Strongman in World Highland Games

Hogg, a former national-level shot put athlete and former farmers walk world-record holding strongman, is preparing to compete at the annual competition in San Francisco in September.

Not only will he face old rivals among his 11 warrior counterparts, but one of the world’s better known strongman figureheads.

Halfthor Bjornsson, made famous as The Mountain Gregor Clegane in HBO’s Game of Thrones adaptation, will attend the games – featuring as current world-record holder for the weight-for-height category.

The category involves hurling a huge weight with a single hand over a bar; Bjornsson threw 25 kilograms over 586 centimetres.

‘‘I’ve met him a couple of times before,’’ Hogg said.

‘‘His name is Halfthor, but he’s much closer to being one-and-a-half-Thor.’’

Hogg said his ability for throwing could see him in with a chance in the category, as well as the weight-for-distance section.

Although it is difficult for him to train for the event, he will also try his hand at the famous Highland games’ caber log throw.

It takes a breakfast of up to 18 slices of toast to fuel the 142-kilogram strongman, formerly of Western Australia, who said he needed to eat consistently – and cleanly – throughout the day to maintain his physique.

‘‘I’ll drink lots of water before I go to bed and have a protein shake ready, so when I wake up to go to the bathroom I can get another meal in,’’ Hogg said.

‘‘Boxes of Wheetbix, I think there’s 30 in a packet, one box might last me two days.’’

He said it was the support of his wife and two daughters, 10 and 12, that kept him going with the sport as an athlete in his early 40s.

Hogg’s routine as a crew leader in Bell Bay’s Rio Tinto potroom sees him work shifts, which are split up between his ‘‘grazing’’ and up to three-hour training sessions.