Hafthor Björnsson Places Powerlifting on Pause for Return to Strongman Competitors

The previous World’s Strongest Man has a brand new outlook on competing.

Written by Stephen Sheehan, CPT Final up to date on Sep 22, 2023

Hafthor Björnsson despatched a transparent message to the energy sports activities world by saying he’ll shift his focus from powerlifting to competing in strongman once more.

The 2018 World’s Strongest Man and three-time winner of the Arnold Strongman Basic made headlines in February of 2023 when he formally got here out of retirement. Nevertheless, simply two months later, Björnsson encountered a critical setback in his quest to show his dominance once more when he tore his pectoral muscle throughout a powerlifting competitors held at Thor’s Energy Health club in Kópavogur, Iceland.

Practically six months since struggling the harm that compelled him to change his coaching plans, Björnsson shared a video on his YouTube channel on Sept. 21, 2023 detailing his determination to take his profession in a unique (however acquainted) course.

“As of now, due to the harm, I really feel prefer it’s the neatest determination for me to step away for a bit of bit, hold coaching, hold increase the static energy,” Björnsson defined. “Then sooner or later in a while in my journey, possibly a 12 months from now, two years from now, three years from now, I would choose it again up.”

This isn’t the primary (or doubtless the final) time the 2023 Worldwide Sports activities Corridor of Fame inductee has switched his athletic priorities. After incomes a popularity as an all-time nice strongman, Björnsson retired from the game in August 2020 and subsequently competed in each boxing and powerlifting.

Though he didn’t fare fairly as properly within the ring, the expertise of fixing sports activities offered some necessary perspective.

“Once I determined to do powerlifting within the first place, after being in boxing for 2 years, I set my objectives so excessive and I used to be getting robust so quick that my physique wasn’t prepared for it, and that’s why I acquired injured, for my part,” Björnsson mentioned. “I have to be good with my coaching. I would like to provide myself extra time to construct up that static energy.”

After offering his rationale for placing his powerlifting aspirations on pause, the legendary competitor gave a easy clarification behind his determination to return to strongman.

“The principle cause is simply because I’ve a lot love for the game,” Björnsson mentioned.

Motivated to make a profitable comeback, the person identified for portraying “The Mountain” within the tv sequence “Recreation of Thrones” plans to take a affected person strategy to the method. Björnsson mentioned he’ll take issues at his personal tempo as he prepares to compete once more.

“I’m clearly going to set massive objectives for myself, however after I’m going to enter a contest I’m going to do my greatest,” he defined. “What which means is I’m not going to be chasing a person, chasing a report, chasing one thing immediately. I would like my physique to get used to the heavy lifting. I would like my tendons to get stronger, and that simply takes time general.”

Regardless of being three years faraway from his final strongman contest — a championship title at Iceland’s Strongest Man in August of 2020 — it won’t be lengthy earlier than Björnsson captures his thirty ninth victory within the sport.

As soon as he returns to lively standing and competes once more, he can be mechanically certified to enter the 2024 World’s Strongest Man due to his standing as a former champion. After all, if that happens, the Iceland native would face a tall job to take down reigning winner Mitchell Hooper, who grew to become the primary Canadian-born victor in April 2023.

But when Björnsson wins his second World’s Strongest Man title six years after incomes his first, which may simply be probably the most spectacular accomplishment of his adorned profession.

Featured Picture: Hafthor Björnsson / YouTube