He Is Widely Regarded As One Of The Greatest Strength Athletes Of Our Generation
How exactly is Brian Shaw entering the world stage as a new, hulk-like competitor for armwrestling? The 6’8″ 430 lbs behemoth of a strongman is now applying his knowledge of strongman lifting and exercise science to the realm of table battles the likes have never seen before.
The entire armwrestling fandom eagerly awaits his first, real armwrestling matchup!
A Strongman You Should Know: Who Is Brian Shaw?
The retired professional strongman is one of the most decorated athletes in strongman competitions—ever. At 42 years old, the Colorado Native has left behind an impressive career, winning the 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016 World’s Strongest Man competitions. While he started out as a high school basketball player, he became hooked on the weight room, translated his skills to the world of strongmen, and is now working on his armwrestling skills.
He has set more than 25 world records, and while he no longer holds any world record titles, he will go down in strongman history as one of the greatest of all time.
What Is The Famed Strongman Working On Now?
Brian Shaw is having a blast training for armwrestling with professionals like Devon Larratt. He has spent this past summer heads-down training his foundational techniques and working on his toproll technique and hooking technique. While he is getting some online pushback on his training style, his openness to the sport is commendable. We all know he is a rookie—go easy on him! Also, the YouTube videos of him training and putting up a solid fight against armwrestling elites are electric to watch!
What Brian Shaw Brings To The Table
Brian Shaw takes a laser-focused, serious approach to everything he does. As a famous athlete, his career, net worth, and acclaim are focused on his skills, lifts, and body—dedication and diligence are his watchwords. Armwrestling training will be no different for him.
A Hulk-Like Physique
The strongman is currently 6’8″ and 430 lbs, which is 203 cm and 195 kg. To put this into perspective, an adult male silverback gorilla can average 430 lbs (195 kg), so Brian Shaw is like a taller silverback gorilla. His appearance and physique rival those of Levan Sagishvili and Denis Cyplenkov.
He also has 19.5-inch (49.53-cm) forearms and 25-inch (63.5-cm) biceps, which are on par with Levan’s outrageous arms.
Heavy-Duty Strongman Grip Strength
Are you ready for this? Brian Shaw has the unoffical world record for grip strength, which was recorded in a promotional video. He hit 358 lbs (162.4 kg) on dynamometer, which is a tool used to measure crushing (grip) strength. This is rightfully absurd, as it is enough power to crush bones in a hand. Matching this grip strength with a refined armwrestling technique will make him unstoppable in armwrestling matches.
A Strong Understanding Of Technique
Speaking of technique, Brian Shaw has been lifting for 19 years as a strongman and when he entered in 2005, he had no formal strongman training. At 42 years old, Brian Shaw has plenty of time to familiarize himself with the sport and its armwrestling techniques. Plus, due to his draw and celebrity status in the strongman world, many top armwrestlers are more than happy to show him the ropes for increased visibility on their own platforms. While he might dominate future competition, everyone is winning here.
Subtly Under The Skin: Tendon Strength
Tendons have different properties than muscles in terms of mechanical function (what tendons do) and physical composition (what they are made of). Tendons take much longer to train and are generally more prone to injury than muscles. Brian Shaw has been training for so long that his arm and back tendons are primed for armwrestling. He has been training his tendons for decades—they are ready for the table!
Brian Shaw Has The Potential To Take Armwrestling To The Centerstage
Brian Shaw is a magnanimous strongman with outrageous stats, records, and acclaim. With his serious approach to strongman lifts, he can translate his skills and knowledge to armwrestling. The world is confident he can make a huge dent in an armwrestling table and bring in new fans to an emerging sport of armwrestling.
I am over the top excited to see what Brian Shaw can do in an East vs. West tournament!