Could Shaquille O’Neal be targeting a spot at next year’s Mr Olympia? Probably not. But the legendary NBA player is putting in the hours to build his physique in the gym, so much so that he jokingly sent a message alongside a video of him working out saying that he will soon look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
‘Here I come Arnold Shaqanager,’ O’Neal jokingly says.
Shaq trains four days a week, with each session lasting around an hour. Twenty minutes of that is taken up by low-intensity cardio, with the remaining time spent lifting weights. His latest workout involves high-rep sets of cable chest flyes, before he moves onto an incline bench to perform a lat pulldown variation.
The video finishes with Shaq showing off his physique in a couple of classic bodybuilding poses, including the back double biceps and rear lat spread. He still has some way to go to look like Arnold at the peak of his powers, but you can’t knock the weight Shaq is shifting on the cable machines – even if it’s perhaps unsurprising considering his 7ft 1in frame and athletic capabilities.
High-rep sets will help Shaq achieve his favourite thing about working out: the pump. In that respect, he’s clearly very well aligned with Arnold. But a 2023 hip replacement and the general wear and tear accumulated from years in professional basketball mean he’s unable to run in the way he used to.
‘My favourite part of working out is that I know when I get a good pump in, especially here on the biceps. My arms are looking really good and really young,’ he previously told MH. ‘My least favourite part of working out is if I have to run on the treadmill – I can’t run anymore and it’s sad. I used to be the greatest athlete ever, and now I have to walk on the treadmill.’
Through it all, Shaq now takes his training seriously. He lost 25kg a few years ago after gaining weight during COVID, and is now in impressive shape after paying close attention to his strength and fitness.
If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
