Thor Bjornsson Diet: What ‘The Mountain’ Eats for His Strongman Training

If you really are what you eat, then Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson has earned his nickname as “The Mountain.”

The towering Icelandic strongman, who inherited his nickname from the character he played on Game of Thrones, Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, took to Facebook last week to share his titanic nutrition plan. At 6’9″ and nearly 400lbs., Björnsson needs a helluva lot more fuel than the average dude—and that’s especially true as he trains for The World’s Strongest Man competition. What kind of training? GLAD YOU ASKED:

Training Truck Pull for Worlds Strongest Man 2016! Great training session done in the rain today. #NoExcuses #NeverStopPushingYourself

A post shared by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (@thorbjornsson) on May 1, 2016 at 9:21am PDT

 

Naturally, since we love a good nutrition plan (especially one so rich in clean carbs and lean proteins), we decided to drill a little deeper into Björnsson’s impressive grocery haul and figure out exactly how many macros—meaning protein, fat, and carbs—this guy needs to eat every day to pull tractor-trailers down the road.

We did have to make a few assumptions:
 – 1: We interpreted a Mountain-sized “handful” as 1 dry cup. (That’s about two handfuls for the average man.)
 – 2: In cases where Björnsson chooses between two options (protein OR eggs, for example) we averaged the nutrient profile of both options.
 – 3: All nutrition facts are sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s official National Nutrient Database. Björnsson isn’t specific about all his foods, so we made our best guesses and noted the variety we chose.

 

The Thor Björnsson Nutrition Plan

TIME	FOOD	Volume (g)	Protein (g)	Fats (g)	Carbs (g)	Notes
6:50	MORNING WORKOUT: BCAAs	—
	Glutamine	—
	Handful of almonds	92	19.5	46	20
7:30	8 eggs	400	50	42	4.5
	200gr Oats	200	5	3	24
	blueberries & strawberries	30	0	0	0
	avocado	200	4	29	17	Assuming 1 avocado
9:30	400gr beef	400	112	52	0	Braised flank steak, fat removed
	400gr sweet potatoes	400	8	0.6	82
	handful of spinach and greens	30	1	0	1	Assuming spinach
11:50	BCAAs, glutamine	—
12:00	400gr chicken	400	122	12	0	Boneless skinless chicken breast, grilled
	400gr potatoes	400	8.4	0.6	84	White, flesh and skin, baked
	greens + some fruits	30	1	0	1	Assuming spinach
14:00	150gr oats or sweet potatoes	150	3.5	2	24	Average of oats/sweet potatoes
	2 bananas	200	3	0.9	62	Assuming large bananas
	150gr Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	150	10	3	128	Standard Rice Krispies
	frozen berries	30	0	0	0
	handful almonds	92	19.5	46	20
	peanut butter	50	11	25	12	USDA commodity
	glutamine	—
14:30	STRONGMAN TRAINING: BCAAs, Glutamine, Vitargo	—
17:30	60gr protein	60	60	0	0
	2 bananas	200	3	0.9	62	Assuming large bananas
18:00	500gr beef	500	140	65	0	Braised flank steak, fat removed
	500gr potatoes	500	10.5	0.75	105	Asssuming white, baked
	greens	30	1	0	1	Assuming spinach
20:30	500gr salmon	500	127	40	0	Baked wild Atlantic salmon
	500gr sweet potatoes	500	10	1	103
22:30	50gr casein protein or 6 eggs*	50	50	18	3	Assuming whole jumbo raw eggs
	avocado	200	4	29	17	Assuming 1 avocado
	30gr almonds	30	6	15	6.5
	50gr peanut butter	50	11	25	12
23:59	50gr casein protein or raw eggs	50	50	0	0
	TOTAL	5.924	850.4	456.75	789
		kg	g	g	g

 

If that seems like a lot to read, imagine eating all that. (For the record: Björnsson recommends you don’t try this.) He puts away nearly 6 kilograms of food—about 13 pounds—every day, including nearly a kilogram of protein. Measuring roughly, his macro balance is about 2:1:2 protein to fat to carbs, although he prioritizes protein and gets slightly more healthy fats than that ratio would imply.

It’s also worth mentioning that he does eat plenty of nutrient-rich greens and fruits, which aren’t reflected in his macro total but do provide essential nutrients, fiber, and a little taste to his otherwise bland diet.

Bottom line: The guy eats a lot. “I feel for any toilet you come across,” one insightful commenter wrote on his post.

For more nutrition content from Men’s Fitness, check out our “what to eat” page.

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