A lot of the conditioning done by actors prior to taking roles is done for show. If a character description calls for an actor to be ripped beyond belief, so it shall be – but that’s often at the expense of brute strength and power. The guy just has to look good on camera. He doesn’t exactly have to deadlift a bus. And if he does, there’s cables to help him out with that.
And then along comes a guy by the name of Hafþór Julius Bjornsson – nicknamed “Thor” – who you might better remember as the gargantuan human being hired to fill the role of Game of Thrones ferociously enormous Gregor Clegane; perhaps better known as The Mountain.
Not only is Bjornsson naturally freaking enormous (he stands at around 206cm tall and weighs in at 190-odd kilograms of solid muscle) but he is far stronger than his prop-sword swinging abilities may let on.
In fact, as of this week, Bjornsson is officially the Strongest Man in Europe, having not only competed in a Europe’s Strongest Man contest, but won so comprehensively that he scored himself the nickname “The King of Stones” in the process for his ability to hoist a 200kg stone ball off the ground like it were a marble.
You see that dumbbell he’s casually throwing up over his head with one arm repeatedly? That thing weighs a lazy ONE HUNDRED KILOGRAMS. That’s about the same weight as the average fridge.
And he’s repeatedly lifting it above his head.
With one freaking arm.
The poor Red Viper never stood a snowball’s chance in hell.
