If someone was to see Ray Care aka “Cash” at an event, and they find out that he served his country as a Navy Seal, then that person may be reluctant to step up to him. However, he recalled that one young man had the brass to call him out in front of a crowd.
“He was like ‘Mr. Cash, I challenge you to pushups,’” Care recalled. “I had just done the Hudson River, and he ended up doing 30 pushups. I told him that if he did too many more, I’d have to fight him.”
Care finished the story by explaining that when the bold challenger—a 7-year-old boy—eventually tired out, he did one more so they could be tied. The kid then pre-called him out for the following year. Care admired the young man for having that mindset.
“If a 7-year-old has that mentality, why can’t everyone else in the world have that mentality as well? I’m going to be looking for that kid.”
Experiences like that are why Ray Care is so vocal about being an advocate for fitness. Being in shape is a foundational pillar of Care’s life. At age 50, he trains six days a week and said he never knew what it was like to be unfit. He describes his wife as being in even better shape than he is. Discipline and consistency are key in him staying in great shape, but he admitted that before he became a Navy Seal, those factors weren’t as much a part of his life as they are now.
“I wasn’t doing very well in the civilian world,” said Care. “I was getting into a lot of trouble, and I knew I needed discipline. So, I was almost ‘voluntold’ to join the military.”
Aside from that, Care was looking around his hometown and seeing people that were out of shape and decided that he needed something different for himself. After he went to enlist in the Armed Forces, something caught his eye.
“When I’m in the recruiter’s office, I see this pamphlet for the Navy Seals. I was like, holy cow!”
Care had a background for exceeding at fitness, and described himself as aggressive, in spite of graduating high school at 5’7” and 163 pounds. That aggression could be seen in the form of a 315-pound bench press, a 240-pound clean, and he was squatting over three plates as well. The three-sport athlete saw that the Seal program was billed as the toughest training in the world on that pamphlet.
“I was like, that’s for me,” he recalled. While he may have had the physical tools, Care admitted that he wasn’t as confident in himself at the educational aspect. Because of that, he enlisted in the Navy and went to Keyport, Washington for three years. During that time, he went all in on reaching his goal of become a Seal.
“I busted my ass,” he says. “When everyone else was goofing off and drinking, I worked out. I got up before work and worked out. I worked hard and had to take my ASVAB test two more damn times to pass it. I showed up to basic underwater demo class 200, and I finished it.”
Out of 148 candidates, Care was one of 16 that went through. While his physical gifts were important in his journey to become a Seal, he credits his mental toughness for making his goal a reality.
“I have a fitness mentality,” he stated. “I just won’t quit. I won’t. I think that is what more people need.”
Ray Care is a strong advocate for fitness, and he isn’t ashamed of it. As a matter of fact, he will call others out if he feels they have unfulfilled potential, whether they appreciate it or not.
“I know there are plenty of men that are out of shape, and if it isn’t hereditary, due to a thyroid issue, or something like this, then the reason they’re out of shape is because they are lazy,” he shared. “Dr. Gabrielle Lyon said that the world doesn’t have a problem with obesity, they have a problem with under muscle. I think the world is just lazy.”
There have been others who have been vocal about the issue of obesity and being out of shape, but Care is someone who finds ways to create solutions as well. He feels that going back to the days when kids and young adults had to be more active would go a long way in addressing it.
“Everything we did was physical,” he says. “When I was a kid, even in the city, we went outside and we did physical activities. The nucleus of that was fitness.”
Outside of that suggestion, he’s also active in directly helping people improve their personal fitness. Care has helped many people address the issues so they can become their best selves.
“I say that if you did this, then you would lose that. What I do is I actually help people lose that weight. Fitness is a lifestyle, that’s what people need to understand.”
Ray Care is and will continue working to help others, especially younger people, improve fitness and get in shape with hopes that they will join the military as he did when he was a young man.
“I’m not a politically correct person. We’re getting weak,” he explained. “Standards have dropped, and we can’t do that. You can’t half-ass fitness.”
As for Care’s own ambitions and goals, he is shooting high and big, but he’s confident in his chances of making it happen. He referenced friends and people he admired in the fitness industry such as Mike O’Hearn and seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath when talking about his experiences spreading the word of health, but he wants to emulate another legend that is still remembered for his physical feats of excellence.
“I will be the next Jack LaLanne,” he said boldly. “I will be 80 years old, wearing a jump suit, and pulling something with my teeth. Mr. LaLanne started fitness and he never stopped. I won’t either.” Follow Ray on Instagram @raycashcare and learn more by going to www.raycashcare.com.
