On Aug. 13-14, 2022, the third annual Shaw Classic will take place at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland, CO. The two-day contest will feature 16 of the world’s top strongmen, including four World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champions, competing across eight events.
The titular strongman, Brian Shaw, is on the roster for the third consecutive year (he won the inaugural event) and took to his YouTube channel on July 15, 2022, to share a video wherein he trained legs with fellow 2022 Shaw Classic competitor Bobby Thompson.
The last time these two strongmen clashed on the competition floor was at the 2022 WSM contest, where they squared up in the Stone-Off. Thompson had the advantage of lifting second, but a tacky malfunction allowed Shaw an easy route to his 14th consecutive WSM Final appearance. Check out their lower body training session in the video below:
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The training session kicked off with yoke walks across the length of Shaw’s home gym in Colorado. Both men worked for speed, progressively adding plates with each set. Additionally, they utilized a Run Rocket — a resistance band around their waists that trains their capacity to accelerate continuously through the entire walk.
After completing the yoke walks, Thompson and Shaw trained on a front-loaded squat machine. Shaw appeared to emphasize his hamstrings by sending his hips back and ascending before his thighs reached parallel to the floor. Thompson worked more of a traditional squat, getting much more knee flexion by moving deeper into the hole on each rep.
Both men trained the leg press wearing knee sleeves and utilized a stance that suggests they were targeting the glutes. They placed their feet far apart on the platform. Had they set their feet lower on the platform, it would have biased the quads.
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Below is the roster for the 2022 Shaw Classic:
2022 Shaw Classic Roster
- Brian Shaw
- Tom Stoltman
- Trey Mitchell — Reigning Champion
- Kevin Faires
- Aivars Šmaukstelis
- Bobby Thompson
- Jerry Pritchett
- Gabriel Peña
- Žydrūnas Savickas
- Oleksii Novikov
- Luke Stoltman
- Evan Singleton
- Maxime Boudreault
- Konstantine Janashia
- Mitchell Hooper
- Gabriel Rheaume
Here are the eight events they will compete in:
Day One
- Max Hummer Tire Deadlift
- Super Yoke Event
- Circus Dumbbell
- Throwing Event (Bag or Keg)
Day Two
- Log Press
- Frame Carry Arm-Over-Arm Medley
- Car Leg Press for Reps
- Atlas Stones
In August, we’ll see if Thompson and Shaw’s training prepared them well enough to dethrone the reigning Shaw Classic champion, Trey Mitchell.
Featured image: @bobby_thompson_prostrongman on Instagram
