Shawn Rhoden will not be competing at the Arnold Classic 2018.

Shawn Rhoden has officially announced on Instagram that he will no longer be competing in the Arnold Classic 2018. This comes due to some extreme dehydration, two ulcers, and a serious case of the flu – creating a perfect storm that sent him to the hospital.

When it was first announced that Shawn Rhoden would be competing at the Arnold Classic (along with some other major names) – it was a shot in the arm for the major competition. Fans were delighted to know that the Arnold Classic would have a heated and all star line up that has been lacking as of late in the Ohio event. Unfortunately, we will now be down one major competitor – and while we are glad to know that Shawn Rhoden is doing well and recovering, he will be sorely missed on the bodybuilding stage. Shawn Ray gives the full update in the video above!

Check out his official Instagram post below:

 

This first picture here was a couple weeks ago when I was five weeks out from the Arnold Classic 2018. I was feeling great! Unfortunately, I came home to Santa Barbara to visit my family and I started throwing up for two days. Since I don’t normally complain my coach, Chris Aceto, recommended that I go to the hospital thinking that I may be overly dehydrated. I ended up being rushed by ambulance from one hospital to another that had better facilities to care for me. I was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Not only did I have the horrible flu going around but my hemoglobin level was at 4 (should be around 14). I lost A LOT of blood due to two ulcers bleeding into my intestine over a period of time. I was given 6 blood transfusions that brought my body back to levels where my body could reproduce enough blood on its own to normal levels. Since it is so close to the Arnold, I am disappointed that I must announce that I will not be competing in this years Arnold Classic 2018. I am thankful that I am feeling better!! And I am thankful for all of the support from my family, friends and IFBB Pro League. I am back to training hard and pushing myself to bring my BEST to the Olympia 2018! I will still be at the Arnold Classic 2018 to cheer on my fellow athletes and to chat with all the fans! I am looking forward to visiting with fans when I’m not on “diet brain!” Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. #shawnrhoden #IFBB #npc #arnoldclassic2018 #thebestisyettocome @arnoldsports @ifbb_pro_league @bevsgym @therealtechnician @hummerusafitness @nebbia_fitness @metalshake_usa @jagware_suits @protan_official @trifectasystem @npcnewsonlineofficialpage @psychofitness21 @flex_magazine

A post shared by Shawn Rhoden (@flexatronrhoden) on Feb 17, 2018 at 7:06am PST