2018 World’s Strongest Man and current deadlift world record holder Hafthor Bjornsson doesn’t appear to be someone who wastes time between goals he is pursuing. Within days of him winning the 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio at the beginning of March, he began training for his world-record 501 kg deadlift, which he lifted on May 2nd at his gym in Iceland on a livestream shared around the world.
In the post-lift interview, Bjornsson acknowledged that he agreed to a boxing match with 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall for September 2021. Even though the fight is well over a year away, he once again had shifted his focus and immediately started preparing for it. That was evidenced by Bjornsson’s most recent Instagram post. The photo shows a much leaner Bjornsson in a fighting stance with his fists wrapped. According to the caption of the post, Bjornsson has lost 18 kg (39 pounds) since the day he started training for his showdown with Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Killer morning session! bodyweight 188kg. When I started this journey I weighed 206kg. @thorspowergym”
This post comes a couple of days after Hall posted a video on YouTube showing his training and stating that he had lost 10 kg (22 pounds) since the lockdown in the United Kingdom started in late March. Unlike his fellow World’s Strongest Man champion rival, Hall hadn’t been training for any specific goal or competition at the time he had accepted the challenge for the boxing match.
Bjornsson had clearly added weight to support his efforts for the deadlift attempt. He hadn’t stated specifically everything that he has been doing to drop weight. Part of it could be attributed to water loss but he did also share some insight into his current training in a YouTube video where he can be seen doing circuit style training. He explained in the video that he changed his training to help improve his conditioning and weight loss.
While a large part of the appeal for the fight is that both men are considered giants compared to the average man, it’s obvious that Bjornsson and Hall both have similar strategies initially. They are looking to drop weight and improve speed. The buildup and training from both men is sure to keep fans interested and talking between now and the day of the fight.
Featured Image: Instagram/thorbjornsson
