| Andrea Shaw[1] | |
| Nickname: | The Phoenix |
| Birth Date: | December 18, 1983 |
| Height: | [2] |
| Weight: | On-season: 170lb180lb[3] [4] Off-season: 180lb209lb |
| Firstproshow: | IFBB Toronto Pro Supershow (physique) IFBB WOS Chicago Pro Championships (bodybuilding) |
| Firstproshowyear: | 2019 (physique) 2019 (bodybuilding) |
| Bestwin: | Ms. Olympia champion |
| Bestwinyear: | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Iris Kyle (de jure) Helle Trevino (de facto)[5] |
| Yesorretiredyear: | Retired 2019 (physique) |
Andrea Shaw (born December 18, 1983) is an American professional bodybuilder. She holds five Ms. Olympia title wins and four Ms. Rising Phoenix title wins.
Shaw grew up in Michigan. As a girl growing up, she was into gymnastics and competitive cheerleading. In her eighth-grade aerobics class at Benjamin Nolan Middle School, which didn't offer adequate equipment or much organized sports, her teacher taught her to make her own structures. At the age of 13, Shaw saw Lenda Murray for the first time because both her mother and Murray worked out at Powerhouse Gym in Center Line, Michigan. At the time, she never thought she would be good enough to compete in female bodybuilding. After middle school, she was burnt out from gymnastics and cheerleading, so she focused on academics in high school. After gaining some extra weight, her mother, a nurse and former personal trainer, encouraged her to start working out at Powerhouse Gym as well. Shaw began attending the gym on her own, and her mother's training partner, a female bodybuilder, began advising her on muscle building. She said she had no desire at 17 to be a bodybuilder, instead wanting to be a fashion model, but she was not tall enough.[6] [7] [8] [9]
At the age of 18, Shaw's training adviser told her mom she didn't think she had the heart to stick with training. This encouraged her to focus on obtaining great shape. While training one day at Powerhouse Gym, she came across an Oxygen Magazine and saw the magazine was full of athletic fitness and sports models. She decided that would be her ambition. However, her body began responding quickly to resistance training and once she started intense weight training, soon people were asking her if she competed in muscle competitions. She didn't see herself as having enough size and development to compete as a bodybuilder, but liked the way the figure competitors looked in the magazines. In 2008, she entered two figure competitions, placing 3rd and 4th, but she didn't feel she was on the right path. She took 8 years off from competing.
During this time, Shaw attended Wayne State University, where she studied exercise science. She earned a BA in exercise and sports science, along with continuing to refine her resistance training. Shaw said she neglected her physical health and gained about 20 pounds her freshman year. To address her physical health, she took small steps to exercise and diet. She also started lifting heavier and found she put on size easily. Instead of cutting food from her diet, Shaw said she made substitutions, like baked chips in place of regular chips, and spinach wraps rather than regular bread. She began to research bodybuilding and took an eight-year break after college to continue her bodybuilding studies. She interned at the Detroit Medical Center, worked in the physical therapy department at Beaumont, and received her group training and personal training certificates..
Over the next eight years, Shaw took a break from competing, instead focusing on studying and reading (Oxygen Magazine, Muscle & Fitness, Shape, and Muscular Development), researching exercise, and obtaining a new trainer. She returned to school and found a program that specifically addressed experience and sports science. In 2016, Shaw decided to resume competing and switched to physique. After competing in six competitions, she placed 2nd at the 2018 Nationals, qualifying for an IFBB pro card. She went on to attend the 2019 Toronto Pro, placing 11th.
Shaw currently lives in Michigan, working as a personal trainer and has plans to go back to school, hoping to one day obtain a doctorate.[13]