World’s Strongest Man, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who is lovingly called ‘Thor’ by friends and ‘The Mountain’ by his fans for appearing in the Game of Thrones is a fitness icon for many. He believes that the secrets to his strong body are the right exercises and diet. He consumes 10,000 calories a day and burns most of them off by exercising regularly. If you are interested to know more, scroll down for the World’s Strongest Man Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson’s fitness and diet secrets.
The Iconic Win
The 400-pound, 6’9″ athlete attempted the World’s Strongest Man 8 times and was placed third 3 times and also secured the second position 3 times before winning the title in 2018. Commenting on his win, he said that he always knew in his heart that he would win the World’s Strongest Man. He has further said that you don’t get to be the best if you don’t dedicate yourself completely to what you are doing.
Preferred Exercise
The actor has said that deadlift is his preferred exercise and no one who saw him do a 1,041-pound deadlift in March 2018 (which is a world record by the way) can argue with it. He is so fond of deadlifts that he has added a tattoo on his right shin that appreciates deadlifts and marks the words of Jón Páll Sigmarsson, 4-time World’s Strongest Man, that go like, “There is no reason to be alive if you can’t do deadlift.”
Diet Secrets
If you want to stay in shape and be strong, Björnsson insists that you pay attention to your diet. He does that by eating 6 meals a day. The meals include healthy options like steak, rice, carrots, chicken, and peppers. He eats every 2 hours and is never hungry. Eating and working out constantly are his biggest fitness secrets.
His daily meals are created by Stan Efferding, his trainer and a professional powerlifter, also known as “The Rhino”. The meals are designed to ensure that the GoT star recuperates after grueling workouts he has to do to maintain his position of the World’s Strongest Man.
Workouts are Not the Only Thing
Hafþór Júlíus believes in doing varied workouts to stay strong and insists that stamina, being quick on the feet, and competing for basketball have also helped him to be so strong.
Rest is Essential
He has also said that rest is important if you want all the training you have been doing to be visible because when you rest, it gives your body the time to react to the training. So, don’t forget to rest after the grueling workout sessions.
Workout Routine for Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Fans
If you want to work out like the fitness icon, you should start focusing on deadlifts. An ideal solution would be to opt for lower weights with pause deadlifts as they will benefit your lower body, lower back, and the core. After you have got the hang of it, you should add 4 sets of low reps to the workout and ensure that you nail the form before trying your hands at moving massive loads.
A workout routine you can try is mentioned right here:
- 4 sets with 4-6 reps of Dumbbell Cuban Press
- 4 sets with 10 reps of Dumbbell Farmer’s Walk
- 10 Minute Drop Set challenge
Featured Image by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson / Instagram
