How the Mountain from Games of Thrones is making Manly Sea Eagles star Martin Taupau even stronger

MANLY enforcer Martin Taupau will be back bigger and stronger in 2017 thanks to help from the man who trains the Mountain that Rides.

Gregor Clegane, the Mountain that Rides.

MARTY Taupau and Mountain from Game of Thrones.

Fair tag team, right?

“Oh absolutely,” says Sebastian Oreb, the Sydney strength coach responsible for training both men.

“And while the pair are outstanding athletes, you haven’t seen the best in either of them yet”.

Widely regarded as the strongest man in rugby league — thanks to a staggering 310kg dead lift — Taupau has shaken up his weights program over the summer under Oreb, who is also preparing Icelandic star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson for the ‘World’s Strongest Man’ competition.

Apart from instructing the Game of Thrones megastar for over a year, Oreb will also fly to Europe in April as part of preparations for the global strongman events.

His goal is to finally get Mountain, who has twice placed inside the world top three and recently broke a 1000-year-old Viking log carry record, to the summit.

Back home in Sydney, Oreb’s focus has been on Manly’s enforcer, who also boasts a 200kg squat and 195kg bench press.

Despite the Kiwi international’s ability to lift heavy, Oreb said the pair had changed things up.

“This year we’re focused more on improving fitness, losing some weight and getting Marty prepared to play bigger minutes,’’ the Base Gym owner said.

“I mean, he’s still posting numbers that make him the strongest man in league.

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“Very first session after his break, Marty powercleaned 140kg. And he’s still squatting 200kg, deadlifting 270kg and bench pressing in repetitions at 170kg.

“But this year, Marty also wants to play under 110kg. Get through more minutes on the field, too.

“He knows he’s in rugby league for the long haul and our programs are developed around ensuring that.

Taupau is the strongest man in rugby league.

“Rugby league hasn’t seen the best of Marty Taupau yet,’’ his lifting coach continues. “His game will go to new levels again this year.”

Training The Mountain via correspondence and international trips, Oreb is preparing the 192kg strongman for an upcoming dead lift of “1000 pounds” — or a tick over 453kg.

“Although we don’t do a lot of the classic barbell lifts,’’ the coach said. “You’re talking about guys who compete by tossing kegs, picking up trucks and pulling aeroplanes.

“Exercises a regular human being can’t do because, physically, they just aren’t big enough.

“In world strongman competitions the lightest competitors are 150kg. But (Björnsson) weighs over 190kg.

“He’s finished second in the title rankings before and there was nothing in it. So this year he can definitely win the lot.”