Every person that has been backstage or onstage at a bodybuilding show will tell that competitive spirits can get high. While many athletes consider making it to the posedown a win in itself, the greatest in the sport are there for one reason; to win.

One shining example of this is Bryan Jones in the Classic Physique division. As he told Dennis James on this week’s episode of “The Menace Podcast”, Jones isn’t only showing up to have a good time. That even applied at the 2020 Olympia, his first year on that stage.

Andrea Shaw is best known in the sport of bodybuilding as the reigning Ms. Olympia. Shaw became the champion after the return of the legendary contest at the 2020 Olympia in Orlando, Florida. Her physique is considered the standard in the Women’s Bodybuilding division, and she has plans on retaining that position in the future as well.

Shaw shared a retrospective of her career as the featured guest on this week’s episode of “The Menace Podcast” with bodybuilding legend Dennis James. She told James that after learning how to train from her mother, her competitive career actually started in the Figure division. She placed third in her first and second shows. She then decided to take a break because of something she observed when competing.

“I was the freaking mass monster onstage with these Figure girls. My legs, it was apparent looking at the photos. I was definitely starving. Doing cardio twice a day, working out once a day, so I was training three times a day, and I was still getting onstage at 140 (pounds), and these girls are like 120, you know, 110.”

After her extended time away from the stage, the Women’s Physique division was born. Shaw would turn pro after six amateur shows. However, it didn’t take long for her to figure out that it wasn’t the division for her either. The size of her quads was what made her next decision for her.

“I said ‘I’m not going to fight my body anymore.’ So I just told Lenda (Murray), ‘Yeah, I’ve been down this road before. So what do you think, what you got in mind?’ And she was like, ‘you know, the very next show, female bodybuilding, just jump in.’”

With the guidance of Murray and Alina Popa, Shaw made the switch and the rest is history. She went on to win the 2020 Rising Phoenix World Championship, and followed that up with the historic Ms. Olympia win ten days later. Now, she embraces the role as the ambassador of her division, and she wants to follow in Murray’s footsteps, who she called her “inspiration”.

“She has been a source for us when we needed it, and that’s what I hope to be for more young ladies or women who want to ask questions. That’s why I tell them ‘you got questions? Inbox me, I’ll answer them. You may not like some of the answers, but that’s okay. Sometimes you gotta grow.”

Shaw and James talk about her childhood, the business of bodybuilding, her love for apple pie, and a lot more. Catch the episode in its entirety over at the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel.

0:57 – Gymnastics and Cheerleading

2:45 Taught to Train by her Mom

3:55 – Thoughts About Competing and College

8:11 – Break from Competing

11:38 – Women’s Physique

13:41 – Turning Pro

16:35 – Decision to Switch to Women’s Bodybuilding

18:00 – Strategy for 2020

18:50 – Winning the Rising Phoenix/Working with Her Coach

21:17 – Mentors

23:46 –Iris Kyle and the Olympia

28:33 –2021 Rising Phoenix/Ambassador for the Sport

30:38 – Inspiration

32:15 – Life as a Female Bodybuilder

36:30 – Choosing Clothes/Interacting with People

39:00 – What Does She Have to do to Repeat?

40:45 – Biggest Competition and Comradery

43:00 – Apple Pie

44:52 – Other Hobbies

NY Pro winner Nick Walker sat down with Dennis James on this week’s episode of “The Menace Podcast” to discuss his background, thoughts on his victory, and more, including an experience in childhood that could’ve taken his life in a completely different direction.