Legendary Strongman Brian Shaw has left his mark in the sport and is considered by many to be the greatest of all time. However, his stellar run is nearing its end as he gears up for his final professional outing. In a recent post made on Instagram, Shaw crushed a 200-lb (91-kg) dumbbell bench press for five reps in preparation for the 2023 Shaw Classic, after which he plans to retire.
Hailing from Colorado, Brian Shaw first rose to prominence for his insane strength on the regional circuit. He quickly rose to the professional ranks and made waves in the community. After narrowly missing out on gold to Zydrunas Savickas at the 2010 World’s Strongest Man, Shaw returned with a vengeance to secure his maiden WSM title and also win the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2011.
Shaw continued to deliver strong performances, winning three more World’s Strongest Man titles and several other competitions, including Strongman Super Series, Giants Live, and America’s Strongest Man over the next few years. He also launched his own competition, the Shaw Classic, in 2020.
Earlier this year, Shaw announced the 2023 World’s Strongest Man would mark his last appearance at the WSM. He chose to give it a go this year since he was not content with his showing in 2022, thus wanting to improve his performance in the 2023 edition. Then, he laid out the lineup for the 2023 Shaw Classic, which would be his final Strongman event. He unveiled the events for the competition which should make his last appearance a memorable one.
During the build-up to the 2023 WSM, Shaw opened up on almost losing his leg at the beginning of the year. He got hospitalized after the serious leg infection spread and later revealed the issue to be a severe case of leg cellulitis.
Brian Shaw completed his final appearance at the 2023 WSM three months ago. He turned in a stellar performance, winning three events and also qualifying for the finals with a record-breaking account on the Stone-Off. Following the event, Shaw called for a change in the format for qualification to the finals and a change in the standard of the referring at the show.
Shaw left the fans stunned with his unreal strength by rolling up a frying pan with his bare hands in front of a group of school kids two months ago. Further, he rolled more pans and handed them out to the kids as souvenirs. He followed up by providing more information about the nearing Shaw Classic, including the final competitor and the addition of grip events and arm wrestling.
Brian Shaw Crushes 200-lb (91-kg) Dumbbell Bench Press for 5 Reps in Prep for Final Strongman Show
In a recent Instagram post, Brian Shaw crushed a massive 200-lb (91-kg) dumbbell bench press for five reps in preparation for the upcoming 2023 Shaw Classic, his final strongman show. However, he made it even more impressive by taking both dumbbells from the rack himself, carrying them to the bench, and setting up the lift all by himself. Usually those who are able to lift this kind of weight need spotters to help them with the setup.
“GETTING IT DONE,” he wrote. “Grabbing the 200lb/91kg dumbbells from the rack and walking them to the bench for my working set of 5 reps. How many lifters in history who could bench the 200lb dumbbells could actually carry them from the rack and get them into position without help?
“Just curious what everyone’s thoughts are? Just because everyone will comment that I didn’t do more reps…this was a working set and not a set of max reps. It’s ok to just train without having to max out for every video BE GREAT!”
Brian Shaw recently gave fans a look into the 10,000+ calorie diet which is helping him get ready for his last strongman contest. He also revealed some very exciting news, as the winner of the 2023 Shaw Classic will earn the title of ‘Strongest Man on Earth’ after Paul Ohl gave Shaw the trademark for the title.
The 2023 Shaw Classic is scheduled for Aug. 19-20 in Loveland, Colorado. Fans will be excited to witness Shaw display his unreal strength one last time at the event.