The session, which was captured for Shaw’s YouTube channel, serves as more than just a novelty workout; it provides a case study in the adaptability of high-level athletes and the logistical challenges faced by individuals whose physical dimensions and strength levels far exceed the parameters of standard gym equipment.
Profiles in Power: The Athletes and the Venue
Brian Shaw and Eddie Hall represent the pinnacle of the strength world. Shaw, standing 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighing over 400 pounds during his competitive peak, is renowned for his technical proficiency and consistency, having secured WSM titles in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016. Hall, known as "The Beast," gained international fame for becoming the first person to deadlift 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) in 2016, a feat that remains a cornerstone of modern strength history.
Planet Fitness, by contrast, operates on a business model that prioritizes accessibility for casual gym-goers. The franchise is famous for its "Lunk Alarm"—a siren intended to discourage loud grunting, heavy weight-dropping, or "intimidating" behavior. The facility’s equipment typically lacks the specialized tools required for strongman training, such as Atlas stones, log press bars, or heavy-duty power racks, making the duo’s attempt to perform a "leg day" there a significant departure from their usual environments.
The Training Session: A Chronological Breakdown
The workout began with the search for a squatting platform. Because Planet Fitness locations generally do not provide traditional free-weight squat racks—opting instead for machines to minimize injury risk for novices—the pair transitioned to the Smith machine.
Adapting to the Smith Machine
The Smith machine, which utilizes a barbell fixed within steel rails, presented immediate ergonomic challenges. The sheer width of Hall and Shaw’s shoulders made positioning under the bar difficult. Despite these limitations, the athletes proceeded to load the machine to its maximum capacity. They eventually reached a load of five 45-pound plates on each side. Shaw noted that the fixed path of the Smith machine required him to stabilize himself by holding the machine’s frame, a necessary adjustment given his height and the machine’s limited range of motion.
Machine-Based Hypertrophy
Following the squats, the athletes moved to the abdominal crunch machine. While this equipment is often overlooked in professional strongman routines in favor of heavy compound movements or carries, Hall and Shaw utilized it to target core stability.
The workout then shifted to the leg press. This machine is a staple in most commercial gyms, but for athletes of this caliber, the weight stacks are often insufficient. To compensate, Hall and Shaw loaded six 45-pound plates on each side and added an additional plate on top of the sled. Despite the substantial weight, both men moved the sled with relative ease, demonstrating the gap between "heavy" for a general gym-goer and "heavy" for a world-class strength athlete.
The session continued with a series of isolation movements, including:
- Leg Extensions: Focused on quadriceps isolation.
- Adductor and Abductor Machines: Used to target the inner and outer thighs, which are critical for the lateral stability required in events like the Yoke Walk.
The Competitive Finale: The 20-Station Circuit Race
To conclude the session, Shaw and Hall engaged in a high-intensity challenge within the gym’s designated circuit training room. The challenge required each man to perform one repetition at maximum weight on 20 different machines in rapid succession. This was a test of cardiovascular recovery and "functional" strength under fatigue.
Eddie Hall set the pace, completing the 20-station circuit in 1 minute and 15.09 seconds. Brian Shaw followed, finishing just seconds behind with a time of 1 minute and 19 seconds. The competitive nature of the drill underscored the athletes’ ability to maintain high output even when using equipment that does not allow for their traditional max-effort loads.
Context and Timing: The Road to World’s Strongest Nation
The timing of this workout is particularly relevant to the professional trajectory of both men. While Brian Shaw was in an "off-season" phase at the time of filming, focusing on maintenance and his "Shaw Classic" promotion, Eddie Hall was in the final stages of preparation for a return to the competitive arena.
Hall’s visit to Colorado coincided with his training for the "World’s Strongest Nation" contest, held on November 26, 2022, in Liverpool, England. This event featured a "Team UK vs. Team USA" format, with Hall serving as the captain for the British squad. His counterpart for Team USA was Martins Licis, the 2019 World’s Strongest Man. Hall’s appearance at Planet Fitness, while seemingly lighthearted, served as a form of active recovery and promotional engagement ahead of his first major strongman appearance since his retirement following his 2017 WSM victory.
Analysis: The Impact of Commercial Gym Culture on Elite Athletes
The presence of Shaw and Hall at a Planet Fitness highlights a recurring theme in the fitness industry: the divide between "hardcore" training and "commercial" wellness. For elite athletes, the primary issue with commercial gyms is rarely the lack of effort, but rather the ceiling on resistance.
Weight Limitations and Safety
Standard commercial plates and machines are designed for the 95th percentile of the public. When an athlete like Shaw, who has a career-best deadlift of over 1,000 pounds, enters such a facility, the equipment itself becomes a bottleneck. This often leads to "improvisational lifting," where athletes must add human weight (having someone sit on a machine) or perform ultra-high repetitions to achieve a stimulus.
The Marketing Paradox
From a brand perspective, the interaction was a unique marketing moment for Planet Fitness. While the gym’s "Lunk Alarm" policy is often criticized by the bodybuilding and powerlifting communities as being exclusionary toward serious lifters, the fact that two of the world’s strongest men could complete a workout there without being "ejected" suggests a level of flexibility in the application of gym rules. It also humanizes the athletes, showing them navigating the same environments as everyday fitness enthusiasts.
Broader Implications for Strength Sports
This event reflects the growing mainstream popularity of Strongman. Historically a niche sport relegated to late-night sports channel broadcasts, Strongman has seen a surge in visibility due to the social media presence of figures like Shaw, Hall, and Hafthor Björnsson. By bringing their training into a public, recognizable space like Planet Fitness, these athletes bridge the gap between the superhuman feats seen on television and the reality of daily fitness.
Furthermore, the session highlights the importance of "variety" in a training stimulus. Even for athletes who specialize in moving massive, awkward objects, the controlled environment of a selectorized machine can provide a safe way to work through minor injuries or focus on specific muscle groups without the systemic fatigue of a heavy barbell session.
Conclusion
The sight of Brian Shaw and Eddie Hall at a Planet Fitness serves as a reminder of the versatility required in professional athletics. While the facility was not built for 400-pound men who move mountains for a living, the athletes’ ability to extract a productive workout from the available tools is a testament to their experience.
As Eddie Hall moved forward toward the World’s Strongest Nation competition and Brian Shaw continued to build his legacy as both an athlete and a promoter, this session in Colorado remains a notable footnote in their respective careers. It stands as a rare collision between the world of extreme physical performance and the "judgment-free" world of neighborhood fitness, proving that while the equipment may have limits, the drive of a champion does not.
