# Laurence Shahlaei

Laurence Cristiaan David Shahlaei (born 25 December 1982) is an English YouTuber, strength sports commentator, analyst, coach, and a retired strongman and powerlifting competitor. He is most noted for winning the 2016 Europe's Strongest Man competition.
He has made the finals of the World's Strongest Man competition 5 times, winning fourth place in 2011. He also won fifth place at the 2018 World's Ultimate Strongman, and seventh place at the 2012 Arnold Strongman Classic. He is also the winner of England's Strongest Man (2009) and Britain's Strongest Man (2012, 2013) at the national circuit.

## Early life

Shahlaei was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. His father is Iranian from Kermanshah and his mother is English from Newcastle upon Tyne. He attended Balcarras School, and later moved to Stroud, Gloucestershire where he developed his passion towards strength sports.

## Strongman career

Shahlaei started strongman training in 2005 and entered his first novice competition that year, where he finished 8th. Within two years, he entered his first Britain's Strongest Man ("BSM"), having won the Midlands qualifier. In that competition, he made a huge impact, making it to the final, only to tear his biceps in the tyre flip, which forced him to withdraw. He won the Midlands qualifier again in 2008, and once again made the final, this time finishing 4th behind Jimmy Marku, Terry Hollands, and Mark Felix. This placing landed him an invite to the World's Strongest Man in 2008. He did not make the final.
In 2009, four years after beginning strongman, he became the UKSC Midlands Strongest Man and also won the UKSC England's Strongest Man, citing this, alongside his WSM 2008 squat win, as the greatest moment of his career (Shahlaei did not compete in the WSM qualifier titled "England's Strongest Man", which replaced the Britain's Strongest Man contest in 2009 and was won by Terry Hollands). His favourite strongman events are the Squat for reps, Farmer's walk, and Super Yoke, while his least favourite is the Atlas stones.
In his career spanning across 15 years, Shahlaei has competed in 55 international competitions and won 8 of them including his best win, the 2016 Europe's Strongest Man. He also managed to win 4th place at the 2011 World's Strongest Man while securing 7th, 9th, 9th and 10th places in 2017, 2009, 2014 and 2016. Laurence also competed in the inaugural World's Ultimate Strongman competition in Dubai at the Bab al-Shams Arena in October 2018. He placed 5th in a stacked field of 12. He also placed 7th in the 2012 Arnold Strongman Classic, widely considered the heaviest and most difficult strongman competition in the world. His final competition was the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic where he won 7th place.

## Other work

Shahlaei had an acting role in the film The Golden Compass (2007). On 19 August 2011, Shahlaei competed on Deal or No Deal, where he won £20,000 and lifted presenter Noel Edmonds up above his head. In August 2012, Shahlaei opened a personal training business in Swindon, Wiltshire. Shahlaei has since written various training programs which he sells via his website, as well as various other merchandise labeled 'Team Loz'.
Since retiring from competition, Shahlaei has become a popular strongman analyst and commentator. Alongside his wife Elizabeth, they maintain a YouTube channel titled Big Loz Official. Since 2016, the channel has covered many strongman-related topics including training, event coverage, athletes and competition analysis, strongman history, trivia, predictions, new developments and live Q&A sessions with strongman fans, and has released more than 1,500 videos.
On 2 May 2020, Shahlaei was the official commentator of Hafþór Björnsson's 501 kg world record deadlift done in World's Ultimate Strongman Feats of Strength series during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. He was also an official commentator at the 2022 Rogue Invitational and 2024 Shaw Classic.
Shahlaei also runs a coaching business, with a number of his clients competing in major strongman competitions. In 2023, he coached Mitchell Hooper to both the Arnold Strongman Classic and World's Strongest Man titles, and also trains 2018 World's Strongest Woman (WSW) champion Andrea Thompson and 2022 America's Strongest Man (ASM) champion Bobby Thompson among a few others.

## Personal life

Shahlaei and his wife, Elizabeth (Liz) Mason, live in Swindon, Wiltshire.
They have 3 children daughters Ava, Alexa and son Lewis, whom Shahlaei described as his greatest achievements.

## Personal records

Powerlifting
* Squat – 380 kg (838 lb) (2020 Tattooed and Strong)
* Bench press – 227.5 kg (502 lb) (2020 Tattooed and Strong)
* Deadlift – 385 kg (849 lb) (2016 Tattooed and Strong)
* Total – 960 kg (2,116 lb) (365 + 220 + 375 kg (805 + 485 + 827 lb)) (2017 GPC-GB Salisbury Qualifier)
Strongman
* Deadlift – 435 kg (959 lb) (2014 Europe's Strongest Man) Shahlaei previously held the joint-strongman deadlift record with 430 kg (948 lb) in 2011 Giants Live London
* Giant Barbell Squat (for reps) – 317.5 kg (700 lb) × 12 reps (single-ply suit w/ wraps) (2017 World's Strongest Man)
* Keg drop Squat – 265–360 kg (584–794 lb) x 7 reps in 25.67 seconds (2008 World's Strongest Man - Group 4) (World Record)
* Log press – 185 kg (408 lb) (2011 SCL South Africa)
* Axle press – 205 kg (452 lb) (2010 Giants Live Turkey)
* Dumbbell press – 100 kg (220 lb) x 4 repetitions (2018 Giants Live North American Open)
* Dumbbell press – 90 kg (198 lb) x 8 repetitions (2017 UK's Strongest Man)
* Max Atlas stone – 200 kg (441 lb) x 3 times over a 4 ft bar (2013 SCL FIBO)
* Atlas stones – 5 stones 100–180 kg (220–397 lb) in 20.75 seconds (2016 Britain's Strongest Man)
* Atlas stones – 5 stones 140–200 kg (309–441 lb) in 30.80 seconds (2016 Europe's Strongest Man)
* Dinnie Stone carry in farmers walk style (with the original stones) – 332 kg (732 lb) for 22 ft 4 in (6.81 m) (World Record)
* Bavarian Stonelift – 275 kg (606 lb) for 81cm (2012 SCL FIBO)
* Car Walk – 450 kg (992 lb) for 20 meters in 11.05 seconds (2016 Europe's Strongest Man) (former world record)
* Keg toss – 7 kegs (18–25 kg (40–55 lb)) over 4.00 metres (13 ft 1 in) in 40.96 seconds (2011 World's Strongest Man - Group 2)
* Basque Circle – 363 kg (800 lb) 233° rotation (2018 World's Strongest Man - Group 1)
* Basque Circle – 300 kg (661 lb) 710° rotation (2014 Britain's Strongest Man)
* Thor's Hammer one arm grip lift – 113 kg (250 lb) (2021 Rogue Invitational)
* Captains of Crush – No. 3 gripper with 127 kg (280 lb) of pressure

## Competitive record

Winning percentage: 14.54% Podium percentage: 41.81%
| | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Podium | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | Total |
| International competitions | 8 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 55 |