DIY Strong Viking Gym Exercises
After weeks in quarantine and in light of the Virtual Edition, we want to offer you a few real Strong Viking exercises for your preparation. You can perform these exercises with the 'DIY Strong Viking Gym equipment' that we explained in a previous blog. With these exercises you can either prepare yourself for the Virtual Editions or challenge other friends to perform it together (1.5 meters apart of course).
In this blog we give you a total of nine exercises. To make it heavier yourself, you can challenge yourself to perform it within a specific time or by completing multiple rounds. Share your workouts on Facebook or Instagram(@Strong_viking) and don't forget to tag us!
Sandbag exercise 1: Viking Burpee
Every Viking knows (and probably fears) the burpee. It is the punishment you perform when you don’t finish an obstacle. This is the Viking Burpee with sandbag, so just a little heavier! Start by standing with feet slightly wider than the hips and hold the sandbag at the handles on the sides. Tilt the hips to lower the bag to the floor as you bend the knees to jump into the air like a high plank. When moving down, make sure you touch the ground with your feet and belly stretched out and keep de sandbag in front of your heard. Then start again. Perform this exercise twelve times in total.
Sandbag exercise 2: Berseker Squat and shoulderpress
Stand with your feet slightly wider than the hips and press the sandbag pressed against your chest. Press your hips backwards and lower them into a squat. Hold your breath and tighten your core/abdominal muscles. Do the same thing the other way to get back up. At the same time press the bag above your head like a shoulder press. Perform this exercise ten times.
Kettlebell exercise 3: Carry a Kettlebell Walk
Hold a kettlebell at each side at hip height. Keep your arms strong and walk for about 50 meters, turn around and walk back. Do this twice, so you will walk for 200 meters. Of course it is also possible to walk shorter tracks, so you can perform this is in you backyard for example.
Kettlebell exercise 4: Kettlebell 'Valhalla' Swing
Stand with feet that are just wider than your shoulder width and bend your knees to grab the kettle bell with both hands. Keep the area around your hips tightened, keep your back flat and swing the weight up to shoulder height for your field of vision. Return to the starting position and repeat without losing momentum. Perform this exercise 12 times.
Weights for running or walking exercise 5: Sprint of faith
Make the weights as explained in the DIY Blog around your wrists, attach them tightly and well so that they don't fall off while running. You now have the choice to run 500 or 1000 meters, we also recommend that you choose the distance that best suits you. Try to cover this distance without resting in between so that your heart rate stays high for subsequent exercises. Or do it like the Sprint of Faith,as soon as possible!
Filled bucket exercise 6: Dragon Lunge's
Grab one bucket in each hand, and fill the buckets to the desired weight. Stand with your feet at hip width, stand in the core and take a big step back. Activate your glutes as you bend your front knee to lower your body, so that the back knee taps lightly on the floor while keeping the upper body upright. Put your heel in the floor to return to the starting position. Perform this exercise 10 times per leg.
Filled bucket exercise 7: Thors (Bicep) curls
Hold a bucket in each hand on the sides with the palms to the side of the thigh and arms straight down. Place the feet comfortably at shoulder width of each other. Lift the bucket in the direction of the shoulder and turn the arm up so that the palm with the bucket is now facing upwards and the elbow points to the ground with the forearm almost vertically. Keep the elbows close to the body. Lower the arm and perform the same movement with the other arm. Keep alternating arms until the set is complete. Perform this exercise ten times per arm. If this is too much to start with, don't reduce weight but do five repetitions per arm.
The Military Backpack Exercise 8: The Push Up
Probably all Vikings are familiar with the push up. In short: stand on all fours and place your hands a little wider than your shoulders. Stretch your arms and legs, lower your body until your chest almost hits the floor. Pause, then push yourself back up and repeat it twelve times. By placing the filled backpack tightly on your back you are making this exercise even harder.
The military backpack exercise 9: The shoulder pull
Grab the backpack by the handle or loop with both hands, then pull the backpack with both hands towards your chin. Your elbows are high and your back stays straight at all times. Repeat this exercise by dropping the backpack to the height of your knee, then pull the backpack back towards your chin with the necessary force. Repeat twelve times to complete the round.
After completing exercise 9 you have finished a complete round, you can now choose to perform the round again or do it another time and check if you are faster than the first time. This allows you to measure your own progress and continue to challenge yourself. You can also go and challenge your friend, family or children to beat your score!