Hafthor Björnsson, also known as “The Mountain” from the popular television series Game of Thrones, is a force to be reckoned with in the world of strength sports. After his brief stint as a professional boxer, following his retirement from competitive strongman, the 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion has set his sights on powerlifting. Björnsson’s new goal is to break the all-time world record raw total, which was recently extended to 1,152.5 kilograms (2,540.8 pounds) by Jesus Olivares at the 2023 Sheffield Classic Championships held on March 25.
On March 28, 2023, Björnsson posted a video on his YouTube channel titled “Biggest mistakes when trying to GROW!”, where he shared some of the common mistakes he sees athletes making when they are trying to bulk up. In the video, he can be seen training his bench press at the two-week mark of his powerlifting journey. In this article, we will delve deeper into Björnsson’s training philosophy and examine some of the key takeaways from his video.
Lifting Too Heavy, Too Often
One of the most common mistakes Björnsson encounters with lifters looking to increase strength is training too heavy, too often. He believes that lifting four days per week, with sufficient programming, is enough to generate gains. According to Björnsson, consistency is the key to success, and it’s crucial to remain as consistent as possible.
Instead of training too often, which can lead to burnout, Björnsson recommends improving aspects outside the gym that support the work inside the gym. These include dialing in nutrition, improving recovery, and getting more sleep. When Björnsson trains heavy, he leaves ample time between sets to recover. During his heavy deadlift session in the video, he rested for approximately eight minutes between sets.
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Training Bench Press
Even though Björnsson is one of the strongest athletes on the planet, he always warms up with a set or two using an empty 20-kilogram barbell before hitting his working sets. This is used both as a warm-up and to acclimate his body to the position he’ll train in during the session.
Björnsson’s programming for his bench press session called for five sets of 165 kilograms (363 pounds) for three reps each. He did not wear any equipment during his working sets – no elbow sleeves or wrist wraps. The work seemed breezy for Björnsson, who focused less on load and more on mechanics. He is building the habit of pausing at the bottom of the rep before exploding to the top and maintaining the lockout until a judge gives him the signal, as is required for a sanctioned powerlifting meet.
Björnsson supplemented his bench press training with a dumbbell overhead press and lat pulldown superset. He followed with a triceps pushdown and dumbbell hammer curl superset. He closed with dumbbell lateral raises superset with rotator cuff work on the cable machine.
Overview
Hafthor Björnsson’s dedication to training and his relentless pursuit of excellence have made him a legend in the world of strength sports. His training philosophy emphasizes the importance of consistency, recovery, and technique, and he encourages lifters to focus on these aspects to achieve their goals. Björnsson’s transition from strongman to powerlifting is an exciting development in the world of strength sports, and fans are eagerly waiting to see him break the all-time world record raw total. As he continues his journey, we can expect to see more insights into his training methods and more inspiring performances on the platform.
Courtesy Image @thorbjornsson (Instagram)
Courtesy Streaming @Hafthor Björnsson (Youtube)
