Brian Shaw (strongman)

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Brian Shaw
Brian Shaw Arnold Classic 2017e.jpg
Shaw at the 2017 Arnold Classic
Personal information
Nickname(s)Gigantor
Born (1982-02-26) February 26, 1982 (age 39)
Fort Lupton, Colorado, U.S.
Height6 ft 8 in (203 cm)[1]
Weight385–440 lb (175–200 kg)[2][3]
Spouse(s)
Keri Shaw
(m. 2015)
WebsiteOfficial website
Sport
SportStrongman
Medal record
Representing the  United States
World's Strongest Man
Qualified 2008 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2009 World's Strongest Man
2nd 2010 World's Strongest Man
1st 2011 World's Strongest Man
4th 2012 World's Strongest Man
1st 2013 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2014 World's Strongest Man
1st 2015 World's Strongest Man
1st 2016 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2017 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2018 World's Strongest Man
6th 2019 World's Strongest Man
5th 2020 World's Strongest Man
2nd 2021 World's Strongest Man
Arnold Strongman Classic
5th 2010
1st 2011
4th 2012
2nd 2013
2nd 2014
1st 2015
2nd 2016
1st 2017
2nd 2018
8th 2019
All Arnold Pro Strongman World Series
1st 2015 Arnold Australia
1st 2016 Arnold Europe
1st 2017 Arnold Australia
2nd 2020 Arnold USA
World's Ultimate Strongman
2nd 2018 Dubai
4th 2019 Dubai
Strongman Super Series
1st 2009 Los Angeles Grand Prix
4th 2009 Bucharest Grand Prix
1st 2009 Gothenburg Grand Prix
1st 2009 Overall Champion
2nd 2010 Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
1st 2010 Viking Power Challenge
1st 2010 Swedish Grand Prix
1st 2010 Overall Champion
Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic
1st 2010
1st 2011
Fortissimus
3rd 2009
Giants Live
3rd 2009 Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
1st 2010 South Africa
2nd 2010 Istanbul
1st 2011 London
1st 2015 Sweden
North America's Strongest Man
2nd 2007
1st 2014
America's Strongest Man
1st 2013
1st 2016
1st 2014
All-American Strongman Challenge
1st 2009
Shaw Classic
1st 2020
2nd 2021

Brian Shaw (born February 26, 1982) is an American professional strongman competitor and winner of the 2011,[4] 2013, 2015, and 2016 World's Strongest Man competitions. In 2011, he became the first man to win the Arnold Strongman Classic and the World's Strongest Man contests in the same calendar year, a feat he replicated in 2015.[5]

Early life[]

Shaw was born in Fort Lupton, Colorado,[6] on February 26, 1982,[7] the son of Jay and Bonnie Shaw.[6] Both of his parents were taller than average, with his father standing at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and his mother 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m). It has been noted that he had uncles of exceptional stature.[6]

At Fort Lupton High School, Shaw excelled in basketball.[8] He then attended Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado.[9] There, he was able to form an inside combination with current Louisiana State University-Alexandria Head Women's Basketball Coach Bob Austin. Shaw was one of the team leaders for the Rattlers in his sophomore season. Following Otero, he went to Black Hills State University where he was on a full basketball scholarship[1] and received a degree in wellness management.[6]

During his basketball career, Shaw was "hooked on the weights" and he has said that the weight room was his "sanctuary". In his own words, "I've always been able to do this. The biggest tire, the heaviest stone... I've always been able to walk up and lift it. Odd strength is what it is, not weight-room strength. It's brute strength."[6]

Career[]

2005–2006[]

Shaw began his career as a strongman with a win when he entered the Denver Strongest Man contest in October 2005. He had entered with no formal training. Just seven months later in June 2006, he joined the professional ranks and his successes continued.[6]

2009[]

In 2009, he entered Fortissimus, otherwise known as the Strongest Man on Earth competition, in Canada where he came in third and was the only man to lift six Atlas Stones weighing from 300–425 lb (136–193 kg). He then competed in Romania in the World Strongman Super Series. In September, he travelled to his second World's Strongest Man contest in Valletta. There he was grouped in what was termed the "group of death" not least because of his presence in it. Alongside him in this group was Zydrunas Savickas who went on to win the title. Although Savickas won the group, he and Shaw were separated by just two points. In the final, Shaw went on to attain a podium finish, something Randell Strossen of IronMind had predicted would happen when he said "he has to be considered a favorite for a podium position. If he can stay healthy, there's no end to what he could do. He's got these gifts. He's the total package."[6]

2010[]

Shaw qualified for the finals at the 2010 World's Strongest Man in Sun City, South Africa in September 2010. He was tied for the lead at the end of the finals with Zydrunas Savickas and lost by countback, a system of scoring based on how the athletes placed in each event throughout the finals. Savickas had higher overall placings (2 first places and 1 second place out of 6 events) than Shaw (2 first places and 1 fourth place out of 6 events) and won the 2010 title.

Shaw competed against Savickas again in October 2010 at the Giants Live Istanbul contest. Shaw again finished second behind Savickas.[10]

Shaw won the inaugural Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic on November 21, 2010.[11]

Shaw won the Strongman Super Series Swedish Grand Prix and became the 2010 overall Super Series champion on December 18, 2010.[12] This was Shaw's second consecutive overall Super Series championship.

2011–2013[]

In 2011, Shaw once again participated in the World's Strongest man competition. Going into the final event, the Atlas Stones, Shaw was tied with two-time champion Zydrunas Savickas. Shaw beat Savickas taking 1st place. In the 2013 competition, Shaw led Savickas into the final event (again the Atlas Stones) and again beat Savickas to win the competition.

2015–2016[]

Shaw also won the 2015 and 2016 World's Strongest Man competitions.

Shaw during the 2017 Arnold Strongman Classic

2017[]

In 2017, Shaw competed in both the World's Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman Classic competitions. Shaw won the Arnold Strongman Classic, but later in the year, he finished 3rd at the World's Strongest Man with Eddie Hall defeating him by coming in at 1st place.

2018[]

2018 Arnold Strongman Classic[]

In March 2018, Shaw competed in the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic. Shaw placed 2nd in Event One: The Bag Over Bar, 4th in Event Two: The Stone Shoulder, 2nd in Event Three: The Timber Carry, 3rd in Event Four: The Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift, and was tied for 1st in Event Five: Apollon's Wheel leaving Shaw in 2nd place overall with 42 points to Bjornsson's 45.5.[13]

World's Ultimate Strongman[]

In October 2018, Shaw competed in the World's Ultimate Strongman competition in Dubai.[14] Shaw struggled with some of the events including the deadlift where he had trained with a different bar height and the yoke walk where the stage cracked under the combined weight of Shaw and the yoke, causing Shaw to briefly drop the yoke and increase his time.[15] Shaw still performed well, lifting all the objects in the overhead medley and was separated from Hafthor Bjornsson by 5.5 points going into the sixth and final event. In the sixth and final event, the Atlas Stones, Shaw lifted all five stones but this was not enough to surpass Bjornsson in the final points tally, leaving Shaw in second place.[16]

2020[]

2020 World's Strongest Man[]

On November 15, 2020, Shaw placed fifth overall at the 2020 World's Strongest Man competition, failing to make the podium. Shaw placed seventh in the Giant's Medley, fifth in the partial deadlift, sixth in the Hercules Hold, and seventh in the Log Ladder.[17]

2020 Shaw Classic[]

On December 11, 2020, Shaw hosted the first Shaw Classic competition. Shaw hosted, organized, and paid out the purses for the competition. Rogue provided equipment for the competition with Trifecta announced as a sponsor. Shaw invited an All-Star cast of ten Strongmen to compete including the reigning Worlds Strongest Man Oleksii Novikov (who finished third.) Shaw would end up winning the competition and forfeiting his winning purse giving the winners share to the rest of the athletes. All ten competitors walked away with a share of the winning pool which included money Shaw invested, GoFundMe donations, and pay per view earnings.[18][19][20]

In other media[]

SHAWSTRENGTH
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2008–present
GenreWeightlifting/Strength
Subscribers1.61 million[21]
(June 21, 2021)
Total views238.3 million[21]
(June 21, 2021)
Associated acts
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg 100,000 subscribers
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg 1,000,000 subscribers

Updated: June 21, 2021

Shaw has a YouTube channel, SHAWSTRENGTH, which has videos of training footage, fitness and strength challenges, and eating challenges. Eddie Hall is also seen occasionally on his videos.

Shaw also was one of four strongmen to be featured in the History Channel series, The Strongest Man in History, which premiered on July 10, 2019.[22][23] On the first episode of the show, he pulled a 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg) viking ship on a 60 feet (18 m) incline course in 44.05 seconds.[24][25]

Personal records[]

Done in the gym

  • Squat – 904 lb (410 kg)
  • Bench press – 530 lb (240 kg) × 2[26]
  • Deadlift (from blocks) – 1,091 lb (495 kg)[27]
  • Rack Pull – 1,365 lb (619 kg)[28] (weight resistance measured at very top of rack pull. The lift was done using resistance bands and a belt squat machine.)
  • Long Bar Deadlift – 1,031 lb (468 kg)[29]
  • Log Press – 465 lb (211 kg)[30]
  • Indoor Rowing – 100 meters in 12.8 seconds (unofficial world record at the time, since beaten by Loren Howard with 12.6)[31]

Grip training records

  • Little Big Horn Handle – 238 lb (108 kg) - previous record was 236.53 lb (107.29 kg) by Laine Snook[32]
  • 2nd furthest Dinnie Stone carry – 11.54 ft (3.52 m)[33]
  • One of the few men in history to pinch grip and lift a pair of York 45lb plates

Strongman done in official Strongman competition

  • Deadlift (with straps) – 1,014 lb (460 kg) (World's Strongest Man 2017)[34]
  • Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift (with straps) – 1,021 lb (463 kg) (Arnold Strongman Classic 2016 & 2019)
  • Hummer Tire Strongman Deadlift (with straps) – 1,140 lb (520 kg)[35]
  • Log Lift – 440 lb (200 kg) × 2[36]
  • Axle Press – 452 lb (205 kg) (Giants Live London 2011)[37]
  • Atlas Stone/Manhood Stone – 560 lb (250 kg)[38]
  • Keg Toss – 8 kegs in 16.59 seconds (World's Strongest Man 2014)[39]
  • Keg Toss – 7.75m (World's Strongest Man 2021, world record)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Brian Shaw". theworldsstrongestman.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018.
  2. ^ "Fat Loss Transformation Update | Lowest Weight In Years!". YouTube. SHAWSTRENGTH. Retrieved February 26, 2021. See 5:27 to 5:40
  3. ^ "4X Worlds Strongest Man Dexa Scan Results". SHAWSTRENGTH. March 7, 2019. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "WSM 2011 Winner". The Worlds Strongest Man. January 15, 2012. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  5. ^ "Athlete Biographies". The Arnold Strongman Classic. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Armstrong, Jim (July 4, 2009). "Coloradan eyes coveted title of world's strongest man". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  7. ^ "Athletes". Giants Live. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009.
  8. ^ "Brian Shaw Bio". Shaw Strength. Archived from the original on October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  9. ^ "Men's Basketball: Moving On". Otero Junior College. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  10. ^ Strossen, Randall J. (October 22, 2010). "Giants Live: Savickas and Shahlaei Attack the Apollon's Axle". IronMind. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  11. ^ Strossen, Randall J. (November 22, 2010). "Brian Shaw Wins the Inaugural Jon Pall Sigmarsson Classic Strongman Contest". IronMind. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  12. ^ Strossen, Randall J. (December 13, 2010). "Brian Shaw Wins World Strongman Super Series Swedish Grand Prix and Overall Title". IronMind. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  13. ^ "The 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic". Rogue Fitness. March 3, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  14. ^ Boly, Jake (October 30, 2018). "Hafthor Bjornsson Wins World's Ultimate Strongman, Walks Away With $75k". BarBend.com. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  15. ^ COMPETITION DAY - DUBAI DAY 3 - BRIAN SHAW. YouTube. October 28, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  16. ^ Clarke, Kelly (October 27, 2018). "Hafthor Bjornsson wins World's Ultimate Strongman title in Dubai". Khaleej Times. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  17. ^ Gutman, Andrew (November 15, 2020). "Novikov Secures 2020 World's Strongest Man Victory". BarBend. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Whiteman, Gabriel (August 14, 2020). "Brian Shaw Announces His Own Strongman Competition's Epic Lineup". BarBend. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  19. ^ "Shaw Classic Announced". SHAWSTRENGTH. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  20. ^ "Shaw Classic Recap and Results". SHAWSTRENGTH. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "About SHAWSTRENGTH". YouTube.
  22. ^ "The Strongest Man in History Promo | Series Premiere Wed. July 10 at 10/9c | History". YouTube. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  23. ^ Williams, Brett (June 19, 2019). "Brian Shaw and Eddie Hall Are Trying to Break the World's Most Legendary Strength Feats". Men's Health. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  24. ^ "The Strongest Man in History: Pulling a 60,000 Pound Viking Ship (Season 1) | History". History. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  25. ^ "Strongmen Show Off Viking Strength in Moorhead for HISTORY Show". KVRR Local News. July 9, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  26. ^ "Worlds Strongest Man Brian Shaw - Training Highlights - Bench Press". YouTube. July 8, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021. See from 6:25 to 6:47
  27. ^ "1,091LB (494.8KG) DEADLIFT!! - 1 WEEK TO WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN". YouTube. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  28. ^ English, Nick (December 13, 2018). "Brian Shaw Belt Squat Rack Pulls 1,365 Pounds for a Triple". BarBend. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  29. ^ English, Nick (October 19, 2018). "Brian Shaw Long Bar Deadlifts 1031lb for an Unofficial World Record". BarBend. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  30. ^ "Brian Shaw 465 LBS/ 211 KG log lift". YouTube. February 12, 2017. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  31. ^ "World's Strongest Man Brian Shaw Takes 100M Rowing Record on a Whim". YouTube. September 15, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  32. ^ "EXTREME GRIP - NEW LITTLE BIG HORN RECORD 238LBS - BRIAN SHAW". YouTube. October 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  33. ^ "Brian Shaw". thedinniestones.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  34. ^ "Muscle PRO Gym". Facebook. June 1, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  35. ^ "Brian Shaw 1140 Lb Tire Deadlift". YouTube.
  36. ^ "Arnold Strongman Classic 2014". Rogue Fitness. March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  37. ^ "USA Strongman BRIAN SHAW in "Max Axle Battle" LONDON (2011)". YouTube. June 21, 2020. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021. See from 5:04 to 5:37
  38. ^ Rogue Fitness (March 6, 2017). "2017 Rogue Record Breaker - Brian Shaw's 560lb Manhood Stone / 4K". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  39. ^ "World's Strongest Man 2014". Strongman.org. March 19, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2018.

External links[]

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