The two strongmen headed to a commercial gym to make the best of a leg workout.
Written by Roger Lockridge
Many strongmen train in gyms that specifically support their sport. After all, Atlas stones, yokes, and farmer’s walk handles aren’t readily available in many health clubs, and most commercial gyms are focused more on the general population than strength sports athletes.
That certainly didn’t stop four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw and 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall from training legs (or at least attempting to) at a Planet Fitness in Colorado. Shaw posted a video of the session on his YouTube channel, which you can see below:
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Eddie Hall and Brian Shaw Head to Planet Fitness
Since most Planet Fitness gyms don’t have squat racks, the pair started their workout with Smith machine squats. Thanks to the sheer width of their frames, it took Hall and Shaw some time to get used to the machine. In the end, they both worked up to five 45-pound plates on each side of the bar, even though Shaw had to hold onto the other end of the machine to execute his squats properly.
The duo also tried their hands at an abdominal crunch machine before moving to the leg press. They eventually loaded up the machine with six 45-pound plates on each side and another on top of the sled, which they moved with ease. Next up were the leg extensions, adductor, and abductor machines.
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The final exercise of the day was a personal challenge between the two strongmen. They entered the gym’s circuit training room and performed one rep on each of the 20 stations with max weight, and the man who could complete all 20 in the fastest time won. Hall finished in 1:15.09, while Shaw was slightly behind at 1:19.
Shaw is in the middle of an off-season, but Hall is nearing a return to competitive strongman after five years. He’s getting ready to serve as captain of Team UK at the World’s Strongest Nation contest, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Liverpool, England. The captain for Team USA in that competition will be the 2019 World’s Strongest Man champion, Martins Licis.
Featured Image: Brian Shaw on YouTube
About Roger Lockridge
Roger “Rock” Lockridge has been writing professionally for 10 years and has been training for 20. His work in the fitness industry has been seen in numerous outlets and has been a part of coverage for several events including the Mr. Olympia, Arnold Classic, the CrossFit Games, and the Olympics. He’s also shared his own personal success story in several interviews and articles. Lockridge lives in West Virginia with his wife and son.