Bodybuilding mastermind Shawn Ray reached incredible heights during his illustrious career and still gives back to the sport in retirement. Taking to a recent Voice of Bodybuilding podcast, Shawn Ray shined a light on the drawbacks shorter bodybuilders face, questioning Hadi Choopan’s capacity for improvements weeks from the 2024 Arnold Classic.
As a perennial Mr. Olympia contender and the 1991 winner of the Arnold Classic, Shawn Ray was a juggernaut of the Men’s Open division, routinely testing himself against greats such as former six-time Olympia Dorian Yates, Vince Taylor, Kevin Levrone, and Flex Wheeler. Having witnessed the sport’s evolution over decades, Ray’s opinions of the landscape make for interesting conversations.
The 2024 Arnold Classic takes place from February 29 to March 3, prompting Ray and Bob Cicherillo to break down the competition’s top contenders. Among them is Hadi Choopan, a former 2022 Mr. Olympia champion who intends to out-condition Samson Dauda when they meet on stage in under three weeks.
Shawn Ray Talks Drawbacks of Shorter Bodybuilders, Uncertain of Hadi Choopan Before 2024 Arnold Classic
Considering the differences between their shape and conditioning levels, Ray asserts that the judges are in for an ‘apples and oranges’ comparison when Choopan and Dauda hit the stage.
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“They [Hadi Choopan and Samson Dauda] are both standing on stage, hold on, it takes me back to where I had my closest bite at the apple. People always talk about Shawn talks about himself. I only have my personal reference. I was standing there next to Dorian Yates. Everyone says it was apples and oranges. This is a classic case of apples and oranges if I ever saw it. It takes me back to ’96. The size difference, the condition factor.”
While Ray credits Choopan’s conditioning as a strength, he believes his lack of symmetry could hurt him in the end.
“Hadi has gotten a little bit blockier over the years. He still has that condition which separates him apart,” says Shawn Ray. “I’m a champion of this smaller bodybuilder but Hadi is not in that symmetrical argument the way Mohamed Makkawy was.”
Ray compared Choopan’s grainy physique to Andreas Münzer and Mohammed Benaziza.
“He’s not in that argument like a Lee Labrada, he’s not in that argument as a Shawn Ray – as an aesthetic, symmetrical bodybuilder. He’s a hard, conditioned, grainy bodybuilder much like Andreas Münzer was, much like Mohammed Benaziza when we first saw him was.”
Not only does Ray believe shorter bodybuilders ‘max out sooner’ than their taller counterparts, but he argues that fans have already witnessed the best version of Hadi Choopan.
“The shorter bodybuilder like myself and like Hadi, you have a shorter run, right? We max out sooner. If you’re asking me if we have seen the best of Hadi Choopan or the best of Samson, I would say we have seen the best of Hadi Choopan.
Now, that being said, they are both coming from other countries to come here. Peaking is 95% of this contest. They have to peak.”
Furthermore, the bodybuilding veteran believes Choopan’s physique has no more room for improvement.
“They both have all of the goods but when we look back over the years… I mean I honestly believe I’ve seen Hadi, there is no room for improvement on Hadi’s physique,” adds Shawn Ray. “I think we have seen the best of Hadi.”
Should Hadi Choopan enter the 2024 Arnold Classic with a ‘streamlined’ physique, similar to what Ronnie Coleman did in 2001, Ray believes he could shake up the finals.
“The internet is going to go crazy if Hadi loses, the internet is going to go crazy if Samson — there is only one winner. The beauty of waiting it out and seeing what happens. It’s not what the judges are going to do to determine the outcome of this show. It’s going to come down to what these athletes have done in their off-seasons.
Okay, Hadi got a taste of bitter defeat on the Olympia stage where micro points slipped away. That could have driven him deeper into his training, harder into his diet, and we may see what Ronnie Coleman did in 2001 at the Arnold Classic, streamline that physique. They come in streamlined and show us a little bit different of a physique, it might rock the Arnold Classic stage. He has more to lose in the Arnold than Samson does.”
Since the 2024 Arnold Classic lineup was released, Shawn Ray hasn’t been shy about giving his take on the potential action. He believes if Samson Dauda emerges victorious with a second Arnold Classic title it would cement his status as the number one contender for the Mr. Olympia when the show returns from October 10 to 13 later this year.
Given the consistent physique updates presented by Choopan and Dauda on social media, fans expect a close battle in Columbus, Ohio, when the event takes over the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Ohio Expo Center in mere weeks.
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Watch the full video from the Voice of Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:
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