Icelandic strength athlete Hafthor Bjornsson has pulled off some insane feats of strength over the years. However, a recent post made on Instagram saw him complete yet another massive lift, as Bjornsson crushed a massive 837.7 pounds (380 kilograms) squat. This is a part of Hafthor’s prep for his goal of lifting 970 pounds (440 kilograms) in two weeks. He also teased his target of potentially attempting a 1102.3-pound (500-kilogram) squat.
Hafthor Bjornsson is widely regarded as one of the greatest Strongman and powerlifting competitors of all time. He emerged as a promising strongman prospect out of Europe in the early 2010s. Following that, over the course of his decade-long career, Bjornsson racked up 30 international victories. This includes the coveted World’s Strongest Man title (2018) and several world records. His iconic rivalry with fellow strongman icon Eddie Hall further elevated his star power along with his role as ‘The Mountain’ on the mega-hit television series Game of Thrones.
Hafthor Bjornsson briefly stepped away from professional competition after breaking Hall’s Deadlift World Record with a 501-kilogram (1,104.5-pound) pull. Following the feat, he clashed with Hall inside the boxing ring in a fight billed as ‘The Heaviest Boxing Match in History’. Bjornsson came out on top after multiple rounds of fighting, as the judges came to a unanimous decision. While he was considering of continuing boxing, he eventually decided against it last October. Instead, he declared his ambitions to return to Strongman, hoping to improve his own Weight Over Bar World Record after a two-year hiatus.
‘The Mountain’ made a triumphant comeback by setting the Weight Over Bar World Record of 20-feet and 3 inches at the 2022 Rogue Invitational. Having completed his first goal, Hafthor Bjornsson then continued preparing for his powerlifting comeback. His prep had some up and downs, as he narrowly escaped injury after dropping the bar while squatting 749.6 pounds (340 kilograms) for two reps last November. However, he followed that up by crushing an insane 793.6-pound (360-kilogram) deadlift for two reps shortly before his powerlifting competition.
Hafthor Bjornsson continued to amp up his training as he pulled off a massive 429.9-pound (195-kg) paused bench press and an 837.8-pound (380-kilogram) deadlift raw. Utilizing his years of experience, Hafthor peaked just on time and left the fans stunned with his unreal strength in his comeback to powerlifting. Ultimately, he scored gold with a total of 2,138.5 pounds (970 kilograms) in the +140-kilogram category.
Hafthor Bjornsson demolishes 837.7-pound (380-kilogram) squat
In a recent Instagram post, Hafthor Bjornsson smoked a huge 837.7-pound (380-kilogram) squat, using only knee wraps and a belt. He is currently in preparation for the upcoming 970-pound (440-kilogram) attempt in two weeks. Bjornsson also backed himself to crush a 1102.3-pound (500-kilogram) squat before the end of the year.
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He appeared to lift the bar with relative ease and proper technique. Due to this, Hafthor managed to avoid any struggle on his way up.
“Holy smokes! 380kg flew up like nothing. 440kg squat coming up April 15th,” he wrote. “Who believes in 500kg squat this year? I DO”
Hafthor Bjornsson etched his name in the history books after getting inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame last month. Surprisingly, he didn’t celebrate the achievement for long as he eyed breaking the all-time raw powerlifting world record before returning to Strongman in 2024.
Hafthor also took on Dan Bell, All-Time World Record holder in the Raw With Wraps division, a few weeks ago. The two men put on an intense showdown at the 2023 Arnold Sports Festival, both showed off their extraordinary strength. They completed a training session together, which ended with them smoking 870.8-pound (395-kilogram) raw deadlifts.
Based on the latest update, Bjornsson is in a good spot for accomplishing his goal. However, it is also very likely that he will keep progressing his lifts even further.
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