Strongman To Lean Lean

Top British Strongman TOM SHAW embarked on a mission to get lean and stay as strong as possible

- John Plummer

WEIGHING 350 LBS was the norm for Tom Shaw, a three-time winner of Elite Strongman’s England’s Strongest Man. But last year, Shaw set out on a new challenge to get lean and compete in power lifting and subsequently lost more than 50 lbs.

Muscle&Fitness: How did you get into Strongman? 

Tom shaw: I was in the police force and my friend and I were always talking about watching the World’s Strongest Man live. He was unfortunately killed on the night of my leaving do in a car accident. I learned to try to find or create silver linings from tough experiences, so I decided to take up strongman and do a couple of local competitions in his honour. However, it took on a life of its own.

Why get lean? 

I had yet another injury at the start of 2016, which meant I missed critical qualifiers. This, along with my daughter growing up and being increasingly active and a desire to change things all coalesced together to bring about a change of lifestyle and direction.