He’s massive. Like, "shouldn't actually exist in nature" massive. If you watched HBO's cultural juggernaut, you know exactly who I’m talking about. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the third and final Game of Thrones The Mountain actor, didn't just play a monster; he looked like he’d been carved out of an Icelandic glacier.
But honestly? Most people only know him for crushing a certain Prince's skull or standing menacingly behind Cersei Lannister. There is so much more to this guy than just being a 6'9" wall of muscle. He's a legitimate world-record holder, a former basketball player, and a man who once ate 10,000 calories a day just to keep from shrinking.
The Evolution of Gregor Clegane
Let's get one thing straight: Björnsson wasn't the first guy to put on the armor. Most fans forget that. Conan Stevens played him in Season 1, and Ian Whyte took a crack at it in Season 2. But when Hafþór stepped into the role in Season 4, something clicked. He wasn't just tall; he was terrifyingly wide.
When he showed up for that trial-by-combat against Oberyn Martell, it changed the show. He brought a physical reality to the "Mountain that Rides" that the previous actors—bless them—just didn't quite capture. He was only 23 or 24 when he started. Think about that. Most guys that age are struggling to grow a decent beard, and he was already the strongest man in Iceland.
The casting was actually kind of a fluke. The production team needed someone who didn't need a stunt double for the heavy lifting. They found him in Iceland. He had no acting experience. None. But you don't really need a Master's in Fine Arts from Juilliard to look like you can rip a man’s head off with your bare hands. You just need the bones to support 400 pounds of mass.
Strongman Dominance and the 501kg Deadlift
While he was busy being the most feared man in Westeros, Hafþór was actually living a double life in the world of professional strength sports. This wasn't some vanity project. He was obsessed.
For years, he was the "bridesmaid" of the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition. He’d get second. He’d get third. It was honestly a bit frustrating to watch if you were a fan. But in 2018, the stars aligned. He became the first person to win the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe’s Strongest Man, and World’s Strongest Man in the same calendar year. It’s basically the Triple Crown of moving heavy stuff.
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Then came the deadlift.
In May 2020, in the middle of a world that had completely shut down, he walked into his home gym in Reykjavík. The bar was loaded with 501 kilograms. That is 1,104 pounds. It’s more than a grand piano. It’s about the weight of a small horse. He pulled it. It looked... strangely easy?
There was a ton of drama because it didn't happen in a "sanctioned" competition, but a referee was there, and the plates were weighed. It counts. That lift effectively ended his first era of strongman. He had nothing left to prove. He was the strongest human to ever walk the earth, at least by that specific metric.
The Physical Toll of Being a Giant
Being that big isn't a hobby. It's a full-time, grueling, painful job. Björnsson has been very open about the fact that his body was screaming at him when he weighed over 200kg (about 440 lbs).
Your heart has to work overtime. Your joints feel like they’re filled with glass. He had to eat every few hours. We’re talking steaks, rice, spinach, and eggs on a loop. It sounds fun for about one meal, then it becomes literal torture. He’s admitted that he’d wake up in the middle of the night just to shove more protein down his throat.
His face actually changed during his peak strongman years. He developed Bell's Palsy during the filming of Game of Thrones, which caused temporary paralysis on one side of his face. Fans noticed it during his "Zombie Mountain" phase, thinking it was just great makeup. In reality, he was just pushed to the absolute limit of human physiology.
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The Pivot: Boxing and the "Heaviest Match in History"
After the deadlift record, Hafþór did something nobody expected. He got small. Well, "small" for him meant dropping down to a shredded 330 pounds. He lost over 100 pounds of fat and "unnecessary" muscle to fight his rival, Eddie Hall.
The feud between these two was real. It wasn't just some WWE-style marketing. They genuinely seemed to dislike each other. The fight, dubbed "The Heaviest Boxing Match in History," took place in Dubai in 2022.
Most people expected a sloppy brawl. Instead, Björnsson actually looked like a boxer. He moved his feet. He used his reach. He dropped Hall twice and won by unanimous decision. It was a massive moment for his brand because it showed he wasn't just a "static" strength athlete. He had discipline. He could adapt.
What is He Doing Now?
If you follow him on social media today, you’ll see a man who has come full circle. He tried the boxing thing, realized his heart was still in the gym, and returned to powerlifting and strongman. But he’s doing it smarter now.
He’s a businessman. Between his "Thor’s Power Program," his gym in Iceland, and various sponsorships, he’s built a post-acting career that most professional athletes would envy. He isn't waiting for the phone to ring for another "Big Guy #2" role in a Marvel movie, though he did show up in The Northman (2022) looking absolutely terrifying as Throttólfur.
He also recently dealt with a horrific injury—a complete pectoral muscle tear during a bench press attempt. It was caught on video, and honestly, don't look it up unless you have a strong stomach. The sound was like a wet sheet ripping in half. But even that didn't stop him. He underwent surgery, did the rehab, and he’s already back to lifting weights that would crush a normal person.
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The Reality of the "Mountain" Legacy
It’s easy to pigeonhole him. People see the height and the muscles and assume that’s all there is. But Björnsson represents a very specific kind of modern celebrity. He used a niche sport to get a massive TV role, then used that TV role to become the face of an entire fitness subculture.
He’s also a dad. He posts about his son, Freddie, and his wife, Kelsey Henson. The height difference between him and his wife—she’s 5'2"—became a viral meme for years, but they’ve handled the public scrutiny with a lot of grace. It humanizes a guy who literally spent years being paid to be a monster.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Athletes
If you're looking at Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as an inspiration, there are a few real-world lessons you can actually apply to your own life, even if you aren't a 6'9" Viking:
- Specialize, then diversify. He became the best in the world at one thing (strength) before he branched out into acting or boxing. Build your "core" skill first.
- Listen to your hardware. He knew when to lose weight for his health. He didn't stay at 450 lbs forever because he knew it would kill him. Recognize when your current path is becoming unsustainable.
- Recovery is a job. His comeback from the pec tear wasn't magic. It was boring, meticulous physical therapy.
- Embrace the pivot. He didn't let the end of Game of Thrones define him. He moved into the next thing immediately.
Hafþór isn't just a guy who was in a show you liked. He is a case study in how to manage a physical "gift" and turn it into a sustainable, multi-faceted career. He’ll always be The Mountain to us, but to him, that was just one chapter in a much longer, much heavier story.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge
To truly understand the mechanics of his strength, look into the specific training methodology of Westside Conjugate or The Cube Method, which many strongmen adapt. If you're interested in his filmography beyond HBO, check out Robert Eggers’ The Northman to see how he performs under a director who prioritizes historical grit over CGI. Finally, monitoring his current "Road to 1000lbs" (total) or specific comeback lifts on his official YouTube channel provides a raw, unedited look at the recovery process after a major athletic injury.