Unless you’re a major fitness enthusiast or weight lifter, you’ve likely never heard the term “berserker” and don’t know anything about the “Viking workout” – a new fitness routine and series of exercises designed to mimic the speed, agility and almost superhuman strength attributed to Vikings.
Vikings are a mainstay in popular culture, and for good reason. It’s easy to want to emulate them, as these fierce warrior men and women have a lot of positive attributes to aspire to, such as extreme bravery, agility, speed, and incredible strength. These warrior people were well known for being fearless in battle, for being quick on their feet and able to win any fight. It’s no surprise that they’ve inspired a whole workout routine.
So what is the Viking workout? It’s a series of exercises that target key muscle groups and areas, including the legs, arms, and your core, through activities and workouts that mimic those from the Viking day to day routine – with a goal to strengthen while not compromising speed or agility. This series of workouts is specially designed to strengthen through targeted workouts that mimic those that a Viking warrior might have done, such as carrying heavy items, rowing, and so on.
Here are a few of the workouts that you will train with when you’re doing the Viking workout:
Rowing
Using a rowing machine (or better yet, actually getting out on the water), to build strength and endurance in the arms as well as build up your core and overall endurance;
Ax-Chop
Using a cable rack and single cable to mimic the twisting movement of a real ax-chop, this workout targets your abdominal muscles and obliques;
Dips
These common exercises are by no means easy. They target key areas such as your core and upper body;
Sandbag Clean and Press
Challenge your forearm grip with heavy sandbags, to train the arms specifically;
Farmer Carry
A modified loaded carry, practice walking and stepping with different weight types and levels, it will build your core and give you epic strength;
Miscellaneous Training
You’ll also do more basic exercises as part of the Viking workout, including push-ups, burpees, and pull-ups to tone your body overall and give you more endurance.
One term you’ll hear used a lot in the Viking workout is berserker. The Viking berserker regime is about more than just doing the exercises. For many, it’s a way of life. This means more than just showing up for the fitness part of it. It’s about modifying your diet, through nutritious and healthy food choices – lots of fruits and veggies, healthy grains in moderation, lean proteins, and so on. Drinking lots of water and taking a supplement if needed. For some, going further with a nordic diet is beneficial as it promotes strength and energy. The nordic diet focuses on the foods that nordic people would have eaten/still eat. It’s a diet rich in lean proteins such as fish and legumes, as well as berries, nuts, seeds, honey, and whole grains and potatoes. It’s all about what’s right for your body, so try out different dietary changes and listen to your body to see what works for you. You know what works for you and what doesn’t. Another key component of the Viking lifestyle is to listen to your inner voice and what your body is telling you.
The Viking way is also a mental state. That’s part of being a berserker, too. Those who truly seek beneficial results from the Viking workout have to look at it as a spiritual exercise as much as a physical one. Practicing mindfulness, making conscious choices for diet, getting enough sleep, and taking care of your mental health (whether that means “self-care”, therapy or medication) are all very important parts of being a Viking berserker. In essence, you want to “go hard” in every single aspect of your life, not just when you train. Don’t overlook the other needs in favor of only looking after physical fitness. You’ll see better results from training if the other aspects of your life are in good order.
By all accounts, Vikings were fierce, brave, loyal, intelligent, rational, and methodical – in addition to being brutally strong, incredibly fast, and super agile. When you train via the Viking workout, you want to bring all those aspects into your own wellbeing and physical training regime. Only then can you be a true Viking berserker. Happy training!
