Brian Shaw cutting ‘dirty’ calories as he targets ‘leaner’ look with new diet ahead of World’s Strongest Man final
STRONGMAN legend Brian Shaw is adapting to the times.
The four-time World’s Strongest Man Champion is heading to his sixteenth, and last appearance this April.
And in preparation, the 6ft8 Strongman is having to make some sacrifices.
Back in December, British Strongman Eddie Hall published a video on his YouTube channel in which he and Shaw recreated the American’s former weekly shop at a Colorado Costco.
Averaging around 120,000 calories a week, the astounding shop totaled an impressive $628.99.
But for the now 40-year-old, as the events have changed at World’s, so has his diet.
‘RUN AS LEAN AS I CAN’
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, Shaw explained that the diet they were recreating was from around 2015-17, and was driven by the increasingly heavy weights at both World’s and the Arnold Strongman Classic.
He said that due to the “shorter distances sometimes and heavier weights,” he “had to build myself up so that I could lift the biggest weight possible in one spot, so that meant force-feeding and eating these crazy amounts of food and upping my body weight.
“Whereas now, if I were to come in at a bigger body weight, let’s just say that I were to come in at 440lbs or 450lbs, somewhere in there, that for this year’s competition would simply not work.
“With this contest when you look at the events, I’m going to be a lot better at 400, around there, and so I’ve had to modify my diet to keep that goal in mind of being at a little bit lower body weight.”
In order to accomplish “to bring the best physical package that I can to this year’s contest,” Shaw said he has been “cutting out any extra calories,” as he tries “to run as lean as I can.”
This means cutting “out a little bit of the excess calories – maybe not eat quite as ‘dirty,’ not as much cheat food or that type of stuff.”
‘ADAPT TO THE CONTEST’
Shaw admitted: “Things change, it’s a different approach for me for sure but, again, you have to adapt to the contest.”
And for Shaw, this means stepping away from the heavier weights and shorter distances that he said he wanted as “in the past, that’s what I have excelled with most.”
“But right now in order to score the most points I have to be quicker with the loading medley.
“Things like that, I can’t drop points in those types of events.
“So in order to do that I have to be a little bit leaner, a little bit lighter, and work on my athleticism which is there from basketball.”
A college basketball player at Black Hills State University, Shaw said that as he alters his training, his inherent athleticism from his hoop days has helped him adapt.
‘MY BIGGEST CRITIC’
But while all signs point to this process going well, Shaw was upfront about the fact that as far as he’s concerned, there’s always room for improvement.
He said: “The one thing that I’ve always tried to do is learn.
“I have never made the statement ‘I know everything. I’m perfect at everything. I’m never gonna get any better.’
“I think it’s more from a training standpoint I can objectively look at what I was able to do, and I’m honest with myself.
“So I’m probably my biggest critic. Not probably, I am my biggest critic. So I’m going to be the hardest on myself in anything.
“So when I get done with a contest, even if I have won the contest, I would still go back and break it down and say ‘hey, I lost points here, I lost points here, I could’ve done better with this.’
“So that happens whether I win, whether I get beat. But it has always driven me forward to get better.”
Still looking to get better, even after four World’s wins in ten podium finishes, Shaw will battle it out one last time at the final between April 19-23 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.