2022 Rewind: Meet Thirst-Trapping, Wood-Chopping Hunk Thoren Bradley
EDGE is looking back at 2022 and we're resharing some of our favorite stories of the year.
Thoren "Thor" Bradley describes himself on his Facebook page as a "Natural Bodybuilder, Mentor, Coach and Fitness Personality." He is also trending on social media for displaying the success of his fitness regimen.
His extensive IG account has garnered almost 450,000 followers.
One particular post that caught the public eye of his IG followers (not to mention his additional 4.3 million on TikTok) is one of him chopping wood. "My rebuttal to the captain America Nonsense I....Did my best," he wrote on the post that features him first removing an ax from a log and then splitting the wood with his bare hands.
He also shared a tweet in which he explains the process of how he chops wood before demonstrating his skill by splitting a thick, 3-foot-high log in five strokes. User @kaylawithav shared the TikTok on Twitter that has now been viewed three million times.
But who is Bradley?
"The original video comes from TikToker @bradley.thor, who regularly posts clips of himself in the Northern California wilderness, splitting logs with an ax. He's muscular, covered in tattoos and has a short beard," Mel Magazine said.
Bradley said, "Bodybuilding and fitness is an expressive art that can heal the mind,"according to the website One37PM. Bradley added that his "biggest goal is to change the way we look at blending bodybuilding with maintainable lifestyle."
"He does more than just get his fans ripped and healthy," One37PM said. "Bradley also encourages his fans to work often neglected qualities: the flexibility and strength of the mind— an equally important aspect of his workout routine and ethos. By working against the brains versus brawn stereotype, Bradley, who holds a Master's degree in exercise physiology, contributes towards dismantling our society's ludicrous, anxiety-inducing body image standards."
Mel Magazine commented that "Every element to this shtick is crucial to its appeal: It works as both eye and ear candy, but there's something ideological about it, too. Perhaps he'd get a similar response looking the way he does and making the sounds that he does while, say, lifting weights at the gym. But it's almost instinctively more appealing to witness him do something so productive. Per his TikTok and Instagram, Bradley has a Master's in exercise physiology and works a day job in that field. Certainly much of the wood he chops is for his videos, yet it appears as though he's burning that wood in his home, too."
Little can be gleaned about his personal life.