Brian Shaw, a name synonymous with strength and dominance in the world of strongman competitions, is known for his incredible feats of power and his equally impressive caloric intake. Preparing for competitions often required Shaw to consume over 10,000 calories daily. However, in recent years, Shaw has shifted his focus towards changing his body composition, aiming to burn fat and lose weight while maintaining his strength. This article will explore Brian Shaw's weight loss journey, detailing his dietary changes, training regimen, and the logic behind his approach.
The Shift in Focus: From Mass to Athleticism
Shaw has made a conscious decision to evolve his physique. As he puts it, "I'm trying to get leaner, more athletic, and overall just change my body composition in a lot of ways." This transformation begins with a meticulous approach to his diet.
A Day in the Life: Brian Shaw's Cutting Diet
In a video on his YouTube channel, Shaw reveals his daily eating habits, which consist of five meals totaling over 5,000 calories. While this may seem like a lot, it's a significant reduction from his competition preparation diet.
Meal 1: The Power Breakfast
Shaw starts his day with a hearty breakfast consisting of 6 ounces of bison patty, 6 eggs, and 1.5 cups of cooked rice. This meal provides a solid foundation of protein and carbohydrates to fuel his morning activities. Shaw explains that his new diet involves being very fastidious about measuring out his portions to ensure that his caloric intake and macro breakdown remains consistent.
Meal 2: Bison and Berries
Shortly after breakfast, Shaw consumes his second meal: 10 ounces of bison burger with rice cakes and a cup of blueberries. This meal continues the theme of high protein and complex carbohydrates, with the addition of antioxidants from the blueberries.
Read also: Brian Windhorst on Weight Loss
Meal 3: Pre-Workout Fuel
Before hitting the gym, Shaw prepares a pre-workout meal consisting of a protein shake, a banana, 2 teaspoons of peanut butter, and 2 rice crispy treats. This combination provides a quick source of energy and protein to optimize his training session. "It's kind of an extra treat, because it's a training day," he says.
Meal 4: Post-Workout Recovery
After an intense workout, Shaw replenishes his glycogen stores and repairs muscle tissue with a meal of 12 ounces of shredded chicken, 4 ounces of asparagus, and an entire bag of sweet potato fries. While the sweet potato fries might raise eyebrows, Shaw explains the rationale behind it.
Meal 5: The Final Feast
Shaw's final meal of the day consists of 10 ounces of bison burgers, 1.5 cups of rice, and a large serving of leafy vegetables. This meal ensures he gets enough protein, complex carbohydrates, and micronutrients to support his recovery and overall health.
The Logic Behind the Calories
Shaw understands that his body requires a significant amount of calories to function optimally, even during a cutting phase. "What you have to understand, I'm sure there's a lot of people who are like 'you're cutting back and eating a whole bag', but what you have to realize is that if you watch the DEXA scan, I have so much muscle tissue on my body that I'm burning through a ton of calories, especially with the training and extra exercises that I'm doing right now. I need carbs, I'm not going to cut out carbs completely because my body would not respond well to that."
Measuring Progress: Beyond the Scale
Shaw avoids weighing himself regularly, as he finds it can negatively impact his mental state. "This is a significant drop in calories, and what I will say is I have not weighed in," he says. "If I'm hopping on the scale every day, it just puts me in a bad mental spot… I have been taking pictures of myself, and I can see and feel changes happening, so I'm really excited." Instead, he relies on visual cues and how he feels to gauge his progress.
Read also: Kelly's Approach to Weight Loss
The Role of Nutrition Coaching
Shaw's weight loss journey is guided by his nutrition coach, Nathan Payton. Shaw followed a new diet provided by his nutrition coach, Nathan Payton, during his quest to succeed in arm wrestling and to lose body fat. This collaboration ensures that Shaw's diet is tailored to his specific needs and goals.
Body Composition Analysis: DEXA Scan and Hydrostatic Testing
To gain a deeper understanding of his body composition, Shaw underwent several tests, including a DEXA scan and hydrostatic submersion test.
InBody Test
Joined by his wife, Keri, Shaw first participated in an InBody test involving a scale that determined his body weight and body fat percentage. Shaw wore clothes during the test and checked in at 377 pounds with 16.3% body fat and a lean body mass of 315.9 pounds.
Hydrostatic Submersion Test
Shaw went to another location shortly after to complete a hydrostatic submersion test, where he was required to force all the air out of his body while lying submerged in water. The three-time Arnold Strongman Classic champion weighed 373.6 pounds while wearing shorts. After three underwater tests, Shaw’s body fat was scored twice at 16.8%, a half-percent difference. His lean body mass weight was 311 pounds.
DEXA Scan
Shaw had previously performed a DEXA Scan test, which studies have been shown to yield sufficiently accurate results compared to other methods. (1) These tests provide valuable data on his body fat percentage, lean body mass, and overall body composition.
Read also: Brian Posehn: A Look at His Roles
The Mental Aspect of Weight Loss
Shaw acknowledges the mental challenges of weight loss, particularly for someone accustomed to consuming a large number of calories. Shaw was actively trying to lose weight and body fat, acknowledging his only “cheat” meal was Christmas Day 2024. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on progress and how he feels, rather than obsessing over the numbers on the scale.
Shaw's Last Strongman Competition
Brian Shaw has just one strongman competition left in his career - the eponymous 2023 Shaw Classic (SC) on August 19-20, 2023, in Loveland, CO. The sport of strongman will soon officially soldier on without one of the greatest strongmen of all time, at least with him as an active competing participant. While the former World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion (2011, 2013, 2015-2016) will undoubtedly try to maximize his time away from competition, Shaw clearly wants to make the most of his last competitive appearance. A look at his recent nutrition says as much. On June 12, 2023, Shaw shared a video to his YouTube where he diagrams “full day of eating” with more than 10,000 calories. The diet is part of Shaw’s last planning steps as an elite strongman before he vies for the SC title one last time. Shaw won the inaugural SC in 2020 and finished as the runner-up to two-time defending champion Trey Mitchell in 2021-2022. According to Shaw, he eats six meals a day to keep up his current strength and stature at 6-foot-8 height and 181.4 kilograms (400 pounds). Each meal appears to serve its own purpose within Shaw’s overarching strategy.
A Look at Shaw's 10,000 Calorie Diet
Here’s a general overview of each of Shaw’s meals from his 10,000-calorie day. Note: Shaw disclosed nutritional numbers but did not provide precise measurements for every element. Shaw started his day by making some pancakes and mixing eight ounces of bison meat with six whole eggs. Naturally, the pancakes had butter and syrup, while the meat and egg mix had ketchup. Shaw washed this breakfast down with orange juice. Next, prior to leaving the house, Shaw whipped up a protein shake with three scoops of whey protein powder, one banana, “a scoop” of peanut butter, and water. He also packed four cookies and an apple to take with him on the go. Shaw dubbed the ensuing meal his “First Lunch.” It essentially involved a significant amount of pasta and bison meat, with the latter coming in at a whopping one-pound portion. Shaw unveiled another pound of bison meat for his next meal. On this occasion, he ate it with a half-can of green beans and “a generous two cups” of rice instead of pasta. There’s also a large helping of barbecue sauce overlaid. It is here where Shaw clarified that the size of his portion would only grow as the 2023 SC nears. He explained that the proof is in the pudding as the increased eating has translated to better training. “Some of the contests previously to this, I’ve talked about, ‘Hey, I want my scale weight to be down. I’m worried about my speed or I’m worried about that.’ The Shaw Classic is not about any of that. It’s just about being big and strong. So I’m going to eat like I want to be big and strong.” Shaw said. As Shaw neared the end of his day, bison meat made yet another appearance. To close this monster day of eating, Shaw helped himself to dessert. The strongman ate a bowl of homemade ice cream created with milk and a mass-gaining protein shake. As a “sprinkle” of sorts, Shaw had a slice of cheesecake along with his cold treat. One of the most important weekends in Shaw’s strength life awaits him at the 2023 SC. To finally unseat someone like the reigning champion Mitchell, Shaw seemingly understands that his preparation has to go into overdrive for a curtain-call win. His 10,000-calorie day of eating certainly fits that bill. Four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Brian Shaw closed the curtain on his WSM career after the 2023 contest resulted in a seventh-place finish at age 41. Shaw still has a major contest left before bookending his storied strongman career: the 2023 Shaw Classic on Aug. Preparation for that contest starts in the kitchen and a huge caloric surplus. On June 12, 2023, Shaw took to his Youtube channel to share how he still eats over 10,000 calories each day to fuel his training. In his first meal, Shaw eats more than the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) daily recommended general guide of 2,000 daily calories. Considering Shaw stands six feet eight inches and weighs over 400 pounds, his body needs more fuel to get through the day. The 140 grams of protein help replenish his muscles from previous workouts. The Coke and ravioli provide excess glycogen for his muscles in preparation for the upcoming training session the day after. Shaw freezes and churns the mixture into ice cream with his Ninja blender. Consuming nearly 700 grams of protein daily is a colossal endeavor. It’s part of the reason Shaw is able to compete with the best strongmen in the world, some of whom are a decade and a half younger.
Shaw's Focus on Strength
Shaw was satisfied with his lean body mass and committed to keeping track of his strength levels going forward because he was not done trying to downsize. Shaw’s final competitive strongman contest will take place at the 2023 Shaw Classic in his home state of Colorado. Brian Shaw deadlifting at the 2017 Arnold Strongman Classic / Paula R. Brian Shaw eats a lot, and he eats a lot frequently, at least 8000 calories daily. (He spends $3000 per month on his own food, over three times what the average four-person American family spends!) When you’re 6’8″ and 440 pounds and you’re a four-time World’s Strongest Man, bigger is better when it comes to lifting numbers, and it’s usually better when it comes to macros and calories, as well. As Brian Shaw states, “I’m just eating to be the strongest human being on the planet.” There are several Shaw-stuffs-his-face videos on YouTube, with daily calorie totals from 9000 to 20,000, but we like the “typical day” one below best. It’s from when he was the reigning and four-time World’s Strongest Man.
Carbing Up
However, as instructed by his nutritionist, on this day, Brian Shaw carbed up with a gargantuan amount of take-out pasta with sauces and meat.