Shawn Ray highlights bodybuilders today competing later in life compared to decades ago.
Bodybuilding legend Shawn Ray has been critical of the current era of the sport, along with many others. He recently discussed how competitors today are starting later in life and this leads to using more drugs and eating more food to overcompensate.
Ray is known for an incredible career that spanned three decades. He won back-to-back Arnold Classic titles in 1990 and 1991. Ray competed in 13 Mr. Olympia’s between 1988 and 2001, placing as high as second in 1994 and 1996 but never capturing the coveted Sandow trophy. His tenacity and influence, however, secured his legacy as one of bodybuilding’s most iconic figures.
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Ray is an athlete that knows what it’s like to start up in bodybuilding and expressed that anyone can do it if they wanted thanks to the availability of different substances.
“Our sport is kind of like the wild, wild west. You can bring into it anyone you want. We have people on the fringe of our sport offering up concoctions to our athletes because it is a federation but there’s really no guidelines to stop anyone from giving an athlete a product.”
The conversation continued as Ray described a pivotal difference in competitors today compared to back when he started.
Shawn Ray Talks Overcompensation Of Athletes
Shawn Ray highlighted different competitors that were champions as teenagers. This allowed them to progress overtime rather than rushing to build the biggest physique possible. Today, some athletes are getting a later start and this leads to over-using different methods.
“They’re trying to make up for lost time and it doesn’t translate.
A lot of these guys are teenage national champions. Jay Cutler, Branch Warren, these guys were phenomenal teenagers. The guys we see now are coming in so late in the game that they’re trying to overcompensate, getting way too much food in them, way too much drugs in them, way too much weight on.”
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There has been a number of deaths within the sport of bodybuilding for various reasons over the years. Ray dove into this issue as well and believes that it is just part of the sport, just like any other sport, including Nascar.
“No one is holding a gun to your head to be a professional bodybuilder and if you die while you’re doing it, it’s no different than if you died being a racecar drive. It’s never the right time to die, even at an old age.”
Shawn Ray urges those interested in bodybuilding to study and understand the dangers that come with it.
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