Brian Shaw has opened up about the realities of balancing arm wrestling with family life, business commitments, and everything else that comes with life after elite strongman competition.
The four-time World’s Strongest Man has thrown himself into arm wrestling over recent years, stepping into multiple super matches and documenting the process along the way. But while fans have questioned his level of commitment to the sport compared to full-time arm wrestlers, Shaw made it clear that his situation away from competition cannot simply be ignored.
Despite that, he admitted the experience itself has been hugely rewarding.
“Arm wrestling has been great. I’ve really enjoyed training and learning and being able to, you know, get into a few super matches now has been an awesome experience,” he said.
Shaw explained that one of the biggest lessons he has learned is how different arm wrestling is compared to the sports he previously dominated.
In Strongman, much of the work could be done independently. The same applied to basketball earlier in his life. Arm wrestling, however, presents an entirely different challenge because of how dependent improvement can be on training with others.
Shaw said: “What I will say is I understand that to get good at arm wrestling, to be the best that I could possibly be, I need to train with more hands.”
He continued by explaining that truly progressing in the sport would require a far bigger training network, more travel, and more opportunities to compete against a wider variety of opponents.
“So, the training group needs to be larger,” Shaw explained. “I would have to travel more to meet up with different groups to train. Doing tournaments is not a bad idea. Getting to grip up with a multitude of different guys would be a great experience.”
But Shaw was equally honest about the practical limitations that come with that lifestyle.
Unlike many competitors who are able to fully dedicate themselves to arm wrestling, Shaw said he simply cannot put every other responsibility on hold to chase the sport full-time.
“Now, what I will say is I have a lot going on in my life.”
That reality, he explained, starts with his family: “I’ve got a wife. I’ve got two boys who are coming up. They’re getting into sports. I want to be super involved with my family. That’s always going to be my top priority.”
Away from home life, Shaw also pointed to the businesses he continues to run, all of which demand significant time and attention behind the scenes.
Because of that, he admitted there are limits to how much he can realistically dedicate himself to arm wrestling compared to athletes whose schedules revolve entirely around the sport.
“And the reality is I can’t just drop everything to travel for arm wrestling, to train for arm wrestling,” he said.
Shaw then praised athletes who are able to fully commit themselves to the grind of tournaments, travelling between clubs, and constantly training with different groups, but stressed that his life is currently structured differently.
He said: “You know, kudos to the guys that can do that. I’m not going to be one of those guys at this point in my life. I’ve got too much stuff going on.”
Instead, Shaw explained that arm wrestling has to work around the life he already has rather than becoming the sole focus of it.
“So, arm wrestling has to fit into my schedule. So, I need to train it when I can, and I have to be able to put work in on my own,” he said.
That desire to remain self-sufficient in training is something Shaw repeatedly returned to throughout the discussion.
He compared arm wrestling to both basketball and Strongman, pointing out that in those sports he was always able to improve independently without needing training partners available at all times.
“Now, arm wrestling, I will say, is different from basketball, where I could always pick up a basketball and go shoot, you know, work by myself, and I was able to improve,” Shaw said. “Strongman, I could always work by myself. I could always train by myself. I didn’t have to rely on other people to come in to train with.”
For Shaw, that difference is one of the biggest adjustments he continues to navigate: “And arm wrestling to a certain extent, I want to be able to do that same thing. And I need to be able to do that same thing where I train with myself and by myself, and I’m able to be in control completely.”
He acknowledged that relying on other people for table time, technique work, and experience is ultimately what makes arm wrestling uniquely difficult to master.
He said: “And when you have to rely on learning from and getting on the table with other individuals, that’s where the challenge really comes into play.”
Shaw also addressed criticism from some fans following his latest super match, particularly comments suggesting he was no longer fully invested because his content output had changed.
“So, you know, this last super match, I find it kind of funny in a way that so many people are saying, ‘Oh, Brian’s not motivated, or he’s not, you know, posting every single video as arm wrestling.’”
Rather than deny the criticism outright, Shaw simply reiterated that his life now contains far more moving parts than just one sport: “Well, I have other things going on.”
Even so, he made it clear that he still enjoys arm wrestling and still intends to continue progressing in it as long as it remains compatible with the rest of his responsibilities.
He said: “So, you know, the arm wrestling, again, I have enjoyed it. As long as it can fit into my life and I can continue to improve that way, then it’s something that I plan on still working on because I do enjoy it.”
What Shaw will not do, however, is completely restructure his life around chasing tournaments and training camps: “But I can’t drop everything, everything else in my life and just go to different clubs and go to tournaments and do all of that.”
The former World’s Strongest Man also accepted that his stance may disappoint some fans within the arm wrestling community, but insisted he would rather be honest about the situation than create unrealistic expectations.
“So, you know, if that upset some people, totally fine. But I have to be, you know, real. I’m always honest and real with people.”
Despite the balancing act, Shaw still believes there is plenty of room for growth.
Reflecting on his latest super match, he said the experience once again gave him valuable lessons he can carry into future training and competitions: “So, you know, coming out of this last super match, I learned a lot just like I did from the first two.”
And for Shaw, that ongoing progression is ultimately what matters most.
“And if I can apply that and continue to get better, I’ll continue to progress and grow, you know, and that’s really where it comes down to.”
Featured image credit: Brian Shaw / YouTube / Instagram
