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What's inside
Ever wished your training made you strong in a way you could actually use? That’s what this Viking workout routine is all about.
Nobody wrote down how Vikings trained, so any “Viking workout” is really a modern plan with a theme. This one takes the theme seriously. It trains the four things the name suggests: lifting heavy things off the ground, carrying them, pressing them overhead, and still going when you’re tired.
It’s three days a week for 8 weeks, with an optional fourth day for conditioning, or work that builds your stamina. It’s built for people who’ve been lifting for at least six months and want to be strong in a useful way, not just look it.
Keep reading for all four days, how the 8 weeks progress, and what makes it different from a normal gym plan.
The plan at a glance
| Level | Intermediate (6+ months of lifting) |
| Days | 3 a week, plus 1 optional conditioning day |
| Session length | 60 to 75 minutes |
| Length | 8 weeks |
| Rest, main lifts | 2 to 3 min |
| Rest, everything else | 60 to 90 sec |
| Equipment | Barbell, dumbbells or kettlebells, ideally a sled |
Your week
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Day 1, Lift: deadlift and overhead press |
| Tuesday | Rest |
| Wednesday | Day 2, Haul: front squat, pulling and carries |
| Thursday | Rest |
| Friday | Day 3, Raid: power and conditioning |
| Saturday | Optional: Day 4, March |
| Sunday | Rest |
The workouts
Day 1: Lift
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell deadlift | 4 | 5 |
| Standing barbell overhead press | 4 | 5 |
| Chin-up (or lat pulldown) | 3 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell walking lunge | 3 | 8 each leg |
| Farmer carry | 4 | 100 ft (30 m), or 40 sec |
A farmer carry is just what it sounds like: pick up a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, stand tall and walk. Go heavy enough that your grip is the thing that wants to quit by the end!
Day 2: Haul
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell front squat (or goblet squat) | 4 | 6 |
| Barbell bent-over row | 4 | 8 |
| Dumbbell bench press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Sandbag or dumbbell bear-hug carry | 3 | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Suitcase carry (one heavy weight, one side) | 3 | 100 ft (30 m) each side |
| Hanging knee raise | 3 | 10-12 |
A suitcase carry is a farmer carry with the weight in one hand only. Your trunk, or the muscles around your middle, has to work hard to stop you leaning, which is exactly the point.
A bear-hug carry means holding a sandbag or a heavy dumbbell against your chest with both arms wrapped round it.
Day 3: Raid
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Kettlebell swing | 5 | 15 |
| Push press | 4 | 5 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 | 8 |
| Pull-up or inverted row | 3 | as many as you can, stop 1 short of failure |
| Finisher: sled push (or heavy prowler walk) | 6 | 65 ft (20 m), rest 60 sec |
A push press is an overhead press with a small dip and drive from your legs to get the bar moving. You can handle more weight than a strict press, which is why it lives on the power day.
No sled? No problem. Do the finisher as 6 rounds of 20 kettlebell swings, with 60 seconds rest between rounds.
Day 4 (optional): March
30 to 45 minutes of walking with weight: a backpack loaded with 20 to 45 lb (10 to 20 kg), outside and ideally uphill.
It’s gentle enough to do the day after Raid, and it’s the “outlast” part of the plan. Start light and add 5 to 10 lb (2 to 5 kg) every couple of weeks.
How the 8 weeks progress
Your main lifts (the first two exercises each day) follow this:
| Weeks 1 to 3 | Week 4 | Weeks 5 to 7 | Week 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main lifts | 4 x 5 | 3 x 5, lighter | 5 x 3, heavier | Test or deload |
| Effort | 2 reps left | Easy | 1 to 2 reps left | |
| Carries | Add distance | Same as week 3 | Add weight | Your choice |
“Reps left” just means how many more good reps you could have done when you stopped the set.
When to add weight: once every set of a main lift feels solid with 2 reps left, add 5 lb (2.5 kg) to presses and 10 lb (5 kg) to deadlifts and squats next session.
Week 8: you’ve got a choice. Either work up to a heavy single on the deadlift and press to see how much you’ve gained, or take a deload week, or an easier week with half the sets and lighter weights.
Feeling beaten up? Go with the deload.
Why rest so long on the main lifts?
Because heavy sets need it. When researchers compared 1 minute and 3 minute rests in trained young men, the 3 minute group gained more strength in the squat and bench press, and more muscle on the front of the thigh.
It was a small study, 21 men over 8 weeks, so hold it loosely. But there’s no reason to rush your heavy sets. Save the short rests for the finisher.
What makes it “Viking” rather than just a strength plan
Here are three things a normal gym routine leaves out:
- Carries, every week. Picking something heavy up and walking with it trains you to hold and brace under load. Most gym plans never ask you to move while holding weight.
- Pressing overhead while standing. No bench to lean on. Your whole body holds the weight up.
- Conditioning that uses strength. Swings, sled pushes and loaded marches instead of sitting on a bike.
Don’t worry, the basics are still covered. Three sessions work every major muscle group, which ticks off the WHO recommendation for strength training on two or more days a week.
Eating for it
This plan uses a lot of energy. If you want to build size as well as strength, eat a little more than you burn and get plenty of protein. Our list of the best foods to gain muscle makes a great shopping list.
Swaps
| Instead of | Do |
|---|---|
| Barbell deadlift | Trap bar deadlift |
| Front squat | Goblet squat or safety bar squat |
| Sandbag bear-hug carry | Holding one heavy dumbbell vertically against your chest |
| Sled push | 20 kettlebell swings, or hill sprints |
| Weighted backpack march | Incline treadmill walk with a weighted vest |
Want a workout with a little more edge? Try our warrior and gladiator workout, with one plan for strength and one for stamina.
Questions people ask
Can a beginner do this?
Not straight away. Spend 2 or 3 months on a simpler plan first, like a 3 day workout split, until the deadlift and squat feel familiar. Then come back and give this a go!
Can women do it?
Absolutely! Nothing about it is gendered. Just scale the weights to you.
Is this what the actors in Vikings did?
We couldn’t find a reliable source for what any of them did, so we’re not going to make it up. If you’d like a sourced celebrity plan in the same spirit, take a look at Jason Momoa’s workout or Chris Hemsworth’s workout.
Can I run this alongside a split?
No, it’s a complete plan on its own. If you’d rather split upper and lower body, try the upper lower split instead.
Enjoy the carries, and happy lifting!
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have an injury or a medical condition, check with a doctor before starting heavy training.
