Giants center Shaun O’Hara is the anchor of one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

Everyone loves an underdog. There’s no better story than the hardworking overachiever who defies all odds to reach stardom. In the trenches of the NFL, Shaun O’Hara is the ultimate overachiever.

Coming out of Rutgers University at a time when the program posted endless consecutive losing records, O’Hara was a long shot to make it to the NFL. Signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2000, the New Jersey native applied his incredible work ethic and determination and made an immediate impact on the field. But it wasn’t until he was signed by the N.Y. Giants as a free agent in March ’04 that his career really took off. A few years later, the guy who wasn’t even drafted has played in over 130 regular season NFL games, seven postseason contests, and helped the Giants win the 2008 Super Bowl. At the close of the 2008 campaign, the 6’3”, 295 pounder earned his first Pro Bowl bid and was named an All-Pro by Sports Illustrated, Sporting News and the Associated Press.

Not bad for a guy who wasn’t supposed to make the big leagues at all.

Smash-Mouth Football
If there’s one quality that can be assigned to the Giants offensive line over the years, it’s overpowering physical domination: They play smash-mouth football on every single play. Despite their rugged style, the Giants finished 2008 as the only team to start the same five linemen in all 32 regular season games in two consecutive seasons.

O’Hara leads the charge as an “O” line iron man, hardly missing a down his entire career. “It sounds like an old cliché, but I continue to get stronger as I get older,” says the 32-year-old. “And my body has gotten leaner, as well! As a pro athlete, you have to take training seriously. You can’t get out of shape or you’ll lose your job.”

O’Hara gives enormous credit to legendary strongman and strength coach Joe Carini, a New Jersey–based guru who has worked with Tiki Barber, Luke Pettigout and other NFL players. Barber credits Carini with turning around his career and enabling him to become the Giants’ all-time rushing leader.

“Joe has an unbelievable pedigree when it comes to maximizing potential,” explains O’Hara. “He keeps changing up training and programs, so your muscles are constantly shocked. He’s always coming up with something scary! He mixes powerlifting and strongman exercises, plus bodybuilding. It’s three-dimensional training.”

Under Carini’s tutelage at House of Iron in New Jersey, O’Hara has taken his performance to a higher level than he ever thought possible. Helping push him is training partner Chris Snee, a fellow Giants offensive guard widely considered one of the strongest men in the NFL.

“Working with players like Shaun and Chris is about as simple as it gets,” says Carini. “They work incredibly hard, and there’s competition between them that pushes them to a whole other level. I have the easiest job in the world!”

During the season, O’Hara and Snee work under the guidance of Giants strength coach Jerry Palmieri. Palmieri uses many of the same power movements that Carini recommends. Among the lifts that offensive linemen perform on their lower-body training days are squats, lunges, leg presses and deadlifts. Upper-body movements include heavy hang cleans, power cleans and high pulls, plus bench presses and shoulder presses. The typical Giants regimen calls for upper-body training twice weekly each, plus conditioning drills midweek.

It’s hard work, but O’Hara and his fellow lineman are determined to remain the immovable objects that do the dirty work for Eli Manning and the other Giants stars. It’s how you go from underdog to Super Bowl champion.


Shaun O’Hara
Bio Snapshot
•  Height: 6’3”
•  Weight: 292 lb
•  Birth date: June 23, 1977
•  Birthplace: Hillsborough, NJ
•  College: Rutgers
•  Career Peaks: Pro Bowl selection in 2008. Super Bowl champion, also in 2008. Named Giants “Man of the Year” for his charitable work.


Shaun’s Tip For Peak Performance
In offering advice to Muscle & Body readers, Shaun had this to say: “The one thing I’ve learned in my career is that the rest factor is huge. I burned the candle at both ends when I was a youngster. But when you push yourself day in and day out at the gym, the only way to get the benefit of all that training is to get enough rest. I experienced this firsthand in 2006, when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. It was life-changing for me. I look at photos for 2005–06 and I can see differences in my body. Today, I have more lean muscle mass and stay leaner and in better shape due to better recovery and more emphasis on rest.”