Hafthor Björnsson Places Powerlifting on Pause for Return to Strongman Competitors
The previous World’s Strongest Man has a brand new outlook on competing.
Hafthor Björnsson despatched a transparent message to the power sports activities world by saying 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 Traditional made headlines in February of 2023 when he formally got here out of retirement. Nevertheless, 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 Gymnasium in Kópavogur, Iceland.
Almost six months since struggling the harm that pressured him to change his coaching plans, Björnsson shared a video on his YouTube channel on Sept. 21, 2023 detailing his determination to take his profession in a unique (however acquainted) path.
“As of now, due to the harm, I really feel prefer it’s the neatest determination for me to step away for just a little bit, hold coaching, hold increase the static power,” Björnsson defined. “Then in some unspecified time in the future afterward in my journey, perhaps a yr from now, two years from now, three years from now, I would decide it again up.”
This isn’t the primary (or seemingly the final) time the 2023 Worldwide Sports activities Corridor of Fame inductee has switched his athletic priorities. After incomes a repute 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 properly within the ring, the expertise of adjusting sports activities supplied some vital perspective.
“After I determined to do powerlifting within the first place, after being in boxing for 2 years, I set my objectives so excessive and I used to be getting robust so quick that my physique wasn’t prepared for it, and that’s why I bought injured, for my part,” Björnsson stated. “I have to be sensible 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 clarification behind his determination to return to strongman.
“The principle cause is simply because I’ve a lot love for the game,” Björnsson stated.
Motivated to make a profitable comeback, the person recognized for portraying “The Mountain” within the tv collection “Recreation of Thrones” plans to take a affected person strategy to the method. Björnsson stated he’ll take issues at his personal tempo as he prepares to compete once more.
“I’m clearly going to set massive objectives for myself, however after I’m going to enter a contest I’m going to do my finest,” he defined. “What which means is I’m not going to be chasing a person, chasing a report, 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 total.”
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 lively standing and competes once more, he can be robotically certified to enter the 2024 World’s Strongest Man due to 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 turned 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, which may simply be essentially the most spectacular accomplishment of his embellished profession.
Featured Picture: Hafthor Björnsson / YouTube
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