I don't care what anyone says.he can't be happy. Contrary to what he says.im sure he would much rather having one or 2 olympia S less and be able to walk.and enjoy his life.others did it,and aren't disabled.
@@danieltuval8879 you are talking about a guy who was happy for a free gym membership. Just because me and you cant be happy with whatever doesnt mean Ronnie isnt happy. You can be in pain and be happy at the same time.
Not gonna lie. Shawn Ray is looking really good for 58 years old man. The choices he made with his health vs some of these other bodybuilders has really paid off in the long run.
Can't stand when inarticulate people have to say "not gonna lie". Do you lie normally? Anytime you don't start your sentence with that, is the rest a lie?
You also have to remember Ronnie won at a later age. Lee Haney was in his 20’s when he won most of his titles. Ronnie was in his 30s going into his 40’s. He was strong already and the juice made him stronger and he pushed weight that was above and beyond what any human body could handle.
Ronnie made a big mistake/was ill advised. His 1998-1999 package was already unbeatable (excluding the gyno), he tried to improve it and he was weak for 3 years in a row, instead of trying to replicate his first two Mr O (like in the 2001 AC) he went for the size game. In 2003, he won Mr O with arguebly his most dominant phyisque, but it cost his mid section, flexibility, balance and any kind of aestethic for ever + all the stress for his body. If he would've taken Cutler or Dexter approach (sensible training, not push the size too much and rest when is necessary), he probably would've won more Olympias and being healthier than he is today. Cutler was top 2 ITW for 12 years Dexter competed in 21 Olympias.
Shawn ray is who made me start lifting when I was 15 yrs old back in the 90s. I saw him and it made me want to look like him. More so than any of the mass monsters that came along. He had a perfect physique. Gotta give props to Kevin’s levrone and Lee priest too
I am 61 yrs old. Been lifting for 45 yrs. I have competed on the local and state level in bodybuilding and powerlifting events. It is therapeutic for me to workout. I am able to still do it even after x3 rotator cuff surgeries and bilateral L5/S1 herniations. I don’t want ANY sympathy ,but I don’t want criticism either for continuing to do it.NEVER USED PEDS. Keep pumping,keep pushing,keep praying.💪
My late husband stood on stage with Shawn and Ronnie in the 90's, he died 9 years ago from heart failure. My daughters lost their daddy to this sport. It is just so tragic.
@39Hundred his name was Nick van Beeck. He was the first bodybuilder from South Africa to turn pro. He won the Nabba Universe in 1994. He didn't really perform well in the USA, he wasn't on their level and became a stage filler which took a huge toll on his mental health. It is was a slippery slope from there and we eventually lost him the year before he turned 50
Amen, Mathew! To me Ronnie is a brave and noble individual. He knew the risk, and had balls enough to take it. Ronnie does not whine or complain. That alone is admirable.
Shawn is correct. Although he was 8x mr olympia, his dedication and sacrifice for the sport is the reason hes famous today. if he didnt go the distance, he wouldnt be able to launch a brand and gym like today. It sucks how it happened but look what it got him. He even says he'd do it the same (which we'll never know if its the truth or not). He's known for pushing it to the physical limit
@@ImpalaSS08 You just showed how uneducated you really are on these subjects lmfao you just said TRT replacement. 😂😂😂 You literally just said the equivalent of : Testosterone Replacement Therapy replacement .
@@mrln04 except , it is. Cope harder 🤣🤡 it's by definition a sport and bodybuilders are athletes. If bodybuilding isn't a sport then about ten of the Olympic sports aren't sports either ... 🤡 Buddy I'm an ex national rugby player, football player and a bodybuilder. And I can assure you, it's a sport. In fact it's more demanding than even rugby was which was at one point the hardest thing I've never done . And I was a high level starter scouting onto many teams and tours.
Shawn Ray is notable for being the most articulate, intelligent, and reflective of all the guys who commentate on the pro bodybuilding scene. I've noticed most of the criticism of him comes from those who have a decent amount of meathead factor going on.
That's a great observation. Shawn was one of the very few who'd actually stand there and voice his opinions whether it was the politics behind the scenes, the favoritism or how his peers conducted themselves. He took a lot of flak for just saying what everyone was thinking. I'll not only remember Shawn for having one of the greatest physiques of all time but also one of the best minds of all time.
@@BombSquad.MP4 OK, the floor is yours...go ahead and lay out all the "a lot of nonsense" you are referencing. Give us your best detailed account of it all...I'm sure it will make for good reading. GO:
I remember Ronnie having back surgery and was doing heavy leg presses 2 weeks later. He did some moronic stuff post surgery and should have let his body heal.
When you use extremely high doses long periods of time the brain doesn't think well! You will see a change in certain bodybuilders when they talk, you know they are using to the extreme. They just don't think intelligently.
@@acaciolacita3671 Damn, you're dumb for making that comment. Shawn was one of the most aesthetically gifted bodybuilders. Unlike Ronnie with his bubblegut. The federation wants to see mass monsters not sharp lines.
The price you pay for few years of glory will not compensate the fact you will never be able to walk, hike or run again! At least from my humble natural lifter point of view.
Shawn got out of professional bodybuilding in good shape. The same as Dorian, Jay Cutler, Dennis James. Ronnie has wrecked his body but has no remorse.
The story off Ronnie is so sad because he knew apparently what he was doing to himself but couldn't stop himself, due to the adulation he was getting re being the biggest, hardest etc
Good on Shawn for saying this! I've heard so many pro and non-pro body builders talk, and they frequently have serious body dysmorphia, even years after finishing competing. Sounds like Shawn has been able to accept reality far better! Well done
Shawn ray. I like what he is saying. Moral compass 100%. Its mostly the ego. They want fame and fortune. At what cost when your dealing with compounds that are used with no guidlines. Open bodybuilding is quite dark!
There is a difference between a bodybuilder dying due to taking drugs as part of the lifestyle in preparation for the competition compared to a race care driver who is dying just during an accident when taking part in a competition. The first is part of a long term lifestyle choice, the second is an instant accident.
@@medpreventivabrasil I wrote "long term lifestyle choice" A bodybuilder is choosing a lifestyle that affects him 24/7 and affects him badly in the long term, health wize. He choose it despite knowing that this is for sure. The race car driver is only at risk when driving and most of the race car drivers aren't affected at all, unlike the bodybuilders who make lifestyle a choice affecting the health for most of them badly in the long term!
Ronnie's Coleman's attitude in face of challenge underpins the reason for his success. He is such a positive, productive thinker. In the same way no one could out work him professionally no one could persevere in the manner he has in face of such intense and chronic pain. He is an extremely strong person
The major mass era of the late 90's- 2010 taught us what we shouldn't do. You don't need to go super heavy and train super heavy and load up on tons of gear year round. Levrone would only take his steroids 6 months out. He'd take 2 months off completely a year and only trained intensely 8 months out the year
The best lesson we can learn from Ronnie Coleman's physical challenges; stay off the operating table unless it's absolutely necessary. In Ronnie's case, broken screws(from surgery) permanently damaged his spinal cord, it wasn't the squats or deadlifts.
Bodybuilding used to be something I thought was cool. Until Shawn Roden died a few years after winning the Olympia. Now I just find it lame as fuck. I’m not idolizing people who are literally killing themselves over aesthetics.
Shaw Ray is making a lot of great points, using examples like a pro race car driver, a boxer and I’ll even say a bull rider. Everyone makes their own choices in life, and how they want to earn a living. Three people I’ll say did things the right way as far as keeping there health and mental equity in the right place. Arnold in body building, Floyd mayweather in boxing and dale earnheart jr. Arnold took steroids, pushed his body to the limit, and after his last Mr. Olympia 82’ (which I think he lost and had no business being on stage) he capitalized his fame did movies $$ got into politics and became worldwide famous. Call it smarts or luck, main point is he still doing what he loves and that is being himself. Floyd mayweather, who I am not a fan of, but I can knock his genius in the ring, defensive mastery and picking and choosing his fights. Most importantly not taking a lot of damage to his head and body. Now to be fair he is not really smart to begin with, and he probably can’t read past a 5th grade level. But when you make the amount of money he does he probably has people read stuff to him. Point is Floyd knew when it was time to hang up the gloves on a competitive level now makes million fighting wanna be’s and losers. Very smart It’s having the mind set early to know this is not my life, and there are other things I wanna do in life. Most people with addictive personality don’t have that state of mind.
Shawn Ray ...you gotta luv em ... Straight shooter ...always has been ...since back in the old magazine days of mid to late eighties and early nintys..🙏💖✌️😌
Shawn is dead on, there have been gurus, not mentioning names that have the blood on their hands from people who have literally dropped over, weather it was telling a guy to take this much insulin and GH or take this diuretic or that one. Not to mention the doses and the massive amounts of horomones they have directed these athletes to take. The athlete is responsible for himself but he puts his trust into a guru who isn’t a doctor, but thinks he knows everything, and because it worked for one guy, it may kill the next
A guru is just a guy with sketchy credentials who is willing to tell these bodybuilders what they want to hear, the downfall of many successful people is surrounding yourself with “yes men”. To be truthful, had the guru told them the truth of the risks the bodybuilder would block that advice out and start looking for a new guru lol.
@@lohengrin4009 agreed. I mean yes, a guru can absolutely put size on you and absolutely get you shredded. They can do all those things. No one is denying that… the real question is at what risk? These gurus don’t understand the depths of the human body the same way a nephrologist or cardiologist does. These doctors go to school for years and years and then they have to do continued education and they treat people day in and day out with tons of different issues stemming from different reasons. If these doctors were to get with these athletes the same day the guru gives them their protocols they would be in disbelief! Just because you can abuse your body for 10-18 years and still be alive doesn’t mean it isn’t gonna catch up with you in your 40s and 50s and likely kill you like it has so many. But people will deny it and say I am full of it. Ok. Keep doing what they are telling you. Your right, it won’t hurt you at all or take years off your life taking in 2500-5000mgs of juice a week, while taking all the GH, Clen, diuretics, and insulin, and slamming 5000 plus calories a day 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ yeah I am sure it will add years to your life Lol
As Haney said there are guys who squatted a 1000 pounds and never damaged their body. Stimulate not annihilate! Ray did say if he couldn't play with his grand kids in the yard later in life it ain't worth it.
I have always respected Shawn Ray, he has always been the most mature! He warned Kevin Levrone years ago in 2016/2017 when he was in his EARLY 50s NOT to compete for Mr. Olympia! Kevin claimed he had ‘unfinished’ business going up against young guys like Phil Heath, MADNESS!!! Kevin did not make neither Top 10 nor Top 15 🤕
I think Shawn has always spoke his mind and not willing to play the game like others during the time he competed. Right or wrong when you speak your mind you will make enemies or there will be people who don't like you. To be in a sport that has a huge amount of vanity involved and doing so on the highest level he has been able to turn off the switch. That is hard to do when you have taken building your body to the best it can look and be.
He intentionally made the decision to keep going. Those are decisions we all made in athletics. Nobody feels sorry for the former highschool lineman that can't put his shirt on anymore without pain. That is just part of athletics.
There are people out there that don't like Shawn for a lot of reasons, but I have always seen Shawn Ray as a man who kept it pretty real and tells it str8 as he sees it. No one put anything to Ronnie's head and told him he better do what he did, all of that was Ronnie himself. He lived by it and paid a price for it..He got 8 Olympias..at the end of the day Ronnie 8 is pretty happy.
his ego wont let him quit or slow down. it pushed him to injure his back and hips. jay cutler can still walk around despite going head to head in the same competitions. the same drive that got ronnie so big also injured him and just cant shut it off. so... yeah...its a cursed blessing.
As a guy who has been in the gym for decades & also started meditating 34 years ago the fact is: the more mileage/stress you put on your body the more likely you will break it. We ALL will leave that body eventually. How far into the timeless regions=SAMADHI,will you soar when you die.? Without any SPIRITUAL PREPARATION=NOT VERY FAR.
Ronnie's mistake was going back into the gym like two days after his spine operations like THREE times. His doctors told him he had to lay off for months. He would be fine today if he listened to his doctors.
And this guy have nerves now to blame doctors. Everyone from bodybuilding world know guy have some mental deficiency but officially dont say it. Its not heavy training during his prime that crippled him. Its morronic training after surgeys.
Always had sincere respect for Shawn Ray. He was very outspoken about the pitfalls, corrupted judging, changes that needed to be made etc… within the industry. He was and still is a very articulate and intelligent truth machine. The problem was NEVER Shawn Ray but rather the thin skinned individuals who didn’t like hearing him hold the industry to task and accountable for some of its very questionable practices. That to the side, Ray had one of the most complete and truly artistic , Finely crafted physiques I’ve ever seen to compete on a professional level. It was in my opinion legendary 👍🏼
What is this world coming to? This man was on another level where he equated pain to happiness. Yes he came back to fast after the surgeries which more than likely ran his spine into the ground but other than that he became one with the iron and will be 80 years old still lifting weights. Ronnie touched and lived in that realm that all humans have access to but few do.
The 80s to the mid 90s is the best era of bodybuilding. The late 90s with all these guys pushing the envelope with the gear going for big mass..that's when you start hearing of all these guys dying left and right. It's a a dangerous game when you are pushing the envelope with these and anabolics.
That was well said! I saw Ronnie in Dubai at the expo back in 21 and it was both cool and sad. I want to be doing resistance training until I die, but it does have to change over the years
Like Shawn, hate Shawn, say whatever you want about him, but he always gives you a straight answer to a straight question. He never tries to dance around anything.
Why do you always got he always got to race Sean had to say something negative about somebody hey at least it's not one of those guys who sits around because he don't want to be a fat bastard Ronnie Coleman won the Olympia he never won the Olympia and Ronnie Coleman always says rayshawn always loses
Back in the day, I met: Dorian, Kevin levrone, Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, Boyer Coe, Jay, Lee Haney, DeMeo, Heath, etc.....Ronnie was ALWAYS kind & funny. My fave was Mike Matarazzo (RIP).
Vanity, like every other word, again, a word...has a hierarchy. At the pinnacle of this hierarchy, there is bodybuilding, the ultimate destroyer! Pure enslavement that needs attention in order to survive. Imagine, living life constantly relying on the opinions of others disguised at monetary levels, & literally believing u r heading somewhere. The mirror! Wow! What an object has been put in here in order to lose ourselves in absolute rubbish! The price to pay is insurmountable!
Ronnie did what he did to be the best in the world. Shawn ray didn't no need to put other one down regardless of the outcome, to each their own ronnie gaves us memories of winning and being the best in the world! shawn ray gave us memories of how to complain and why he didnt win 😢
No I have to disagree here , no other competitor dies at the rate of a body builder . Especially given the low amount of participants compared to other sports. For something that was promoted as healthy and the epitome of physical condition it’s very dark and dangerous .
I need more validation for the bodybuilder deaths. I’m not sure our rate of death is exactly higher. Also we have more participants than any other sport not less (example, NBA has 60 new entrants annually, bodybuilding has hundreds of pro entrants annually)
I've been critical of Ronnie Coleman for a long time.i didn't like his era of bodybuilding, which focused solely on the freak factor and I felt he himself lost symmetry and shape year on year during his olympia reign. There is an intelligent and unintelligent approach to bodybuilding or any training. And the reality is Coleman didn't think beyond his immediate goals,and is now a posterboy sadly for how not to do it.dont get me wrong, in isolation his physical achievements are impressive, but unfortunately on the back of his disability and complete self destruction it greatly diminishes his legacy,and that's just the reality, because he can't be an ambassador for the sport in his current condition. Bodybuilding should be as much about longevity as about muscular development. I agree with Shawn.he made his own bed.
I agree also. Dorian Yates started the mass monster trend but Ronnie Coleman took it to a whole different level. Yea he had a one of kind genetics but his training methods were dangerous. Sadly still to this day a lot of guys try to follow the Ronnie Coleman method but nonetheless Ronnie is still one of the best to do it
He’s the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived ! No one is close ! 2003 was the single most awesome look ever .His training dwarfed Rays , his physique dwarfed Rays , he’s more successful than Ray .He won 8 Mr Olympias Ray won zero .It’s obvious who’s training was far more intelligent than Rays
I think bodybuilders all are different mentally. I understand where Ronnie is coming from. I had both hips replaced and both rotator cuffs were torn plus a hernia. I’m 52 so 32+ years in the game. And it’s really hard to change. I’m more like Ronnie that way. Shawn is smarter than us but it’s hard to get out of the gym
Ronnie said his only regret was not going heavier . What a savage he’s the reason I started lifting 22 years ago . Me and my friends would watch all those old documentaries. We literally couldn’t believe what we were watching . Long live the King .
@@CoolGobyFish what’s your big accomplishment in life ? Being a keyboard warrior ? Ronnie was the best in the world 8 years in a row, show some respect
Dorian Yates has a somewhat similar perspective. Yates does all kinds of different physical activities now and gv up long ago being so concerned about how he looked. For him, it's more about staying in excellent condition and being active in life.
Ronnie actually admitted heavy weight doesn't make you huge. It's eating. An if he would of pulled back a little he would not be in the physical damage that he is. But he loved it and it's his life and body just like Rich piano.
Just watch some of Ronnie's workouts at the Metroflex Gym. I have never seen a professional body builder lift or move that kind of weight. 2,300 pound leg press for 8 reps? Are you kidding me. What did you think would happen to Ronnie Coleman. He lifted too heavy. Plain and simple