Four-time World’s Strongest Man champion Brian Shaw has dropped 125 lbs from his peak strongman weight, but fitness coach and YouTube personality Greg Doucette says the results may not be what Shaw or his fans believe.
Shaw, who stands 6’8″ and currently weighs around 346 lbs, has been documenting his physical transformation publicly. “From my biggest and heaviest weight in strongman, I am down 125 lbs in this transformation, 40 lbs right now,” Shaw said in a recent update.
While the achievement is genuinely notable, Doucette has raised questions about how lean Shaw actually is at this stage.
The body fat debate centers around Shaw’s most recent DEXA scan, taken when he weighed 386 lbs, which reportedly showed 17.6% body fat. Doucette has long argued this figure is inaccurate.
“I said it was 25, and people got mad at me. Oh, you’re a h*ter. I’m not a h*ter. I’m just speaking facts,” Doucette said.
He points to Shaw’s extraordinary bone density as a key factor, noting that Shaw’s scan results placed his bone density at five or six standard deviations above the mean. Because standard body composition tests are calibrated for average-sized individuals, the measurements can skew results significantly for someone of Shaw’s size and bone structure.
Since losing another 40 lbs following that last scan, Doucette estimates Shaw’s true body fat sits closer to 20%, not the 15 to 16% range some fans have speculated.
“He’s still close to 20%. 15% would be healthy ideal. Does he look like he’s healthy and ideal? His BMI is 38, class two obesity,” Doucette noted.
As for speculation about Shaw potentially competing in a bodybuilding show, Doucette was direct. “This isn’t a bodybuilder physique. He still has a significant amount of weight he’d have to lose, at least 50 lbs. He isn’t even in striking distance,” he said.
Doucette also argued that entering a local show and placing last would not suit someone of Shaw’s competitive background. “Being a World’s Strongest Man competitor, being the strongest man in the world, he’s used to excelling at being the best of the best,” Doucette explained.
Despite the criticism, Doucette was careful to acknowledge what Shaw has accomplished. “He’s put his money where his mouth is. He is significantly healthier than he used to be. He’s going to live significantly longer,” he said.
With a peak weight of around 471 lbs, Shaw has covered real ground. Doucette suggested that reaching 300 lbs would move Shaw from class two to class one obesity, a meaningful shift for his long-term health.
