Thor Bjornsson Carrying Grown People in Baby Carrier

To phone call it simply a log – about 10m long, weighing 650kg – is similar calling a behemothic redwood a tree.

Technically accurate, sure, merely not quite doing it justice. Similar a behemothic redwood, the record for carrying this monstrosity has stood for m years. Legend has it that, after l men helped him become the log in identify, the holder, fabled Viking Orm Storulfsson, managed iii steps. On the 3rd step, his back broke.

To call Hafthór Björnsson – over 2m alpine and 185kg – simply a 'man' doesn't quite exercise him justice, either. But stood at that place, the mountainous Icelander looks like an ant below a matchstick. He screams to the assembled onlookers – to the gods, to himself – and grasps the thick ropes that bind the log.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the log rises from the scaffold, as a pressure that could grind most vertebrae into dust transfers to Björnsson'due south spine. He takes three steps. He feels like his dorsum is going to suspension. Nevertheless, he takes a 4th step. And then a fifth. All at once, Björnsson releases his grasp and effortlessly vaults the scaffold with an athleticism that belies his frame, crying "history" over and over again at the meridian of his lungs.

He has taken his indelible place in the strongman sagas. But his eternal spot in the dining hall of Valhalla, alongside the Norse god-rex Odin and those fallen Viking warriors deemed worthy of honour, will for now remain unfilled.

In the meantime, Björnsson's breadbasket must be sated with a kilogram of steak, and the histories updated.

"Nothing Tin can Stop Me!!" he posts alongside a picture of him tearing his T-shirt in two like a bearded, anaemic Incredible Blob. "Zilch Can Break Me!!"

Brute Strength

Despite the absence of any previous interim experience, Björnsson'due south credentials to embody Game Of Thrones'due south 'The Mountain' are obvious. Nevertheless, when the professional strongman was contacted about taking the role, he wasn't certain. "When I saw the email, I thought it was a joke," says the 27-yr-erstwhile father, whose daughter, we assume, wins all dad-based playground arguments. "I was already a big fan of the series; I'one thousand an even bigger fan now, because I know how much piece of work goes into it."

Björnsson thus became the third actor in four seasons to play the hitherto minor role of Ser Gregor Clegane. (GoT has almost as few qualms nearly recasting characters as it does about killing them.) An 8ft fauna, Clegane is dubbed 'The Mountain That Rides'. Although in Björnsson's case, you lot suspect his steed would suffer the same fate as Orm Storulfsson.

The plan makers were looking for an expanded player to supplant the two previous beanpole incumbents for a pivotal fight scene. They needed someone who would dwarf his opponent horizontally likewise equally vertically. They needed someone who could (lunchspoiler alert!) vanquish a homo's skull with his blank easily similar an overripe cantaloupe. And they also needed someone who could swing a broadsword the size of a human.

(Not but was Björnsson the simply one on set who could lift it, he wielded it one-handed.) The audience was therefore somewhat unconventional. "They asked me if I was strong enough to pick one of the guys up," says Björnsson. "I gave it a attempt and he felt very lite. They were surprised at how easily I lifted him overhead."

Bated from his prodigious size and force, Bjornsson had another aspect: "I tin can move well for a large guy; that would look more than awesome on TV." Since thumbing his opponent's centre sockets similar a bowling ball, The Mountain – wounded and poisoned – has just been seen in glimpses.

Björnsson is sworn to secrecy regarding plot details, simply the appearance in the season five finale of a 6ft 9in, zombie-like armoured mute is a clue. At to the lowest degree Björnsson won't accept many lines to worry about: when yous're new to acting – and English – dialogue tin be more daunting than a 650kg log. "I was definitely more nervous with acting," says Björnsson. "Just I did my homework. If you're dedicated, it's going to pay off."

While he's bulking out his filmography, with both Swedish zombie film Zone 261 and British gangster film Devilish Deeds slated for later on this year, he's not trying to become the side by side Arnie just yet. "It would be a slap-up honour," says Björnsson. "He was the best-always in bodybuilding. I like interim only I nonetheless have something to prove. I want to win the Earth'southward Strongest Human title. That's my priority."

Balling Hard

Björnsson wasn't always so mountainous. Although he ascended to his current altitude past historic period sixteen, his physique was more basketballer than behemoth: indeed, he represented Republic of iceland at U17 and U18 level. But he was reduced past injuries, some of his ain making.

"I was a chip crazy and trained a lot, probably three times a day," he says. "Before school, then afterward, plus I was lifting at night." A spell as a pro baller in his homeland's first division was curtailed at xx by surgery on his ankle. "I was very sad. I wasn't certain what the side by side pace was," he says.

"Then I started training more in the gym. I've always enjoyed lifting heavy; I saw extremely proficient results." He ran less and ate more: "I just got hooked, seeing how stiff I got and how much my body changed." In two years, he almost doubled in weight.

Nevertheless, he can still dunk and the NFL's Indiana Colts in one case tried to sign him. Björnsson picked up strongman like he does everything else: all also hands. "Ii of my friends were competing so I decided to requite information technology a try," he says. "In my outset contest, I realised I had a lot of potential."

That was at Iceland's Strongest Viking. Björnsson rang upward the organiser Magnús Ver Magnússon, a four-fourth dimension World's Strongest Human being winner in the '90s, the day earlier and asked if he could bring together; Ver Magnússon agreed.

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The Big Numbers

474kg: Björnsson'due south current max deadlift: roughly the weight of an adult grizzly bear. Björnsson translates as 'conduct's son': insert 'comport gains' jokes here

440g: What Björnsson can squat: about the same as nine toilets, or 150 bricks – about enough to build an outhouse to put 1 of those loos in at least.

250kg: Aye, we asked: "How much exercise you demote, bro?" This was his answer, in kg. That'southward the same every bit two rugby union forwards from the Earth Cup.

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Without specific grooming, Björnsson won i event and set an Icelandic record for stone conveying. That'south more impressive than it sounds: although Iceland has a population of just 323,000 people, no other country can boast 2 four-time winners of World's Strongest Man.

Björnsson has finished on the podium for the last four years in a row, finishing second in 2014 and tertiary in 2011, 2012 and 2015. He's been crowned Europe'south Strongest Man for the last 2 years. Björnsson now trains at a gym in Reykjavik run past Ver Magnússon chosen Jakabol. Literally translated, information technology means 'nest of giants' and is the locus of Iceland'south huge strongman culture.

The gym was previously operated by the other four time World'south Strongest Man winner, Jón Páll Sigmarsson, who died there of a eye attack while deadlifting. A sign on the wall reads 'no pussies' in Icelandic.

Located in a supermarket car park, it's not the sort of place where y'all sit on the spin bicycle for half an hour browsing Facebook. "It's more than of a raw, powerlifting gym," says Björnsson. "Information technology helps to take guys around yous who have the same goals."

You lot might imagine that, like Mike Tyson at his meridian, Björnsson would struggle to find volunteers. "Non actually," he says. "The best training partner isn't the guy who is the strongest; it's the guy who motivates yous and helps you to get better."

Mind Over Matter

For Björnsson, force is the priority, more than so than size. ("I'm 185kg now; I've been upward to 205kg, just I didn't feel proficient.") He's in the gym six times a week, occasionally more.

"Sometimes I go in the mornings and I do stretching or cardio every bit well," he says. "It depends on what I'm training for: do I need to have more endurance, or be stronger?"

Björnsson'south training sessions can last anywhere between one hour and iii, depending on how he feels. For that reason, he doesn't have a 'routine'. "You accept to mix up your preparation," he says.

"When people ask me well-nigh my routine, information technology'south hard to say because I change it every week." This advertizing hoc arroyo has helped The Mount avoid plateauing. "If you lot e'er train the same way your body gets used to it and yous stop seeing results subsequently a few weeks."

Fighting Spirit

It'southward a principle that he and Arnie apply exterior the gym. "It's the same with life," says Björnsson. "If you get stuck in the same routine, yous're never going to get better. So you accept to practise something else to be more than successful in life."

He'south certainly not agape of life's gauntlets, whether it'south throwing down against the Red Viper or The Notorious UFC champ Conor McGregor. A video of the pair sparring did the rounds on social media.

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"I was in Ireland shooting for Game of Thrones and my friend [Icelandic UFC fighter] Gunnar Nelson was grooming in Dublin with Conor," explains Björnsson. "I asked if I could check out a session."

Despite the kind of glaring weight category mismatch non seen outside of Rocky films, McGregor appears to come up off meliorate. "I knew he had a large fight coming up, so I was gentle with him," says Björnsson, modestly.

Perchance information technology'southward the genetic inheritance from Viking warriors that explains why Iceland's athletes boss strongman competitions and the CrossFit Games. Or why its menfolk live longer than whatever other – an average of 81.2 years.

"My father is tall and strong, so is my granddaddy," says Björnsson. "Although I'one thousand the only actual athlete, my family is very able-bodied."

Mayhap it's the effect of the fight for survival on the psychology of those early settlers and subsequent generations, rather than their physiology. "When we want to be successful at something, we piece of work really hard," says Björnsson.

Or, perhaps a proverbial environmental factor is the source of their commonage strength; of Bjornsson's mythical power. "It's something in the water," he adds. "It's so articulate and powerful. I believe we get actress free energy from it."

Björnsson'southward Nutritional Plan

For a professional strongman, eating is a full-time occupation: currently Björnsson consumes effectually 10,000- 12,000kcal a day. Here'due south what that looks like:

When he wakes up: vi-8 eggs.

Two hours after that: Shake with 200g oats, strawberries, banana, protein powder and peanut butter.

Ii hours after that: 400g chicken breast with sugariness potatoes and greens

During training: A protein shake mixed with creatine.

After training: Meat with rice or potatoes and greens

Two hours after that: Fish with sugariness potatoes and more greens

Before he goes to bed: Casein protein

Jamie Millar Jamie Millar is a freelance journalist and regular Men'due south Wellness correspondent, writing about style, grooming, fitness and culture.

Thor Bjornsson Carrying Grown People in Baby Carrier

Source: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a755986/hafthor-bjornsson-game-of-thrones-the-mountain/

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