Björnsson has equipped himself with some new luxury equipment.
In early 2023, Hafthor Björnsson revealed that he would return to professional strongman and powerlifting. However, after making remarkable strides in training, the former 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) he tore his left pectoral muscle, temporarily derailing some of his planned competition timeline. As he continues to work to regain his strength, Björnsson he recently revealed that he is busy with other avenues.
On July 20, 2023, Björnsson posted a video on his YouTube channel explaining how he used a new (total) investment of $116,000 to expand his personal gym in Kópavogur, Iceland. The athlete seemingly thought of every trip, buying and showing off a variety of high-quality pieces of equipment aimed at building the legs, upper body and back. strong.
To make room for his new pieces of equipment – which are primarily for larger athletes – Björnsson purchased a unit next to his gym’s main equipment. Here’s a breakdown of what he went through in the video:
Belt Squat
Björnsson said his new belt squat machine was his favorite purchase. The machine enables the performance of an athlete squats without a barbell and without additional pressure on the neck, shoulders and back muscles. Athletes buckle into the machine by wearing a belt from a seated position.
“This is a belt squat, which is probably the best investment I’ve made,” explained Björnsson. “Because I’ll be able to train my legs right away… I’ve been wanting this for years and I finally own one.”
Lying Hamstring Curl
The lying hamstring curl allows athletes to build muscle and strength hamstrings either by curling both legs or by doing a single leg variation from the prone position. Björnsson’s new curling machine was almost double the size of a traditional machine.
Standing calf raises and leg extensions
Like most of his gear, Björnsson’s calf raises the machine could handle more weight than standard machines, making it a potentially ideal tool for sturdier and larger athletes. Meanwhile, the leg extension machine was more of the traditional variety and will help shape the quads accordingly.
Flat chest presses and incline chest presses
Björnsson placed his flat chest press and incline chest press near the entrance to his new unit to accommodate athletes looking to improve their chest muscles. Both represent quality chest training options as an alternative to the more traditional barbell bench press.
Combination of Pec Flye-Reverse Flye, Cable Machine and Inverse Leg Curl
Björnsson also introduced a dual purpose upper body machine on his tour chest flies as well as rear deltoid flyes. He also demonstrated an adjustable cable machine that isolates and contracts the upper body muscles from different angles. The inverse leg curl machine is a change of pace, but it’s still an effective way to work on balance and functional strength from an unconventional position, similar to bodyweight-only Nordic hamstrings. The exercise could be more challenging for larger athletes due to the amount of weight they have to lift, and the inverse curling machine allows you to add resistance to aid the movement.
Björnsson seemed to be a big fan of the latter.
“It [the inverse curl] is very cool for heavy guys,” said Björnsson. “It’s a hamstring killer. The more weight you gain, the easier it will be. I think it was made for big guys because big guys have a hard time doing this specific move.”
Seal Row, Hip-Quad Machine, Hack Squat
At the end of his tour, Björnsson presented a series of seals, equipment for athletes who perform strict barbell row variation. The difference is that the athletes lay face down on a seal row bench to perform the row, taking the legs and lower back out of the equation. The hip machine effectively isolates the thigh muscles aa hack squat requires much more from quads than a barbell squat thanks to the location of the machine while providing upper body support that reduces lower back fatigue.
According to an Instagram post from July 2023, Björnsson is well on his way to a full recovery from his breast injury. The athlete clarified that he is starting to regain “full range of motion” and has been “feeling better” for a week. Maybe when he’s healthy in time he’ll start using his new equipment seriously.
Featured image: @thorbjornsson on Instagram
