“I’m Going to Win”: Hafthor Björnsson Sets Atlas Stone Personal Record Ahead of 2024 Shaw Classic

“The Mountain” believes he has a “good shot” at winning the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth contest.

Last updated on August 1st, 2024

2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Hafthor Björnsson returned to competitive strongman in 2024, scoring a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic. He’s currently amidst his rigorous prep for the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth (SMoE), the headline contest of the 2024 Shaw Classic in Loveland, CO, on Aug. 16-18, 2024.

On July 25, 2024, Björnsson achieved a personal record Atlas Stone lift of 260 kilograms. His session included a warm-up before the following:

Björnsson discussed his training plans while traveling and how he’ll follow his coach’s training guidance while vacationing in Canada.

Warm-Ups — Atlas Stone

During warm-up sets, Björnsson hoists a 100-kilogram (220 pounds) Atlas stone over the crossbar of a yoke. His second successful stone weighed 153 kilograms (337 pounds).

Björnsson’s third stone weighed 170 kilograms (375 pounds). His fourth jumped 35 kilograms to 205 kilograms (452 pounds). He threw it over the bar with apparent ease for two repetitions.

A study published in the found that Atlas stones share biomechanical characteristics with Romanian deadlifts and front squats. (1)

Working Sets — Atlas Stones

• 220 kilograms (485 pounds)
• 260 kilograms (573 pounds)

Björnsson expressed dissatisfaction with his 220-kilogram lifts, attributing the setback to illness and a loss of appetite. However, he acknowledged a need for increased training. He might attempt to lift 280 kilograms (617 pounds) at least once before the 2024 SMoE.

Supersets — Fingal’s Fingers & Power Stairs

Concluding his session, Björnsson trained Fingal’s Fingers in the parking lot of his gym, completing two reps before transitioning to power stairs. Starting with 240 kilograms (530 pounds), Björnsson did four repetitions for his initial two sets. For his final set, Björnsson worked Fingal’s Fingers again, followed by five power stairs with 240 kilograms.

Björnsson credits his rigorous training paying off with his new personal record Atlas stone of 260 kilograms.

“I want to win the Shaw Classic,” confirmed Björnssojn. “I have a good shot. Good events for me as I keep progressing, I’m confident in my ability to win the show.”

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Reference

1. Hindle, B., Lorimer, A., Winwood, P., Brimm, D., & Keogh, J. W. L. (2021). The biomechanical characteristics of the strongman atlas stone lift. PeerJ, 9, e12066. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12066