Hafþór Björnsson (otherwise known as The Mountain) has made a name for himself as a man who trains hard and eats even harder. Regularly sharing videos of his Cheat Day meals and Strongman diet with his fans, it’s hard to imagine being able to fit that many calories into your day, let alone stomach them all. But when you consider the strength and power of this man who has come to dominate the Strongman competition in recent years, it makes sense that his would be a diet oriented towards gaining mass – or at least that was the case, before Björnsson switched to boxing with a proposed fight against rival, Eddie Hall.
Since making the switch in 2021, Björnsson has stunned fans and followers alike with a transformation of sorts, shedding kilos and gaining incredible endurance as he comes to embody the physique and skills of a boxer. With the upcoming fight now scheduled for March 19 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in the United Arab Emirates, Björnsson isn’t leaving anything to chance. Now, he taking a discerning eye to his diet and thinking carefully about how best to fuel himself for the big fight.
As a professional Strongman, Björnsson used to consume up to 10,000 calories a day – more than three times the caloric intake a typical active man would require. He’s since pared down his food intake and monitors the amount consumed, right down o the gram and ounce. “Now, when I’m doing boxing, my meals are more specific,” he explained to Men’s Health US.
Gone are the six eggs, six slices of bacon, orange juice and water that he used to eat first thing back as a Strongman. Now, his diet consists of eight ounces of beef tenderloin, two whole eggs, 110 grams of oatmeal, 150 grams of berries, and one glass of orange juice. Björnsson favours beef tenderloin because it’s a “leaner meat, not as fatty.”
His next meal is more beef tenderloin, with 100 grams of greens like zucchini and spinach, and 140 grams of rice. For his third meal, Björnsson focuses on carbs as he loads up on eight ounces of cod fish and 100 grams of greens, paired with 300 grams of potatoes.
For his fourth meal, Björnsson eats eight ounces of salmon, 140 grams of rice, and 100 grams of greens. That said, he still makes time for dessert and likes to dine on the Icelandic delicacy Thor’s Skyr, something he claims to be high in protein and full of probiotics to help with gut health. A self-confessed ice-cream lover with a sweet tooth, he also adds 100 grams of berries and 30 grams of nut butter to the ice-cream.
Whether this diet will be enough to see Björnsson emerge victorious from the ring remains to be seen. But we’re looking forward to the two Strongmen going head to head in what will certainly be a boxing match to remember.
