Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, known to many as "The Mountain" from Game of Thrones, has undergone a remarkable transformation. This article delves into the diet and training regimens that fueled his journey from a strongman competitor to a leaner, boxing-ready athlete. Discover the powerhouse behind "The Mountain," Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, as we delve into his legendary diet and workout routine. From a meticulously planned 7-meal Viking diet to intense full-body workouts designed by Magnus Ver Magnusson, learn how he transformed from a 154-pound basketball player to a 440-pound strongman champion.
From Basketball Player to "The Mountain": The Initial Transformation
Standing six feet, nine inches tall, Björnsson's journey began far from the strongman arena. He actually used to be a very slim basketball player. His hunt for a new sport led him to the strongman circle, and in just six years he was the highlight of every competition. To maintain his current level of muscle he eats over 8,000 calories per day. From 154 pounds to 440 pounds, it begs the question, how big is “big enough”? “Getting bigger isn’t a big deal for me. I don’t want to get bigger. Find yourself struggling to gain weight or get bigger? All these achievements may seem superhuman, but all pale in comparison when we talk about the 1,000-year-old, Viking’s record. The log has said to have weighed around 1,500 pounds. This meant eating carefully planned meals 7 times a day to support muscle mass and boost strength.
The Viking Diet: Fueling a Mountain
To be a mountain, you need to follow the mountain man bodybuilding routine! Feast like a legend by following the Viking Diet. You are what you eat. He has a strict “7 times a day” diet that he follows for six days and have one cheat day. He believes that you need to be careful on your cheat day as well, so not to hinder your training the next day. It's important to note that even though he eats like a beast, his diet is constructed of proteins through eggs and meat, and plenty of good carbs and fats through oats, granola, fruits and wholefoods. If you thought this was all though, just wait up - there’s more! He also has two servings of glutamine and one serving of creatine both before and after a workout, three scoops of blended whey protein immediately after the workout and 4 square of flapjacks, 1 hour before the workout. Intrigued by supplements? Learn more about whey protein vs.
The Strongman Workout: Building Immense Strength
Magnus Ver Magnusson designed this routine, but Hafþór has been tweaking and evolving this workout as his strength and body develops. As opposed to the traditional split workout, he opts to work out three times a week, making sure he targets his full body each day. It is no secret that the technique counts for a lot when you’re training for a strongman competition, but the diet and workout are just as important. He is a beast, and it is justice to call it the mountain workout, based purely on the time and effort it takes to get through the workout. This workout isn’t built for an average person to try, but it’s good to know that it isn’t impossible. To get big like him, you need to follow The Mountain’s diet or at least try eating similar to him along with following his entire workout plan.
The Shift: Weight Loss and Boxing
If you watched Hafthor Björnsson play Gregor Clegane - AKA ‘The Mountain’ - in Game of Thrones, then you may have found yourself questioning whether the muscle-bound actor was actually that size in real life. Incredibly, the answer is yes - or at least it used to be. Off-screen the former World’s Strongest Man has recently made a remarkable transformation to a much leaner physique, losing a massive 120 pounds in the space of 18 months. He's been showing off the results on his Instagram account of late, much to the awe of his 3.6 million followers. In an interview with Insider, the actor revealed that his weight loss was motivated by his pivot from the big-screen to the boxing ring, and saw him switching from a diet of 10,000 calories daily to a menu of five protein-packed meals a day.
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The Boxing Diet: A Focus on Leanness and Performance
With all the boxing training that Björnsson is undertaking right now he doesn’t have time to over complicate his diet. He just aims to keep his meals ‘clean’, and revealed he eats the same five meals a day.
Here’s a sample menu:
- Breakfast: Two scrambled eggs, 200g of chicken and a portion of yoghurt with 40g of oatmeal and 50g of blueberries.
- Lunch: 230g of beef tenderloin served with 140g of white rice and 100g of greens such as green beans, spinach or zucchini.
- Mid-day: 230g chicken, 200g boiled potato (sweet or white will do) and 100g of greens.
- Dinner: 230g of salmon, 100g of white rice again with 100g of spinach.
- Snack: Skyr yoghurt with 30g of peanut butter and whey protein.
A high protein diet isn’t just for those who want to look swole, but has been proven to help with fat loss among adults. Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox. If you read Björnsson’s daily diet below and can’t imagine packing in that much protein, don’t be put off. Another way to up your protein intake is with a supplementary powder, with many options out there such as the best protein powder for weight loss.
The Boxing Training: Cardio and Strength
For ring-ready fitness, take on Björnsson’s quick-fire cardio routine.
Repeat these exercises for three minutes, take 60 seconds’ rest, then jump on the assault bike and go at it hard for three minutes. Rest and repeat for four rounds.
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- Squat Jump: Squat down, keeping your back straight, until your thighs are parallel with the floor and your bum is about level with your knees. Explode upwards into a jump, and go straight into the next squat.
- Burpee: From a standing position squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and place your palms on the floor. From there kick your feet back as far as you can while keeping your arms extended. As soon as your feet land jump them back in towards your hands, then jump up into the air. Land and immediately squat down to go into the next rep.
- Press-ups: Get down into a press-up position.
The Vertical Diet: Optimizing for Performance and Health
“When Hafthor came to me at 435 pounds and said he was getting fatter not stronger I already knew what I’d see,” Efferding told BarBend. He brought Bjornsson’s weight down to 395 pounds, then brought him all the way up to a healthier 450 pounds using what he calls The Vertical Diet.
Principles of the Vertical Diet
Efferding also makes an effort to minimize high FODMAP vegetables. That stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols, types of carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion and are often avoided by people with irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive issues.(1)(2)(3) The basic idea is that since Bjornsson is eating so many calories, digestive hiccups that might go unnoticed when a healthy person is eating 2,000 calories can be magnified and cause issues at 8,000-plus calories, even if they haven’t been diagnosed with IBS. “High raffinose vegetables like broccoli and asparagus can impede or impair iodine uptake,” explains Efferding. (Raffinose is a type of sugar that’s resistant to digestion.) “That can be very important for athletes who are training hard and sweating a lot, because it can affect the thyroid function and metabolism. A classic Efferding meal is what he calls a “monster mash:” ground beef, white rice, and bone broth. “I put fruit in there and it stimulated the thyroid production, or at least conversion into a usable form, and it increases body temperature,” says Efferding. “I’m pretty specific with the foods I recommend because they provide so many positives.
Supplementation
Despite his big emphasis on digestive health, he doesn’t typically use probiotic bacteria or digestive enzymes as he feels there isn’t quite enough evidence. However, he does sometimes find himself recommending hydrochloric acid pills. “Hydrochloric acid, usually paired with peptin, might be of benefit particularly among people who might be low acid,” he says. He starts with one capsule at the beginning of a meal and might bring it up to two or three until the client gets a burning sensation. If that regimen is continued, they may get better at producing acid and digesting food, so he considers a temporary fix.
The Mindset of a Champion
In another interview with Muscle and Health, the muscle machine confessed that maintaining his strongman figure was so demanding that he would fall asleep at the table. He said, “No one feels great at 205kgs! It doesn’t matter if you’re strong or whatever. Just being heavy takes a lot of energy out of you.” At that time, his diet included a lot of high-fat foods such as fatty cuts of steak in order to cram in as many calories as possible. Whilst it may sound like to stuff of food dreams to some, a diet high in red meat not only increases health risks such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and premature death but can also be a barrier to weight loss.
The mantle of “World’s Strongest Man” is a heavy one to bear. Since relinquishing it, Hafþór Björnsson feels considerably lighter. More than 50kg lighter, to be precise. “I feel so much better than when I weighed 205kg,” the strongman-turned-pugilist tells MH. “I’m obviously healthier, but I am also more focused.” In the pursuit of weightlifting records, bigger is better. “But when I had to force-feed myself every day, I used to get so tired,” he says. “Now, I’ve retired from that.” Björnsson, whose formidable size earned him the role of Gregor “the Mountain” Clegane in Game of Thrones, is speaking to MH from Dubai, where his days are structured and repetitive.
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When you’re working at such an intensity, you need to rest hard, too. Björnsson knows that he walks a “fine line” between pushing his limits and compromising his recovery, so he takes his rest as seriously as his work. As well as ice baths and saunas, he is an advocate of the Graston technique, a form of soft tissue therapy using metal instruments. But the hard graft hasn’t dulled his passion for boxing. “I am absolutely loving boxing right now, and I enjoy it more each week,” he says. “It is hard. But I like hard work.”