Thor Bjornsson

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is a professional strongman and actor. He is the 2018 World’s Strongest Man, the 2018 and 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic winner, a multiple world record holder, and arguably the strongest man to ever life. Born on 26 November 1988 in Akranes, Iceland, Hafþór developed strength early, working on the familial farm owned by his grandfather, Reynir Ásgeirsson. The latter, an imposing presence himself at 206cm, has said that, “Even when Hafþór was not yet tall, he was big and strong.”Thor started his athletic career playing basketball as a center for several Division I teams in Iceland. He was a promising prospect, even playing for the Icelandic National Team in 2006. However, recurrent ankle injuries forced him into early retirement.

From 2008 on, Hafþór began training for strength for the first time, at the legendary Jakaból gym (the Giant’s Nest). He soon distinguished himself in the sport and, by 2010, was the dominant force in Icelandic strongman. Thor has since won Iceland’s Strongest Man for nine consecutive years.

Internationally, Thor has won Europe’s Strongest Man five times since 2014. He has won the Arnold Strongman Classic–widely regarded as the most difficult major strongman competition–twice. In 2018, he was the first man to take first in all three major competitions: World’s Strongest Man, The Arnold Strongman Classic, and World’s Ultimate Strongman.

Thor began working with Transcend in 2022 to focus on both performance and recovery.