Even if you don't know Hafr Jlus Bjrnsson, chances are you know his work. As current holder of the World's Strongest Man title, the massive Icelandic professional strongman and actor is a hard presence to forget. And thanks to his role as Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane on HBO's Game of Thrones, he's familiar even to those who don't closely watch strongman competitions.
Bjrnsson just hit a personal deadlift record, according to his Instagram. Since he currently holds the top mark in the world for that exercise without the aid of a deadlift suit, that would seemingly make this lift a world record. He appears to be working out at his home gym without any officials present to certify the achievement, though, so don't rewrite the record books just yet.
Still, the lift is awe-inspiring. "1042lbs/473kg DEADLIFT!!" he captioned the video. He also notes that,"This is the heaviest Deadlift ever done on a Elephant Bar." For those outside of heavy lifting circles, an Elephant Bar is an extra large barbell designed by Rogue specifically for the massive loads Bjrnsson and his peers take on in 1-rep competition. Unlike standard barbells, which weigh 45 pounds and measure 7 feet long, the Elephant Bar weighs 65 pounds and is 9 feet, 7 inches long, with extra long cuffs to hold more plates.
And while the lift may not hit the official record books, careful onlookers will note that Bjrnsson just barely topped out his own previous mark. He previously pulled off a deadlift of 472 kilograms (1,041 pounds), just one less kilogram, on an Elephant Bar at the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic. He's the first person to win the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe's Strongest Man, and World's Strongest Man in the same calendar year.
All that heft also helped him break the record for the "Sandwich Pull" as a KFC pitchman , and helped make it believable when his character used his bare hands to completely obliterate another man's skull in what's still one of Game of Thrones' most gruesome deaths.