Strongman athletes are notoriously extremely large but often don’t hold as much fat as is speculated. The proof of this is Brian Shaw, who recently tested his body composition, which showed that he has 17.6% body fat. He filmed the entire process and shared it to his YouTube on February 1st.
The method that Brian Shaw used to test his body fat percentage was hydrostatic measurement. During this procedure, the bodyweight of the person who is undergoing the test is first measured on a scale.
Next, the person is completely submerged underwater, where their bodyweight is measured once again. Then, since fat, muscle, and bone have different properties, it is possible to do some calculations and get a result.
Related: Strongman Legend Brian Shaw Takes MMA Lessons from Former 2x UFC Champ Frank Mir
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
Brian Shaw’s Hydrostatic Testing
Firsty, Brian Shaw and his wife, Keri, found a facility that had a hydrostatic tub. Upon arrival, they were first weighed, and Brian came out at 384.6 pounds (174.5 kilograms). So, his bodyweight is a bit lower than it was during his Strongman career.
Before immersing himself in the testing, Brian Shaw mentioned that it was more accurate than when he did a Dexa Scan for body fat. For reference, he did a Dexa scan multiple times, and even used it to measure himself before and after a transformation.
In the end, the scan showed that Brian Shaw lost a significant amount of lean mass and not much fat. He doubted that largely, which is why he was excited to try another method. So, the results that he received after hydrostatic testing were much more credible.
“We did a Dexa scan before… but the Dexa scan is not accurate… I walked in lean, like super lean. It (results) came back, and it was ridiculous.”
Both Brian Shaw and his wife are on diet plans, so the hydrostatic weighing was also a means of gauging how well their meals are tuned. Moreover, they are both aiming to lose as much bodyweight as possible and have even started a competition between themselves.
“I have been kind of on a transformation journey for a while now. It would have been fun to do it at the start, but now it is coming up and it is always fun to compete with Keri.”
When the time came for Brian Shaw to get in the tub, he had to take out a few buckets of water since it would have overflowed if he got straight in. After doing so, it was finally time to commence the test. He got in with the instruction to blow out as much air as possible. The more air that he blew out, the more accurate the test results would be.
Brian Shaw took multiple rounds of testing, each of which got more accurate as he got more comfortable in the water. The first result showed that Brian had a body fat percentage of 19.4, but he ultimately managed to get it down to 17.6% on the final measurement.
Watch the full video here:
Related: Brian Shaw Takes BJJ Lessons From The G.O.A.T. Gordon Ryan
Although Brian Shaw is looking to get leaner, he is still eating a mind-blowing 4,620 calories per day. However, he is burning a lot of calories as well, as he has actively been training MMA and preparing for a match. So, his quest to become the Most Dangerous Man on Earth is certainly going in the right direction.
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
