Shawn ray & his aesthetics excuse for being 210 lbs

[Ron]

Bodybuildings biggest sulk, the man who believes he is an uncrowned mr olympia.  Standing 5'7 and weighing a meagre 210 lbs with all the drugs flowing through his veins, he didn't even have a normal job, yet could only muster being 200 - 210 on stage with 18 inch arms.

Shawn Ray was in the top 5 in 13 Mr. Olympias in a row, a few times runner up at the O, and yes, there are some who beleive Shawn was robbed of being Mr. Olympia once.   Who cares on his weight, it all matters how he looked on stage.

Better question would be, does he beat David Henry?

David Henry, at his best in the 202lbs contest, mustered only 13th place at the Mr. Olympia.  Shawn Ray dominated everyone except a few at the Olympia. There is no contest.

Shawn Ray may be loud, brash, and quite entertaining, but as a bodybuilder, for those 13 years, he was one of the best.

[Ron]

In Iming Lonnie Teper, he said

"David Henry is a terrific bodybuilder, but Shawn Ray finished second, twice, in the Mr. Olympia when the line-up was filled with people named Yates, Coleman, Wheeler, Levrone, El Sonbaty, Cormier, Priest, et al...'nuff said."

"I've certainly had a love-hate relationship with Shawn over our careers, but anybody who has remotely followed the game knows he's one of the greatest physiques of all time... AND, to this day, remains the youngest NPC Overall champion ever, winning it in 1987 just a month after his 22nd birthday"

[TRIX]

dexter would smoke shawn ray. Probably has 25 - 30 lbs on him

[TRIX]

How could shawn ever believe he could have beaten guys who have 50 + lbs of muscle on him. He looks good alone, But next to yates or coleman he looks like a child

[wild willie]

you are one lost son of a bitch........size size size......is that what you think the sport is about???


shawn ray is one of the most consistent bbers ever!!!!!!!!  he had bigger arms than 18 inches by the way!!!!!

shawn should have 2 maybe 3 sandows.....he was robbed on several occasions!!!!!


look at the physique not the weight of the bber!!!

[Ron]

How could shawn ever believe he could have beaten guys who have 50 + lbs of muscle on him. He looks good alone, But next to yates or coleman he looks like a child

Uh... he beat these guys, including

Dexter Jackson
Nasser El Sonbaty
Dennis James
Orville Burke
Chris Cormier
Markus Ruhl

and this is just in 2001... 

Remember, he was top five in 13 years at the O.

[Pecs]

 

after looking at bbers like ronnie and melvin guest posing pics these days..... this pic ain't that bad anymore. It actually looks decent for a guest pose.  

[Sherief Shalaby]

nope. shawn has problems with condition when he goes up.  he did one O at 215+ and said he couldnt get his conditioning together. at 202...shawn is fuller than henry.  they weight in the day before correct.  that means shawn weight in at 202 and contest day he pops back up to 207 or so which is around his regular contest weight.  shawn manhandled smaller guys than him his entire career...just the big boys got him.

i wouldnt even call henry the most dominate 202 guy right.  he dont lost a lot of shows to lesser guys.

how soon we forget when the good ones are gone?


shawn is probably sub-210 on this photo.  he still sicker than henry at 205 or so.  remember they go up for contest day.

but labrada beat him a lot of times.. shawn beat him only in 1993..

[Sherief Shalaby]

David Henry better than Shawn Ray? hahahahahahahaha... 

Shawn Ray is one of the best of all-time... the guy has beaten Kevin, Nasser, Flex, Coleman etc etc etc... the only guy he didn't beat was Dorian. Another thing is consistency... Ray was extremely consistent... David had a bunch of shows that he placed horribly low at for probably 9 months because he kept coming in soft... Ray had an old-school work ethic, Henry is "doggcrapp".

dorian & lee haney..

[Sherief Shalaby]

I think Shawn is the best under 210 lbs ever.

Top 8 in order:
Shawn
Henry
Labrada
Priest
Nubret
Zane
Padilla
Franco

was mohamed benaziza above 210 pounds?

[KevinP85]

dexter would smoke shawn ray. Probably has 25 - 30 lbs on him

No, he wouldn't, he never did when they competed against each other.

Dexter is the "POOR MAN'S SHAWN RAY!!"

Ray was one of the greatest, much better than Henry, how can they even be compared. In that era, you got Nasser, Dorian, Levrone, Wheeler, Ronnie, Cormier, Priest, etc... VERY VERY Tough, who do you have now??? Only a handful of guys at best. No comparison.

[KevinP85]

[Pecs]

beautiful! a work of art

[Parker]

If you look at Shawn's legs, you could tell, he had to keep them in check. Shawn coul easily have been 235 (there was some interview of him talking about being that, and him saying he would lose his lines)- which I agree he would. I think that he did need bigger arms, but his whole body flowed, and he wasn't a mass monster...And he had the athletic look.
His Countdown video, where for the 1998 Mr. O he was 215, he looked excellent, condition was spot on.

No way would Henry smoke him, Dex is toss up, but I think all Shawn would have to do is Front double bi with a vacuum which kill dex, because all the guys on stage can't pull that off today-not even Melvin A.

[KevinP85]

If you look at Shawn's legs, you could tell, he had to keep them in check. Shawn coul easily have been 235 (there was some interview of him talking about being that, and him saying he would lose his lines)- which I agree he would. I think that he did need bigger arms, but his whole body flowed, and he wasn't a mass monster...And he had the athletic look.
His Countdown video, where for the 1998 Mr. O he was 215, he looked excellent, condition was spot on.

No way would Henry smoke him, Dex is toss up, but I think all Shawn would have to do is Front double bi with a vacuum which kill dex, because all the guys on stage can't pull that off today-not even Melvin A.

Shawn, imo, was a complete bodybuilder from head to toe, sure you might point out some weaknesses, but the man's structure, condition, was spot on. He had great quads, calves, chest, back, everything. Dexter has no calves, weird looking torso, gut, etc... Aside from being short, Shawn is one thick looking dude, Dexter not so much, if both didn't work out I would assume Shawn would still be bigger, and Dexter, just a skinny twink, 135 Ibs or so.

[Parker]

Shawn, imo, was a complete bodybuilder from head to toe, sure you might point out some weaknesses, but the man's structure, condition, was spot on. He had great quads, calves, chest, back, everything. Dexter has no calves, weird looking torso, gut, etc... Aside from being short, Shawn is one thick looking dude, Dexter not so much, if both didn't work out I would assume Shawn would still be bigger, and Dexter, just a skinny twink, 135 Ibs or so.

Alq Gurley called Shwan, Mr. Bodybuilding...

This shows that Shawn was a complete as you said head to toe...Plus he would training his butt off, most couldn't keep up. He trained Felx for the 1997 Arnold, and Flex won, of course...

[KevinP85]

Alq Gurley called Shwan, Mr. Bodybuilding...

This shows that Shawn was a complete as you said head to toe...Plus he would training his butt off, most couldn't keep up. He trained Felx for the 1997 Arnold, and Flex won, of course...

Exactly, the good ol powerhouse gym in fullerton before it was golds' and then Milos'. Shawn's work ethic was second to none, I've seen him train back in the day when I was just getting into bbing and living back at home in LA. That was around 2000 and 2001, Shawn's last years competing. He was always cool as far as I remember.

Shawn is what bodybuilding was about, don't know if he did the insulin or anything, but I remember him stating he was old school in terms of "drug usage." Anyhow, his genetics alone should tell the story.

[Parker]

Exactly, the good ol powerhouse gym in fullerton before it was golds' and then Milos'. Shawn's work ethic was second to none, I've seen him train back in the day when I was just getting into bbing and living back at home in LA. That was around 2000 and 2001, Shawn's last years competing. He was always cool as far as I remember.

Shawn is what bodybuilding was about, don't know if he did the insulin or anything, but I remember him stating he was old school in terms of "drug usage." Anyhow, his genetics alone should tell the story.

I beleive he trained his calves with high reps and not that much weight as well...And trained them with the same intensity and concentration that he used for other bodyparts.

I still think he Final Countdown is The Definitive video that breaks down the prep for a show...

As far as his old school methods of drugs, I also believe that is why he had such longevity,a nd also why he never was 235, he wsn't chasing the Monsters, like Flex eventually did, although, I thik that cost Shawn a Mr. O title, and conversely because Flex chased, that cost him a title.

[KevinP85]

I beleive he trained his calves with high reps and not that much weight as well...And trained them with the same intensity and concentration that he used for other bodyparts.

I still think he Final Countdown is The Definitive video that breaks down the prep for a show...

As far as his old school methods of drugs, I also believe that is why he had such longevity,a nd also why he never was 235, he wsn't chasing the Monsters, like Flex eventually did, although, I thik that cost Shawn a Mr. O title, and conversely because Flex chased, that cost him a title.

He did actually train his calves with high reps, you're right. As far as his body weight goes, Shawn was a STRONG dude. For his size, even a couple weeks out from shows, he was always lifting heavy, and doing crazy drop sets like the "final Countdown," vid. He actually trains like that, not just on video.

During those times,  Melvin was an up and coming bodybuilder who just won Mr California not too long ago I believe. Of course you have the venice scene, but Shawn didn't really train out there too much, he was an a OC guy, so that 's why I would see him a lot. Definitely some good times, feels like yesterday, lol! Now, I see Branch and Johnnie occassionally at the gym if I choose to go to Metroflex, haha. I miss the SoCal scene.

[Parker]

He did actually train his calves with high reps, you're right.

The reason why I said he trains his cavles with high reps, because when I went to a Orioles game back in the day, I saw a black guy with huge cut calves (and they were high)...I asked him what he did, and he said, they got that way from running up and down the stairs in the staduim...just high reps...

[clued-up]

one of the all time greats.

[MethodGNA]

no matter what you think of shawn ray as an individual...........you cannot argue about him as a bodybuilder.........one of the all time complete and consistent physiques.............de xter jackson and david henry are bush league compared to Ray............his height was the only things that held him back from getting at least one sandow.

[Mr.1derful]

no matter what you think of shawn ray as an individual...........you cannot argue about him as a bodybuilder.........one of the all time complete and consistent physiques.............de xter jackson and david henry are bush league compared to Ray............his height was the only things that held him back from getting at least one sandow.

Indeed, you could say Shawn was the Mickey Rooney of bodybuilding.

[Team Diver]

what is that in the bottom?!! 

[challenge]

I just watched Shawn Ray inside and out and got a huge headache from him talking so much.

Video would have been so much better if they just showed his training and if they showed him train ALL bodyparts not just quads, back, abs and chest.