Four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Brian Shaw has recently ventured into arm wrestling since retiring from pro strongman competition. As he was in his original sport, the Strongest Man on Earth (SMoE) promoter is going all in with his new sport, including how he trains for it.
Shaw recently unveiled a new device he hopes will help him thrive in competition: a force meter.
[A force meter] overloads the eccentric. So, you’re doing an isometric and forced eccentric.
—Brian Shaw
Shaw credited Dr. Wade Miller for creating and installing the piece, which Shaw called “a one-of-one,” meaning no other machine is like it.
Shaw’s force meter is a crank that turns to control the eccentric and requires two people to function. One person rotates the crank to create the eccentric force while the athlete training resists that force.
The person at the control turns the lever against the lifter, who pulls the end of a rope. A meter displays the amount of force the athlete is resisting.
The training is meant to help Shaw combat the force generated by his opponent in an arm-wrestling match. Shaw hopes maximizing resistance against force meter will translate at the arm-wrestling table.
I’m making discoveries every week.
—Brian Shaw
Shaw performed short superset training before practicing arm wrestling with his training partners on the force meter.
Will It Work?
The logic behind the force meter’s creation is supported by research. Overloading the eccentric has been shown to improve muscle volume and performance, even more so when applied to unilateral training. (1)
Time will tell if this new machine will help Shaw excel in future matches, but he is already off to a booming start, with his December 2024 win against Eddie Hall.
More Strongman Content
- Hafthor Björnsson Deadlifts 470 Kilograms During 2025 Arnold Strongman Classic Prep
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski Is out of 2025 Arnold Strongman Classic
- How the Strongest Man on Earth Eats on the Road
References
- Núñez, F. J., Santalla, A., Carrasquila, I., Asian, J. A., Reina, J. I., & Suarez-Arrones, L. J. (2018). The effects of unilateral and bilateral eccentric overload training on hypertrophy, muscle power and COD performance, and its determinants, in team sport players. PloS one, 13(3), e0193841. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193841
Featured image: @shawstrength on Instagram
