The athletes competing in the 2025 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC), which will be held from Feb. 28 to March 1, 2025, in Columbus, OH, are in the final stages of their preparations. Three-time ASC winner Hafthor Björnsson fired a warning shot at his rivals, letting it be known that he aims to win and make history in Ohio.
Björnsson’s strength coach, Sebastian Oreb, posted a video of Björnsson performing a 420-kilogram deadlift triple in training. Check it out below:
Björnsson wore a weight belt and used lifting straps, and performed three clean reps in a row. Upon completing the third rep, he briefly celebrated after receiving encouragement from those in his gym.
Björnsson used his version of the Rogue Elephant Bar to replicate the opening event of the 2025 contest, the Elephant Bar Deadlift. Björnsson’s deadlift triple was posted fewer than two weeks after he lifted 470 kilograms in training — two shy of his all-time world record lift with an Elephant Bar.
Oreb’s post also featured Björnsson performing a 400-kilogram deadlift triple and Björnsson’s 456-kilogram lift from the 2024 ASC contest, which was enough to win the event. Oreb confirmed that this recent set was a part of Björnsson’s final training session before the competition in Columbus.
Björnsson seeks his first ASC title since 2020. He intends to pull 501 kilograms, the same weight he pulled in 2020. Some consider the Elephant Bar variation a more challenging lift because the barbell is longer and has more whip.
Björnsson is favored to win the Elephant Bar Deadlift event in Ohio. He holds the world record at 472 kilograms and won the event in 2024. However, two-time defending ASC champion Mitchell Hooper will likely challenge Björnsson for the world record pull.
Björnsson aims to match Zydrunas Savickas, who remains the only athlete to win four ASC titles.
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