Shawn Ray’s Workout Routine and Diet Plan

Shawn Ray is one of the most celebrated bodybuilders of all time. He is admired for his beautiful physique that exuded aesthetics like never before. His muscle separation and definition were simply on another level.

Owing to all these reasons, he went on to win numerous bodybuilding championships and also got his name inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame of professional bodybuilding in January 2007.

If you are here we can be pretty sure that you must be a fan of Shawn Ray and must be willing to know about his training and nutrition secrets. So without further ado, let’s give you a detailed insight into Shawn Ray’s workout routine and diet plan. We can assure you that you will be learning a lot from it.

Shawn Ray’s Workout Principles

Shawn got started with his lifting journey in his teenage years. He was quite fascinated with lifting weights and very soon decided to get into competitive bodybuilding.

Shawn Ray’s workout plan followed a high-volume training protocol. He also used to incorporate Weider principles into his exercise routine which assisted in giving him a muscular and aesthetic physique.

Let’s get to know more about his workout routine in the next section.

Shawn Ray’s Workout Routine

Shawn Ray’s effective workout routine enabled him to build such a physique which made him defeat every single bodybuilder of his time, except Dorian Yates and Lee Haney. When he used to step on the stage, his physique didn’t only look massive but also exude aesthetics that were never seen before.

Shawn’s exercise routine is targeted to facilitate muscle gains along with making his body appear symmetrical and proportionate. And it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that his body exuded perfection in all senses.

One of the strangest things about Shawn Ray’s workout routine is that it never had a particular workout split. Shawn always ensured to change it up after every 5-6 weeks.

Now let’s have a look at the exercises that have always been a part of Shawn Ray’s workout routine along with the number of their sets and reps:-

Monday- Chest

• Flat bench press- 5 sets of 10 reps
• Incline dumbbell bench press- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Dumbbell flys- 5 sets of 12 reps
• Cable crossovers- 5 sets of 12 reps

Tuesday- Back

• Wide-grip pull-ups- 5 sets of 5 reps
• Barbell rows- 5 sets of 12-15 reps
• Wide-grip lat pulldowns- 5 sets of 12-15 reps
• Dumbbell rows- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Straight arm pushdowns- 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Wednesday- Shoulders

• Standing overhead barbell press- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Cable lateral raises- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Incline bench rear delt flys- 4 sets of 15 reps
• Machine shrugs- 4 sets of 15 reps

Thursday- Legs

• Leg extensions- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Barbell walking lunges- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Stiff-leg deadlift- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Leg press- 4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Standing calf raises- 4 sets of 15 reps
• Seated calf raises- 4 sets of 15 reps

Friday- Arms

• Alternating dumbbell curls- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Dumbbell triceps extensions- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Single-arm preacher curls- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Triceps rope pulldowns- 4 sets of 12-15 reps

Saturday and Sunday- Rest

Changing It Up

Shawn seldom skips his training sessions. And to ensure that they don’t get boring and monotonous he makes it a point to keep changing them up often. He does so by changing his exercise selection or the number of sets and reps to be performed.

At times he even changes the order of the exercises or his workout split. All this contributes towards giving his body the challenge and the change that is required for growth. It also tends to avoid the occurrence of training plateaus.

Intensity Techniques

In order to make his exercise routine more challenging, Shawn often incorporates certain intensity techniques into it. He performs ‘drop sets’ and ‘forced reps’ on certain exercises to train his muscles beyond failure.

This in turn facilitates greater hypertrophy resulting in more muscular growth.

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Shawn Ray’s Diet Plan

Shawn has always been pretty disciplined with his eating habits and follows a highly-nutritious diet plan. The kind of conditioning that his body exuded in his competing years was a result of an effective training program and a perfect nutrition plan.

Shawn has never been a big fan of counting calories. He just ensures to eat right and in accordance with his training goals.

Shawn Ray’s diet plan has a decent amount of lean proteins which facilitate muscle building. The carb and fat content of his nutrition plan have always been a bit variable.

For instance, whenever he intends to get lean and lose fat, he drops his carb intake significantly. This gives his body the kind of leanness that makes it appear extremely defined.

In his competing years, Shawn used to consume around 2700 calories in a day. To fetch his body that amount of calories, he consumed 6 meals a day.

Now let’s find out what all food items were there in Shawn Ray’s meal plan:-

Meal 1

• 2 Hibachi chicken breasts
• Broccoli
• 1 baked potato
• Lemon

Meal 2

• Salad with 2 cans of tuna
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• Shredded carrots
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Romaine lettuce

Meal 3

• 2 steaks
• 1 large serving of steamed broccoli

Meal 4

• 1 baked potato
• Large trout with lemon

Meal 5

• Watermelon
• Honeydew melon
• Grapes
• Cantaloupe
• Pineapple

Meal 6

• 12 egg whites
• 2 slices of whole wheat bread with jelly and peanut butter
• Steamed broccoli or asparagus

Shawn prefers to consume some lean sources of proteins before getting started with his training sessions. He consumes sources of complex carbs post his workout sessions.

Additional Meal

When Shawn needed to put on muscle mass on his frame, he used to wake up a bit early and added an extra meal to his meal plan. He did this to up his caloric intake which is required to facilitate size gains.

Foods to Avoid

Shawn ensures to eat healthy and nutritious food items most of the time. Even on his cheat days, he stays away from consuming any kind of food items that are extremely processed or fried, or those that have chemical additives or artificial sweeteners in them.

Shawn Ray’s Supplements

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that during his competing years Shawn displayed a physique that exuded perfection in every sense. And to build such a kind of physique he had to ensure that his nutrition plan is also perfect.

To serve that purpose, he included a few supplements into it. They enabled him to make his nutrition plan more complete.

Shawn Ray’s supplements stack included the following:-

• Pre-workout
• Whey protein
• BCAA
• Creatine
• Mass gainer

Shawn’s training routine was quite intense in nature. And to ensure he goes through such sessions without getting enervated, he took a pre-workout supplement beforehand. It also helped in enhancing his training performance.

He consumed whey protein shakes and BCAA to fetch his muscles adequate amounts of amino acids that facilitate muscle repair and growth. He also used to have creatine to boost his exercise performance and strength levels.

When Shawn needed to increase his caloric intake he did so by having a mass gainer shake.

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Wrapping Up

So that was all about Shawn Ray’s workout routine and diet plan. We are sure that reading about it would have surely motivated you to get started with your fitness journey. But before you do so, we would recommend you structure your fitness regime as per your individual training goals and experience.

Shawn is a professional bodybuilder with numerous years of experience. So copying his training program and nutrition plan as it is might be too much for you.

We would also recommend you take the guidance of an experienced coach or trainer to get the most out of your fitness regime.