Shaun Clarida gives us a play-by-play of his daily workout routine and schedule.
Finding a proper workout routine can be hard, whether you use bodybuilding apps, make up your own, or in this case, want to follow that of a Mr. Olympia. In this case, if you want to follow the workout routine of 212 Olympian, Shaun Clarida, we’ve got you covered. In this post, we go into detail to show you what goes into a Shaun Clarida’s Olympia prep and workout.
Shaun Clarida has competed in the Men’s 212 division for many years hungry for an Olympia win, and he took the 212 crown in 2020 and 2022. Not only that, he also showcased a physique that exemplifies what a Men’s 212 bodybuilder should look like, with the right amount of muscle mass and being absolutely shredded. Now he’s providing insight so that you can work towards developing your physique just like his.
About Shaun Clarida
Shaun Clarida was born in New Jersey on September 5, 1982. Growing up, he was a very adventurous character, and his upbringing revolved around sports, and he was very competitive. Shaun took part in sports like wresting, gymnastics, baseball and basketball regularly.
Standing at only 5’2” and weighing only 98lbs, Shaun was not the tallest guy in the room nor was he the biggest. Due to the nature of his small size, he was bullied by his peers around him in school. Many said that he would never amount to anything in his sporting career, so he made sure to prove them wrong.
During his junior year of high school, Shaun Clarida became more focused on wrestling, which brought a lot of weight training into the picture. He loved performing the sport. He continued to improve and he needed to increase his strength. Eventually, Shaun began weight training and it quickly became something that he loved.
Shaun Clarida’s Schedule
Shaun Clarida is the definition of wake up, train, eat, sleep, repeat. He’s already detailed how he utilized quarantine to further dedicate his entire day to bodybuilding. Now let’s breaks down the specifics of what his entire day looks like. Check it out below:
- Wake up at 4am and head to the gym.
- Fasted cardio training at 4:30am (30-45 minutes).
- Follow up with ab & core training (25 minutes).
- Return from gym and eat breakfast.
- Relax for a few hours and consume three more meals.
- Return to gym at 5:30pm and train (2 hours)
- Posing practice
- Return from gym and eat last meal at 9pm
- Sleep at 10pm
As you can see from this breakdown, Shaun Clarida spends nearly four hours total in the gym, but this is not all strictly weightlifting. It includes just under an hour of cardio. While this might be surprising to some – it’s key in bringing in conditioning, especially leading up to a show.
Shaun Clarida’s Workout Routine
Now, let’s take a look at Shaun Clarida’s workout routine.
Chest
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Warm Up (Machine Press) | 3 | 20 |
| Machine Press | 5 | 8-12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Fly | 5 | 8-12 |
| Smith Machine Bench | 5 | 8-12 |
| Standing Cable Fly | 5 | 8-12 |
Shoulders
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Warm Up (Alternating Raises) | 3 | 12 |
| Seated Dumbbell Front Raise | 6 | 8-10 |
| Seated Dumbbell Press | 6 | 8-10 |
| Shoulder Press Machine | 6 | 8-10 |
| Rear Delt Machine Fly | 6 | 8-10 |
| Standing Dumbbell Shrug | 6 | 10-12 |
| Barbell Front Raise | 6 | 8-10 |
Back
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Warm Up (Seated Machine Row) | 3 | 15 |
| Seated Machine Row | 5 | 8-12 |
| Close Grip Lat Pulldown | 5 | 8-12 |
| Cable Pullovers | 5 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 5 | 8-12 |
| Assisted Pullup Machine | 4 | Failure |
Legs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Warm Up (Leg Extensions) | 3 | 15-20 |
| Leg Press | 6 | 8-10 |
| Hack Squat | 6 | 6-8 |
| Smith Machine Front Squat | 6 | 8-12 |
| Lying Hamstring Curl | 6 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell RDL | 6 | 6-8 |
| Walking Barbell Lunge | 2 | 10-12 (Per Leg) |
| Leg Extension | 6 | 8-12 |
| Reverse Hamstring Curl | 6 | 12 |
| Single Leg Hamstring Curl | 6 | 12 |
Arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Bodyweight Dip | 5 | 12 |
| Close Grip Bench | 5 | 10 |
| Tricep Pushdown | 5 | 10 |
| Incline Skull Crusher | 5 | 10 |
| Underhand Cable Pushdown | 5 | 10 |
| Barbell Curl | 5 | 10 |
| Dumbbell Curl | 5 | 10 |
| Concentration Curl | 5 | 10 |
| Single Arm Preacher Curl Machine | 5 | 10 (per arm) |
As you can see, Shaun Clarida uses high volume during his workouts. It actually is to the point where people may say that it is junk volume, but you have to keep in mind that every body is different, and this clearly works for him.
How Much Weight Should You Use?
Now, Shaun Clarida has some crazy strength, so he may lift a little more than you, or maybe not. Regardless of the weight you use, if you are following Shaun Clarida’s workout, you can still follow the same rep range and amount of sets.
It is definitely important to hit all your reps, so starting with a weight you can confidently hit is key to maximizing optimal growth, but do not go too light. You should aim to use a heavy enough load to push yourself to stimulate muscle growth. The weight should be heavy enough that you can hit the rep range for each set with good form, but the last rep or two should be a struggle.
Once you feel comfortable enough with a certain weight you should look to increase it but stay in that rep range, and see what that does for you and your workout.
Stretching
When following Shaun Clarida’s workout, or any workout for that matter, be sure to stretch out and get blood flowing to those muscles and joints before, during, and after this workout. You’ll certainly want to incorporate some dynamic stretching before and static stretching after your workout for the best results.
When it comes to high volume days, especially those leg days, your body is going to take a beating, and if you sprinkle in cardio, taking care of your body is more than key for overall health and longevity. Stretching will promote muscle growth while aiding in recovery and proper rest for your body.
Fasted Cardio Before Training
Shaun Clarida also clarifies why he wakes up so early to do cardio before any meal or training. He believes that fasted cardio brings in more results – something that has been repeated in past interviews we’ve conducted.
He also finds himself more motivated to do a complete cardio session if it’s before training. After two hours of lifting heavy weights, he might be more enticed to skip out on his cardio training. This leads to worse results. So he gets it out of the way first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and before the real training begins.
Shaun Clarida Interview on Workout Routine for Olympia
If you want to see the man himself explain his workouts, then you can watch Shaun Clarida give an in-depth look to his workout plan in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Wrap Up
You may notice that Shaun Clarida doesn’t go into detail about what exact exercises he performs during his training. That’s because, while tips can be helpful, it’s largely useless. Each individual reacts differently. Blindly following one champion’s exact workout regimen will not necessarily yield the same results.
For information on how to put together the perfect workout program for you, make sure to check out our exercise guide page for complete breakdowns on how to properly perform each movement.
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