Who is Brian Shaw?
Brian Shaw is an American Strongman athlete, four-time winner of the World's Strongest Man title, and an actor. Shaw also won the World's Strongest Man Competition and Arnold Classic twice in the same year, 2011 and 2015, an unparalleled feat of strength.
Shaw was born in Fort Lupton, Colorado on February 26, 1982. Today, Brian is 37 years of age.
He grew up in Colorado as an all-state basketball player for Fort Lupton High School and received a full basketball scholarship to Black Hills State University. But, he always gravitated towards lifting heavy objects and found his greatest peace of mind in the weight room.
As he told the Denver Post in 2009:
“I’m naturally a very powerful person,” he said. “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, brute power.” ¹
Athletic career
He started his athletic career as a basketball player and attained worldwide success, fame, and fortune as an elite powerlifter and Strongman.
In 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016, he took first place in the World Strongest Man competition. took fifth place in the inaugural World Strongest Man Competition, although his competitors outweighed him by over 100 pounds.
Pound for pound, he is one of the strongest men and most influential Strongmen of all time. Because of his incredible strength, his fans nicknamed Brian Shaw “Gigantor”.
Brian won the by invitation only Arnold Strongman Classic in 2011, 2015, and 2017.
On July 10, 2019, The Strongest Man in History show premiered on the History Channel. Watch Shaw crush the competition which includes “The Beast” Eddie Hall by pulling a 12,000 lb boat 60 feet in 44 seconds.
Watch Brian Shaw Win the 2017 Arnold Strongman Classic
World's Strongest Man Brian Shaw Deadlift Tips
Warmup
#1. Warming up and recovery is essential
#2. Use a hip circle to activate your glutes
- GREAT FOR DYNAMIC WARM-UPS: Hip Circle strengthens, tones and builds muscle. It adds Level 2 resistance, ideal for activating...
- MORE EFFECTIVE EXERCISING: Cues to force knees out while squatting and deadlifting, helping accelerate muscle activation and...
- PROVIDES INJURY-FREE WORKOUT: The Hip Circle is the most effective glute band & tool to help you achieve the best warm up...
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#4. Work on flexibility and mobility to improve your deadlift
Form
#5. Because your body is unique, you need to determine which starting position feels best for you
- For example, regarding the best stance for your deadlift
- Some say hip width, and some people say shoulder width
- Which width feels best to you if you were going to do a long jump or box jump?
- In which position will you generate the most power?
- Find the jump position which is most comfortable and feels most powerful
- That is most likely the best stance for your deadlift
#6. Grip the bar so that your arms are outside of your legs
#7. Use a double overhand grip, because an alternate grip can lead to imbalanced back development or biceps tear
- When you can no longer handle the weight, use wrist straps (can only be used for Strongman, not Powerlifting competitions)
- The single best lifting straps you can buy - versatile, effective and super strong
- The runaway No. 1 choice on the professional strongman circuit for more than a decade—proven at World's Strongest Man year...
- Named "Most Durable" by BarBend
- If you are not using IronMind lifting straps, you're probably not lifting as much as you could be
- Made in the USA by IronMind, providing Tools of the Trade for Serious Strength Athletes since 1988
#8. Your elbows should be flush with your knees
- Watch Brian Shaw deadlift and notice that his elbows, and arms are always flush with his knees before he begins the deadlift
Leverage
#9. The best position for leverage is when most of your body weight is behind the barbell
#10. Keep your hips lower than your shoulders
#11. Take a deep breath and tighten your upper body
#12. Pull the bar towards your body so that your lats are engaged
- You can use the cue to imagine you are bending the barbell around your legs
#13. Lift your chest and flatten your back
#14. Keep your back FLAT
#15. Lift your head slightly
#16. Think of pushing your feet through the floor, as opposed to pulling the bar up
#17. To start the deadlift, push with your legs
- As if you are doing a leg press
#18. Do not think of pulling with your back
#19. When you learn to deadlift correctly, you will feel the deadlift most in your legs, not in your arms and back
Rules
#20. Always work on improving your deadlift form
- If that means you need to take off weight to focus on your form, then do it
- Because bad form can mean a short deadlift career and in the worst case, back surgery
#21. Treat the deadlift with respect
#22. Do not train touch and go deadlifts -- instead, deadlift from a full stop
#23. And do not lift your 1 rep max
#24. Instead, train between 50 percent and 95 percent of your 1 rep max on effort days aka heavy days
- You also need to sense your perceived exertion, so do not train to the max of your perceived exertion, even if you think you have more in the tank
#25. Be consistent with your deadlift form checklist every single time
Mental game
#26. You want your mind to be as strong as possible
- A great tool to keep a positive mindset is to not miss deadlifts
- Meaning, only deadlift weight that you know you can handle
- Never max out to the point that you fail at a lift
Gear
#27. Use wrist straps when you need to as mentioned before
#28. Get stronger without using a powerlifting belt, unless you have a vulnerable back and need the belt for safety. Also, notice that Brian Shaw always uses shin guards when he deadlifts.
#29. Brian Shaw mouthpiece -- “a neuromuscular dentistry-based mouthguard appears to enhance peak power output, performance and repeated maximal efforts”.²
- CASE INCLUDED WITH ALL MOUTHWARE–All New Age Performance Mouthpieces come with a case for your mouthware.
- LOWER JAW MOUTH PIECE–Non-Contact Pro 6DS Mouthpiece is designed to stabilize the 6 dimensions of your jaw. Please allow...
- INCREASE PERFORMANCE–Providing instant results – an overall increased level of performance! Impress friends and teammates...
- MOUTPIECE LIFETIME–Under normal athletic 3-4X per week use, your mouthpiece will last you approximately 3 months.
Brian Shaw Deadlift Records
In the gym:
- 1,025 pounds (465 kg) deadlift
- 1,031 pounds (468 kg) long bar deadlift
In competition:
- 1,021 lbs (463 kg) Rogue Elephant Bar deadlift with straps at the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2016 and 2019
- 1,014 lbs (460 kg) deadlift at the World's Strongest Man competition in 2017
- 1,128 lbs (511 kg) Hummer Tire Strongman deadlift with straps at the 2014 Arnold Classic
Watch Brian Shaw's world record Hummer Tire deadlift of 1,128 pounds
World's Strongest Man
First Place Wins
- 2011
- 2013
- 2015
- 2016
Arnold Strongman Classic
1st Place Wins
- 2011
- 2015
- 2017
Strongman Super Series
First Place Titles
2009
- Los Angeles Grand Prix
- Gothenburg Grand Prix
- Overall Champion
2010
- Viking Power Challenge
- Swedish Grand Prix
- Overall Champion
Watch Brian Shaw Deadlift 1,021 pounds at the Arnold in 2016
Brian Shaw Height and Weight
Do not assume you cannot deadlift if you are tall.
How tall is Brian Shaw? Believe it or not, he stands at a height of 6 feet 8 inches, and a weight of 440 pounds. Many people think they are too tall to deadlift.
The incredible success of Brian Shaw in the deadlift and Strongman explodes that myth, forever.
So, do not use your height as an excuse
Shaw is taller than many of his competitors, except for Hafthor Bjornsson, but that did not prevent him from achieving widespread success.
Watch Brian Shaw deadlift 700 pounds (317.5 kg) for reps including deadlift tips
Brian Shaw Deadlift Workout Routine
- Warmup with Hip Circle and Kettlebell farmer walks
- On a max effort day, do sets of 5 reps up to approximately 90 percent of 1 rep max
- On speed days, do 8 sets of 2 reps using 45 to 55 percent of 1 rep max
- Follow conventional deadlifts with 3 sets of 8 reps trap bar deadlift
- Alternating seated rows 3 sets of 8 reps
- Lat pulldowns 3 sets of 8 reps
- Rest up to 14 days between maximum lifts
In the Movie “Kickboxer Retaliation (2018)”
Brian appears as a convict in the 2018 movie Kickboxer Retaliation.
Kickboxer Retaliation Brian Shaw Movie Image Credit IMDB
He also appears in:
- the 2019 TV series “The Strongest Man in History”, and episodes of:
- Born Strong documentary (2017)
- Good Morning America
- Louder with Crowder
Brian Shaw Deadlift -- Final Thoughts
If you are on the tall side, you too can build a stronger deadlift. With the right training program, mental game, and nutrition, you can gain fitness and strength with the deadlift. Even if you are 6 feet 8 inches, you can become much stronger than you are today, and perhaps compete in Strongman.
Never give up.
What's Next
If you need to lose weight before beginning your deadlift journey, you can use these five steps to lose 20 pounds in 3 months. Once you are ready to deadlift, try out this deadlift workout routine and 12-week beginner deadlift program.
No matter where you start, Brian Shaw's deadlift and Strongman accomplishments will motivate you to accomplish your fitness goals.
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Footnotes:
Rich is an