Brian Shaw (born February 26, 1982) is an American professional strongman, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all-time. He won the

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, and 2016 World's Strongest Man competitions, and in 2011, became the first man to win the Arnold Strongman Classic and the World's Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year, a feat he replicated in 2015. With 26 international competition wins, he is the fourth most decorated strongman in history behind Lithuania's

Žydrūnas Savickas Žydrūnas Savickas (; born ...

, Poland's

Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (; born 7 February 1977), also known as "Pudzian" and "Dominator", is a Polish entrepreneur, mixed martial artist and former strongman competitor. With 43 international victories at a record 70% winning percenta ...

and Iceland's

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (; transliterated as Hafthor in English, born 26 November 1988), is an Icelandic professional strongman, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time. He is the first and only person ...

Early life

Shaw was born in Fort Lupton, Colorado, on February 26, 1982, the son of Jay and Bonnie Shaw. Both of his parents were taller than average, with his father standing at and his mother . It has been noted that he had uncles of exceptional stature. Shaw's

astrological sign In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. ...

Pisces Pisces may refer to: * Pisces, an obsolete (because of land vertebrates) taxonomic superclass including all fish *Pisces (astrology), an astrological sign *Pisces (constellation), a constellation ** Pisces Overdensity, an overdensity of stars in t ...

. At Fort Lupton High School, Shaw excelled in basketball. He then attended Otero Junior College in

La Junta, Colorado La Junta is a home rule municipality in , the county seat of, and the most populous municipality of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,322 at the 2020 United States Census. La Junta is located on the Arkansas ...

. 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 Black Hills State University (BHSU) is a public university in Spearfish, South Dakota. Close to 4,000 students attend classes at its campus in Spearfish, at sites in Rapid City and Pierre, and through distance offerings. Enrollment comes from ...

where he was on a full basketball scholarship and received a degree in wellness management. 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."

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.

2009

In 2009, he entered

Fortissimus The Fortissimus is a defunct event in strength athletics. The name means "the mightiest" and was a multi-event challenge at the end of which the winner is crowned as the "Strongest Man on Earth". It was set up to bring together the strongest compe ...

, 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 . He then competed in Romania in the

World Strongman Super Series The Strongman Super Series, known from 2001 to 2004 as the ''IFSA World Strongman Super Series'', from 2005 to 2008 as the ''World's Strongest Man Super Series'', and reverting in 2009 to the ''World Strongman Super Series'', is a sequence of grand ...

. In September, he travelled to his second

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decem ...

contest in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...

. 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 IronMind Enterprises, Inc. is an American niche market business based in Nevada City, California, that specializes in "tools of the trade for serious strength athletes." Though many of its products include strength-training equipment and acces ...

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."

2010

Shaw qualified for the finals at the 2010 World's Strongest Man in Sun City,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

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 Giants Live was created in 2009 as the official Tour that qualifies strongmen to compete in the annual World's Strongest Man contest. At each Grand Prix, up to twelve international strongmen come together and compete over six events. The top three ...

Istanbul contest. Shaw again finished second behind Savickas. Shaw won the inaugural

Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic was an annual strongman competition consisted of international athletes from various countries. The event was established in 2010 by contest organizer Hjalti Árnason, who was both a childhood friend and a fellow str ...

on November 21, 2010. Shaw won the

Strongman Super Series The Strongman Super Series, known from 2001 to 2004 as the ''IFSA World Strongman Super Series'', from 2005 to 2008 as the ''World's Strongest Man Super Series'', and reverting in 2009 to the ''World Strongman Super Series'', is a sequence of grand ...

Swedish Grand Prix and became the 2010 overall Super Series champion on December 18, 2010. 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. He broke Savickas' record in the deadlift lifting 442.5 kg (975.5 lbs).

2015–2016

Shaw also won the 2015 and 2016 World's Strongest Man competitions. Brian Shaw Arnold Classic 2017d

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 World's Strongest Man

Brian secured another podium finish after emerging 3rd behind the winner

and runner up

Mateusz Kieliszkowski Mateusz Kieliszkowski (born 12 August 1993) is a Polish strongman competitor. He is particularly known for his impressive pressing ability within strongman, as well as his prowess in the Atlas Stones and various moving events. Strongman caree ...

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 2nd in Event Five: Apollon's Wheel leaving him in 2nd place overall with 41.5 points to winner

's 46.

2018 World's Ultimate Strongman

In October 2018, Shaw competed in the World's Ultimate Strongman competition in Dubai. 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. 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.

2019

Brian secured 6th place at the World's strongest man, 8th place at the Arnold Strongman Classic and 4th place at the World's Ultimate Strongman.

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.

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.

2021

2021 World's Strongest Man In the 2021 World's Strongest Man Competition Shaw placed 2nd behind Scottish Strongman

Tom Stoltman Tom Stoltman (born 30 May 1994) is a Scottish professional strongman competitor, reigning two time World's Strongest Man and Britain's Strongest Man from Invergordon, Scotland. Nicknamed "The Albatross" due to his sizeable arm span, Stoltman is ...

, his first podium finish since 2018. In the event he qualified for his record 13th WSM final, breaking a tie held by him and Zydrunas Savickas. All 13 of these finals were consecutive, another record. He also extended his own record by appearing in his 14th consecutive WSM contest, and equaled the record 10 podium finishes of Savickas. Shaw also set a new world record in the keg toss for height, crossing a height of 7.75 meters (his previous record of 7.25m was broken by 4 other men in the competition). Brian also won 7th place at the Rogue Invitational.

2022

In the 2022 World's Strongest Man Competition, he secured the 4th position and emerged runner up at the 2022 Shaw Classic Strongman Championship.

Competitive record

Personal records

Done in the gym * Squat – *

Bench press The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...

– × 2 *

Deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exerci ...

– - (Barbell used for this lift was setup equivalent to the elephant bar to simulate its properties) * Deadlift (from blocks / 15") – * Rack Pull – (weight resistance measured at very top of rack pull. The lift was done using resistance bands and a belt squat machine.) * Trap Bar Deadlift - x 8 * Log Press – * Indoor Rowing – 100 meters in 12.8 seconds (unofficial world record at the time, since beaten by Loren Howard with 12.6) Grip training records * Little Big Horn Handle – (Unofficial WR) - Previous official record was by

Laine Snook Laine Snook (born 1968) is a former strongman and professional Highland Games competitor. As an athlete he competed internationally but his career was cut short by injury. He went on to specialise in strength based sport and represented both Engl ...

* 3rd furthest Dinnie Stone carry (2nd furthest with the original stones) – *Pinch grip and lifting a pair of York 45lb plates *Captains of Crush grippers – No.3 (127 kg / 280 lb) certification * Inch Dumbbell one hand clean (grip) – with a 2 3/8" (6.03 cm) diameter handle Strongman ''done in official Strongman competition'' * Ironmind S-Cubed Bar Deadlift (with straps) – (World's Strongest Man 2017) * Ironmind S-Cubed Bar Deadlift at partial deficit (with straps) – (World's Strongest Man 2016) * Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift (with straps) – (Arnold Strongman Classic 2016 & 2019) * Hummer Tire Strongman Deadlift (with straps) – * Log Lift – × 2 * Axle Press – (Giants Live London 2011) * Atlas Stone/Manhood Stone – 560 lb (254 kg) over 4' bar * Húsafell Stone (replica) – for ( 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic) *

Keg Toss Keg-tossing (or keg toss or weight over bar) is a sport that involves the heaving of a standard 15.5 gallon beer keg. Most people would refer to this type of keg as a "half-keg" or "half-barrel." The keg must be completely emptied before it should ...

– 8 kegs in 16.59 seconds (

2014) *

– 7.75m ( World's Strongest Man 2021, world record) * Conan's Wheel of Pain – 28.96 meters (95 1/16 feet) ( 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic)

Personal life

Following the death of fellow American strongman Mike Jenkins in 2013, Shaw dated his widow Keri. They were engaged in 2014 and married in 2015. The couple have two sons, Braxton and Kellen, and they live in

Brighton, Colorado Brighton is a home rule municipality city located in Adams and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Brighton is the county seat of Adams County and a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Ra ...

In other media

Shaw has a

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

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 History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

series, '' The Strongest Man in History'', which premiered on July 10, 2019. On the first episode of the show, he pulled a

viking ship Viking ships were marine vessels of unique structure, used in Scandinavia from the Viking Age throughout the Middle Ages. The boat-types were quite varied, depending on what the ship was intended for, but they were generally characterized as bein ...

on a incline course in 44.05 seconds.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Brian 1982 births Living people American sportsmen American strength athletes Black Hills State University alumni People from Weld County, Colorado