Brian Shaw presents his 10,000 calorie food plan forward of the ultimate strongman competitors
Before retiring, Shaw does everything in the kitchen.
Brian Shaw has only one strongman competition ahead of him in his career – the eponymous 2023 Shaw Classic (SC) on August 19th and 20th, 2023 in Loveland, CO. The sport of strongman will soon officially go on without one of the greatest strongmen of all time, at least with him as an active competitor. While the former World Strongest Man (WSM) Champion (2011, 2013, 2015-2016) will no doubt seek to maximize his time out of competition, Shaw clearly wants to make the most of his recent competitive appearance. That’s what a look at his current diet says.
On June 12, 2023, Shaw shared a video on his YouTube channel where he graphs the “all day of eating” with more than 10,000 calories. The diet is part of Shaw’s final planning steps as an elite strongman before his final SC title fight. Shaw won the first SC in 2020 and finished 2021–2022 second behind two-time defending champion Trey Mitchell.
More from Breaking Muscle:
According to Shaw, he eats six meals a day to maintain his current strength and physique at 6’1″ and weighs 181.4 kilograms (400 pounds). Within Shaw’s overall strategy, each meal seems to serve its own purpose. Here’s a high-level rundown of each of Shaw’s meals on his 10,000-calorie day.
Note: Shaw disclosed nutritional facts but didn’t provide accurate measurements for each item.
meal 1
Shaw started his day by baking some pancakes and mixing 8 ounces of bison meat with six whole eggs. Of course, the pancakes contained butter and syrup, while the meat and egg mixture contained ketchup. Shaw washed down this breakfast with orange juice.
- calories — 2,260
- protein — 104 grams
- carbohydrates — 240 grams
- Fat — 95.5 grams
meal 2
Next, before leaving the house, Shaw made a protein shake with three scoops of whey protein powder, a banana, “a scoop” of peanut butter, and water. He also packed four biscuits and an apple to take with him on the go.
- calories — 1,190
- protein — 85 grams
- carbohydrates — 132 grams
- Fat — 36 grams
meal 3
Shaw called the meal that followed his “First Lunch.” It was essentially a substantial amount of pasta and bison meat, the latter boasting a whopping one-pound portion.
- calories — 1,495
- protein — 131 grams
- carbohydrates — 153 grams
- Fat — 43 grams
meal 4
Shaw revealed another pound of bison meat for his next meal. On that occasion, he ate it with half a can of green beans and “a generous two cups” of rice instead of pasta. There’s also a large helping of barbecue sauce on top.
- calories — 1,532
- protein — 129 grams
- carbohydrates — 161.5 grams
- Fat — 40 grams
Here, Shaw clarified that the size of his stake would only grow as SC 2023 approaches. He explained that the evidence was that the increased food intake led to better training.
“In a couple of previous contests, I said, ‘Hey, I want my weight on the scale to go down.’ “I worry about my speed, or I worry about it.” The Shaw Classic is about none of that. It’s all about being big and strong. So I’m going to eat like I want to be big and strong.” Shaw said. “From that point on, my portions are only getting bigger, not smaller… How I feel in the gym also tells me that this diet is having an impact on the gym and my performance.”
meal 5
As Shaw neared the end of his day, bison meat showed up again. In this case, the American athlete cooked twelve ravioli, eight chicken meatballs, a large bowl of salad with vinaigrette dressing, and eight ounces of bison meat.
Shaw also drank two cans of Coca-Cola, explaining that the soda was “just a pre-workout thing.” Shaw clarified that this meal was designed with the next day’s heavy deadlift session in mind, with the goal of “fueling carbs and energy” for the strenuous workout.
- calories — 2,555
- protein — 145 grams
- carbohydrates — 209 grams
- Fat — 135 grams
meal 6
To wrap up this monster food day, Shaw helped himself to dessert. The strong man ate a bowl of homemade milk ice cream and a protein shake to gain weight. As a “sprinkle” of sorts, Shaw ate a slice of cheesecake with his cold treat.
- calories — 1,420
- protein — 97.5 grams
- carbohydrates — 153 grams
- Fat — 47 grams
More from Breaking Muscle:
One of the most important weekends in Shaw’s power life awaits him at SC 2023. To finally oust someone like reigning champion Mitchell, Shaw seems to understand that his preparation for a victory before the curtain needs to be in full swing. His 10,000-calorie eating day fits right into that equation.
Featured image: @shawstrength on Instagram
Comments are closed.