The previous World’s Strongest Man has a brand new outlook on competing.
Hafthor Björnsson despatched a transparent message to the strength sports activities world by asserting 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 came out of retirement. Nonetheless, 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 Fitness center 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 resolution to take his profession in a special (however acquainted) course.
“As of now, due to the harm, I really feel prefer it’s the neatest resolution for me to step away for somewhat bit, hold coaching, hold build up the static power,” Björnsson defined. “Then sooner or later afterward in my journey, perhaps a yr from now, two years from now, three years from now, I’d choose it again up.”
This isn’t the primary (or probably the final) time the 2023 International Sports Hall of Fame inductee has switched his athletic priorities. After incomes a status 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 nicely within the ring, the expertise of fixing sports activities supplied some essential perspective.
“Once I determined to do powerlifting within the first place, after being in boxing for 2 years, I set my targets 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, in my view,” Björnsson mentioned. “I have to be good with my coaching. I want to present myself extra time to construct up that static power.”
After offering his rationale for placing his powerlifting aspirations on pause, the legendary competitor gave a easy rationalization behind his resolution to return to strongman.
“The principle purpose 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 collection “Sport 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 large targets for myself, however after I’m going to enter a contest I’m going to do my finest,” he defined. “What meaning is I’m not going to be chasing a person, chasing a file, chasing one thing instantly. I want my physique to get used to the heavy lifting. I want 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 energetic standing and competes once more, he could be mechanically certified to enter the 2024 World’s Strongest Man because of his standing as a former champion. In fact, if that happens, the Iceland native would face a tall activity 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, that may simply be probably the most spectacular accomplishment of his adorned profession.
Featured Picture: Hafthor Björnsson / YouTube
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