Game of Thrones star reveals his giant diet ... here’s what it would do to you

“If you want to grow big and strong, you’ll need to eat up!” It’s a piece of advice we’ve probably all heard at some point in our lives. But at 2.06 metres and 180 kilograms and with the strength to dead lift almost 455kg, few will have taken it as seriously as Icelandic strongman Hafthor Julius Bjornsson.

Bjornsson plays “The Mountain” in hit television series Game of Thrones, a monstrous warrior who crushes his enemies’ heads with his bare hands. In the real world, he is also one of the world’s strongest men.

Recently, he posted details of his daily routine on Instagram, and it is quite a feast. An analysis by Men’s Fitness reveals the much-loved star consumes around 12,000 calories a day, close to five times the requirement of an average Joe.

But how does this diet support his performance aims of becoming the World’s Strongest Man – and could it be refined to improve the physique of mere mortals like you and me?

Let’s first address his supplements. The use of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) is common practice among gym goers. However, no scientific evidence exists that supplementing BCAAs (isolated components of complete proteins) is any more effective for stimulating muscle growth than high quality protein, such as milk. And BCAAs do seem to be useful in offsetting the soreness associated with muscle damage – although they do not improve the recovery of muscle function.

For those new to lifting weights, BCAAs may therefore help reduce the severity of muscle soreness that inevitably occurs in the first few sessions at the gym. But the effect is small and a more cost effective alternative may be a large glass of milk, which can limit markers of muscle damage post workout. Milk or chocolate milk is also a convenient source of easy-to-consume liquid calories – handy when you’re faced with needing 12,000 a day.