Watch Strongman Brian Shaw Try to Do a Handstand

Philip Ellis

January 17, 2020 6:32 PM

When you've won the World's Strongest Man title not once, twice, or thrice, but four times, hitting the gym must get pretty monotonous unless you're constantly coming up with new ways to test yourself. Strongman Brian Shaw does this by inviting other athletes, lifters, and fitness professionals along for gym sessions (and a little friendly competition), such as taking on a Navy SEAL in a pullup contest , or attempting CrossFit workouts with his wife .

Watch Strongman Brian Shaw Try to Do a Handstand

In another video on his YouTube channel, Shaw invited strongman and US Army Sergeant, Anthony Fuhrman, to join him for a workoutand it wasn't long before things got competitive.

They begin by working up a sweat and pushing themselves with some challenging sets on the log press and incline dumbbell press, before Shaw does what he does with all of his gym guests, and pulls out a little surprise, challenging Fuhrman to test his grip strength on a 177 pound dumbbell.

Fuhrman responds by devising a surprise test of his own for Shaw, and this is where things start to veer outside the strongman's comfort zone.

"You're a pro strongman. I'm a soldier first, strongman second," says Furhman. "We use power, speed, agility, and balance." He decides to test Shaw on his balance in particular, demanding to see if the strongman can do a handstand .

Fuhrman demonstrates first, walking five or six feet on his hands and making it look all too easy. While Fuhrman weighs 25o pounds, hardly a small guy, he's still a lot lighter than the approximately 440-pound Shaw (who stands 6'8'', no less). Can the strongman carry his full bodyweight on his hands, wrists and forearms?

The short answer: no. Shaw tries to ease into it by propping his legs up against one of the gym machines and then walking backwards on his hands and then kicking his legs up, but he's unable to stably support his full weight.

Since posting his handstand fail video, Shaw has been on a weight loss journey , working hard to reduce his body fat without losing muscle by making changes to his usual strongman diet . Starting out at 434 pounds, he dropped down to 415 pounds in two months, with the end goal of 400 pounds. Maybe when he reaches his target, he can celebrate by trying the handstand again?

Philip Ellis