So you thought The Mountain from Game of Thrones only looks huge thanks to clever camera angles and Hollywood production voodoo? Think again.
Hafþór Julius Bjornsson, also known as The Mountain isn’t your average 25 year old. Not only is he the strongest man in Westeros, he is officially the strongest man in Europe and placed 2nd in this year’s World’s Strongest Man competition.
Have a look at Bjornsson dominating the European World Strongest Man
Bjornsson, who can bench press 230 kilograms, is 2.06 meters tall and weighs 180 kilograms. He also reportedly eats over 40 000 kilojoules a day. To put that into perspective, Bakkies Botha is 2.02 meters tall and weighs around 124kilograms.
Peter Dinklage, the actor who plays the role of Tyrion, and almost had to fight to the death against The Mountain in Season 4, is only 1.35meters tall.(That’s a 71 cm difference.) One Reddit user did the math and compiled this comparative picture of the two of them standing next to each other.
If you’re a Game of Thrones junkie, Check out The Tyrion Lannister Guide to Winning to see how the Imp survived for so long .
Before Bjornsson became a strong man competitor and actor he enjoyed a career as a professional basketball player before a knee injury brought an end to any NBA dreams.
Unlike his Game of Thrones character, Bjornsson is a really nice guy. Watch how he granted a little boy’s wish of having the Hulk attend his birthday party. (It’s a bit long, so if you want to skip to the transformation go to 1:41.)
Inspired to get your Mountain on? If you’re looking for a Westeros workout, try our Game of Thrones Workout. Or alternatively follow the Jason Moamo Workout.
