to make it look a certain way – I’m more into exercising to “feel” a certain way. Warm-up poundages combined with low-impact cardio doing beach walking, treadmill or cycling.
7. Mutant seems to be everything and doing everything. Are you happy joining the MutantNation?
So far everything we discussed prior to joining the team has or is happening, which has moved my feelings from “teammate” to “family member.” This group of people I’m working with is exceptionally talented yet considerate from product manufacturing to delivery and customer service! Everyone knows they have a role to play and in seemly fashion, everyone is actually happy and excited to deliver! It’s unlike any company I’ve worked for past or present with respect to communication and getting things done properly. CEO Jim McMahon has worked tirelessly hiring A-list people to represent the Mutant brand and we are off to the races in 2022 with more product and improvements!
8. One question we have been asked a lot is how do you handle or deal with the haters?
Haters are inevitable part of success. The more I achieve it seems the louder they get, the more critical they become and the angrier they get. While it’s hard for me to wrap my head around a total stranger messaging me saying hateful things, it reminds me that not everyone can say, “congratulations, job well done” or even “thank you.”
I find that most haters speak the loudest when they have a keypad and are far removed from me in proximity, but nonetheless my success feeds their frustrations and ignorance and watching them melt down online or otherwise is sad and tragic. Grown people wishing hate or ill will on each other or on people they don’t know personally is beneath my intellect, and I refuse to roll around in the mud with people who are already dirty because misery loves company.
9. What’s coming up for you in 2022?
Well, prayerfully things continue to get better with Covid issues and the world returns to normal as my travel schedule will come back in full form. This past November 20th, I held the fourth-annual NPC/IFBB Pro League Shawn Ray Hawaiian Classic with my partner, The Fit Doc, Dr. Morales, which was a smashing success at the world-famous outdoor Waikiki Shell. Pro Classic Physique winner Logan Franklin qualified for the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas and became our first-ever pro champion! Over 245 athletes showed up and crushed it under the warm sun in the shadows of the iconic Diamond Head landmark. Naturally we are already planning on making this show even bigger next year, possibly adding Bikini and/or Wellness divisions. Beyond this show, Arnold Classic 2022 in March held in Ohio is on my calendar then I’ll be off and running around the globe being an ambassador for bodybuilding, making appearances and promoting the sport.
10. Provide us with your top physique stars that you admire and respect.
My major influence was Bob Paris in 1983 as he won the NPC National and Mr. Universe titles. I began competing in 1983 and he was everything right about what champions should look like.
Lee Labrada in 1985 won the middleweight NPC National and Universe titles at nearly 5-foot-6 and 185 pounds. He posed with class and polish that I copied throughout my career, as he was everything I thought I could one day be as a future pro.
John Brown introduced me to more than bodybuilding in 1983; he mentored me as a young, impressionable teenager who was looking for guidance. When we trained together, he molded me and taught me things about life: commitment, dedication, success and failure all while showing me how to be a sole proprietor of a future business while having a career in bodybuilding.
Finally, Lee Haney, as he was everything I’d never be but inspired me to be instead. A true warrior and giant in the sport, accomplishing things a kid like me could only dream of, yet embracing my eagerness to one day compete against him. Watching Lee carry the title of Mr. Olympia for nearly a decade and later battle with him on the same stage is akin to meeting a hero of the movies and one day get a starring role with him years later in the same movie! It was surreal competing with and against Lee after witnessing him win his first Olympia in 1984, the year I graduated high school, and four years later we are on the same stage? It was nuts! 20 years into my retirement, Lee and I have become great friends and it’s an honor to know he is the same humble champion today as he was way back then.
Instagram @shawnrayifbbpro
Facebook @TheRealShawnRay
shawnray.fitness
NEW MUTANT ALL-IN
Shawn Ray Signature
Full Dose Pre-Workout
“This one is a game-changer. Lift big. Get big. It’s that simple. I have my signature on this product for a reason. It’s the culmination of a lifetime of training, nutrition and hard work all wrapped into one amazing formula. From the weight rack to the Olympia stage, I have always been ALL-IN. Now it’s your turn.”-Shawn Ray
For more information, visit iammutant.com
DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMS
SUBSCRIBE TO MD TODAY
GET OFFICIAL MD STUFF
VISIT OUR STORE
ALSO, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON:
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
