Hafthor ‘Thor’ Björnsson has revealed the performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) he took in an attempt to break the deadlift world record at the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas in May.
Had the Icelandic strongman succeeded in breaking the world record, the Enhanced Games would have awarded him with a $1m prize. But Thor’s cocktail of anabolic steroids failed to improve his performance. After comfortably pulling 425kg and 475kg, Thor was unsuccessful when attempting 515kg – which would have beaten the current world record of 510kg, which he set back in 2025.
But despite his failure, Thor was open to sharing his approach with journalists.
‘I’m taking Testosterone, Deca-Durabolin, Anadrol [oxymetholone] and a small amount of Halotestin [fluoxymesterone],’ he said during a press event at the Enhanced Games, as reported by Unfiltered Extra.
Thor admitted that the list of substances he was allowed to use as part of the games took him by surprise; the Enhanced Games only allows competitors to take FDA-approved drugs.
‘When I first signed up with Enhanced Games, I thought, “It’s the Enhanced Games, I can use whatever I want – great.” But then actually, after speaking to my agent and speaking to the people, I realised that only FDA-approved substances are allowed. So I actually had to change up my routine a bit, because I was using substances before that weren’t FDA-approved.’
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He continued: ‘In the past I took substances like Dianabol [methandrostenolone], I have used Trenbolone – that’s not allowed. Equipoise [boldenone undecylenate]. These are the main substances that I have used in the past that are not allowed here at the Enhanced Games.’
Of course, even the FDA-approved PEDs Thor mentioned all carry significant risks. While they can stimulate the growth of muscle tissue and bone mass, the mix of drugs he took have been linked to side effects such as testicular shrinkage; infertility; hair loss; mood swings; paranoia; heart, liver and kidney issues; and elevated prostate cancer risk.
Thor will return to deadlifting on July 11 in LA at a new event, Enhanced Breakers, as he aims to break the world record once more. He will attempt to lift 511kg this time around, but has his sights set on topping 550kg in the future.
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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_
