Four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw pushed his strength and endurance to the limit by attempting to incline press every pair of dumbbells in his gym, finishing with 132-pound weights.
Brian Shaw has spent his career tackling some of the most demanding strength challenges in the world. This time, the four-time World’s Strongest Man champion put himself through an exhausting dumbbell workout that tested both his physical strength and mental toughness.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Shaw attempted what he described as the most insane dumbbell challenge he had ever done. His goal was simple but brutal: perform incline dumbbell presses with every pair of dumbbells in his massive collection, working from the lightest weights to the heaviest.
Brian Shaw Attempts Insane Dumbbell Challenge With 132-Pound Weights
The challenge began after Shaw spent hours replacing the end plates on a collection of Watson dumbbells previously owned by legendary strength coach Charles Poliquin. With help from his wife, Keri, Shaw updated the plates to display both kilograms and pounds.
Rather than calling it a day, Shaw decided to put the entire collection to use.
His challenge included:
- Exercise: Incline dumbbell press
- Starting weight: 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) per dumbbell
- Heaviest weight: 60 kilograms (132 pounds) per dumbbell
- Weight progression: Half-kilogram increases up to 36 kilograms, followed by one-kilogram increases
- Goal: Five repetitions with every pair of dumbbells
- Workout duration: More than two hours, according to Shaw’s estimate
Shaw initially breezed through the lighter weights, completing five repetitions per set while moving quickly between pairs. However, the enormous training volume soon began taking its toll.
By the time he reached the 79.4-pound dumbbells, Shaw admitted his hands were already becoming fatigued from carrying and pressing weights throughout the day.
As the weights increased, Shaw began taking longer rest periods and eventually reduced his target from five repetitions to four.
“I didn’t want this to be easy,” Shaw explained. “I wanted it to be hard and I wanted it to be a real challenge.”
Brian Shaw Pushes Through Exhaustion to Complete Challenge
The final stretch proved especially difficult. After reaching the 121.3-pound dumbbells, Shaw struggled to maintain his original repetition target.
He eventually worked his way through the remaining pairs, finishing the challenge with the 132-pound dumbbells despite managing only three repetitions on his final set.
Shaw estimated that the workout had taken more than two hours, not including the time spent replacing the dumbbell plates earlier in the day.
He admitted that he had considered postponing the challenge because he was already tired before starting:
“That voice never gets to win ever.”
For Shaw, completing the workout was about more than lifting heavy weights. It was another opportunity to test his ability to overcome exhaustion and push through difficult circumstances.
“I can dig deep and put myself with my back against the wall and fight out of that.”
The former World’s Strongest Man champion retired from professional strongman competition in 2023, but his latest challenge shows that he continues to find new ways to test his legendary strength and endurance.
Featured image embed via YouTube @shawstrength
