Thor Bjornsson: how La Montagne lost 55 kg in a few months?

You certainly know Thor Bjornsson for his role as The Mountain in the hit series Game of Thrones. But did you know that he was also and above all an accomplished athlete? Alternately basketball player, strongman and now boxer, the Icelandic giant has recently lost more than 50 kilos to prepare for a fight. Discover the background of this incredible weight loss.

Who is Thor Bjornsson?

The Mountain in Game of Thrones

Thor Bjornsson, whose full name is Hafthor Júlíus Björnsson, was born in Reykjavik on 26 November 1988.

A top-level sportsman, the Icelander is also a popular actor. He was noticed in the famous television series Game of Thronesa real success around the world.

He was chosen by HBO in 2013 for his unusual physique. From the top of his 2,05 m for 205 kgThor Bjornsson plays the character of Ser Gregor Clegane, also known as "The Mountain", during 4 seasons (from season 4 to season 8).

But what is less known is that Thor Bjornsson has multiplied sports achievements before shining in front of the camera.

The strongest man in the world

He started playing basketball in his youth. At the age of 19, the Icelandic giant even played his first professional games with the club FSU Selfoss, playing in the first division of the country.

Unfortunately, an ankle injury put an end to his dreams the following year.

We are then in 2008, and Thor Bjornsson will take a passion for the strength sports following an improbable meeting. He meets Magnús Ver Magnússon, a well-known Icelandic strongman, in a sports hall.

The latter accompanies Thor Bjornsson in his muscle gain and helps him to prepare his first competitions. He won his first strongman titles, finishing first in the Strongest Man in Iceland and the Iceland's Strongest Viking.

In 2011, for its first participation in the World's Strongest ManLa Montagne finished in 6th position. In the following years, he reached the podium each time in this competition, certainly one of the most prestigious of the discipline.

In 2018, he won the competition, becoming the strongest man in the world. That same year, he also won the Arnold Strongman Classic, another major competition in the world of strength sports. A real achievement!

The Icelandic athlete signed another exceptional performance in 2020, when he beat the world record in deadlift held by a certain Eddie Hall, with 501 kg.

A reconversion in the world of boxing in 2021

After so much success, Hafthor Júlíus Björnsson decided to take on a new challenge: to become boxer.

In January 2021, he faced the British Steven Ward for his very first fight. Much more experienced than Bjornsson, Ward dominated this exhibition match. At the end of the 3 rounds, the judges agree on a draw.

The Icelander returned to the ring in May to fight Simon Vallily. He was knocked down in the third round, but showed good progress. In September of the same year, he won by KO against Devon Larratt, a Canadian arm wrestling champion.

But for Thor Bjornsson, these results are anecdotal. In reality, the Icelandic neo-boxer is aiming for a more important date: his fight against Eddie Hall.

Remember, it was Eddie Hall who held the world record in the deadlift, which was broken by Bjornsson. But more importantly, Hall was one of the Icelandic's greatest opponents in the world of strength sports.

In 2017, when Hall defeated Bjornsson at The World's Strongest Man, the Icelander had little appreciation for a penalty received by the judges that cost him first place. Since then, the dispute between the 2 strongest men in the world was real.

They finally faced each other in the ring on March 19, 2022 in Dubai. At the end of the 6 rounds, La Montagne won by unanimous decision, after having sent his opponent to the mat 3 times.

After their confrontation, the 2 athletes decided to put an end to their conflict. For the little anecdote, as a sign of recognition of his defeat, Eddie Hall had the name Thor Bjornsson tattooed, accompanied by the words "The strongest man in the world" ... on his foot.

But what most impressed the observers was the incredible physical transformation of Thor Bjornsson in the course of these first fights.

Thor Bjornsson's impressive weight loss

When he was a strongman, Bjornsson weighed 205 kg. He lost almost 55 kg in 18 months, to reach a weight of 152 kg during his fight against Hall.

The Icelandic recently revealed the secrets of his weight loss.

In addition to his daily boxing and weight training, he also keeps up with a diet particularly strict and rich in proteins. He eats 5 identical meals every day and allows himself one cheat meal per week, which he believes is essential for long-term success.

It should be noted that when he was a strongman, Bjornsson could consume up to 8 meals a day, sometimes even during the night. He went from eating about 10,000 calories a day to "only" 3,000 to 4,000 calories !

The Thor Bjornsson's diet is composed as follows:

• meal 1: 3 whole eggs + 200 g chicken breast + 1 shake made of 150 g skyr, 40 g oatmeal and 50 g blueberries
• meal 2: 220 g of beef + 100 g of green beans + 180 g of cooked rice
• meal 3: 220 g chicken or turkey cutlet + 250 g potatoes or sweet potato + spinach or green beans
• meal 4: 220 g of salmon + 100 g of cooked rice + spinach
• meal 5: 250 g of skyr + 30 g of almond puree + 1 banana + 35 g of whey protein

I actually tested Thor Bjornsson's diet in this video.

Conclusion

In just 18 months, Thor Bjornsson has lost more than 50 kilos ! He recently confided in an interview that he felt much better this way. It remains to be seen whether La Montagne will continue his budding career in English boxing or take on new sporting challenges.