In his return to competitive strongman in 2024 after a three-year hiatus, Hafthor Björnsson claimed second place at the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth, 2024 Rogue Strongman Invitational, and 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) UK, fourth at the 2024 ASC, won his 11th Iceland’s Strongest Man title, and claimed gold at the 2024 Strongman Champions League (SCL) Dubai contest.
Björnsson performed the heaviest deadlift ever of 501 kilograms (1,105 pounds). With a new regime prescribed by his coach, Sebastian Oreb, the 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) hopes to further his personal best deadlift to 505 kilograms (1,113 pounds). Björnsson revealed his workout split to achieve such a feat in late December 2024.
Björnsson’s first competition in 2025 is the ASC in early March.
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Pause Safety Bar Squats
“I love safety bar squats for strongman training. They force using more quads,” Björnsson shared. Safety bar squats (SSB) use a bent bar with a cushion and parallel handles in front for a more comfortable and neutral squatting position. It helps maintain a more upright torso than traditional barbell squats while reducing pressure on the lower back. Additionally, they can alleviate shoulder stress for those with lagging mobility. SSBs have also been shown to bias the glutes, which play a huge role in deadlifts. (1)
Below are the weights Björnsson lifted during his training session in order. He performed three reps per set, focusing on form.
- 63.3 kilograms (139.55 pounds)
- 104.1 kilograms (229.5 pounds)
- 144.9 kilograms (319.45 pounds)
- 185.7 kilograms (409.4 pounds)
- 226.5 kilograms (499.3 pounds)
- 270 kilograms (595 pounds) x three sets
[Related: Mitchell Hooper Deadlifts 750 Pounds Beltless]
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Yoke Form & Speed
“The first steps are short, and the strides get longer. Start wide and [move the feet] inward,” advised Björnsson’s former coach and elite strongman competitor Stefán Sölvi Pétursson. The latter encouraged experimenting with the yoke bar on the traps, preferring the bar higher. Other elite strongmen, like four-time WSM Brian Shaw, held the bar lower.
“Squeeze [the bar] and push forward,” Pétursson cued for balance and stability. Björnsson focused on speed. “We can pick up 500 kilograms, no problem; it’s about moving faster.”
They went three rounds with 210.1 kilograms (463.2 pounds) for 20 meters. “I feel good; I’m well energized,” said Björnsson after, emphasizing the importance of good sleep. He clocked eight hours and 42 minutes the night before.
Accessory Movements
Björnsson concluded his session with three isolation exercises. The first was maxing out his leg extension machine — pausing and flexing his quads. “It feels too light,” said the 6-foot-9-inch tall, 400-plus pound athlete. It was so light that they attached bands for more resistance. “I’m not a fan of this leg extension,” he confessed.
Björnsson knocked out lying leg curls with fast concentrics and slow eccentrics, a favorable combo for optimizing muscle gains. (2) He wrapped up with standing machine high-rep calf raises.
A 2023 study found over twice as much muscle growth in the larger gastrocnemius calf muscle doing standing calf raises instead of the seated version, though calf growth is largely genetic. (3)
Push, Pull, Progress
Björnsson’s future workouts will emphasize incline presses, working to 155 kilograms and increasing five kilograms weekly for four sets of four reps. Björnsson’s deadlift training will build to 440 kilograms, cycling between heavy and light loads. Fridays are dedicated to Björnsson’s weak points — the log lift and the giant dumbbell press.
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Featured image: @thorbjornsson on Instagram
