The Viking Press: Master This Powerhouse Strongman Lift

Joel Bode 27 Jun 2025

In the realm of strength training, few exercises command attention quite like the Viking press. Often seen as a staple in strongman competitions, this unique overhead press variation is a formidable test of raw power, shoulder stability, and core strength. While its name might evoke images of ancient Norse warriors, the Viking press is a modern-day powerhouse designed to build a truly robust upper body.

Beyond the competitive arena, the Viking press offers a wealth of benefits for any lifter looking to enhance their overhead strength, develop impressive shoulder musculature, and challenge their body in new ways. It’s a versatile movement that, when understood and performed correctly, can be a game-changer for your training regimen, pushing your limits far beyond conventional presses.

Understanding the Viking Press: More Than Just an Overhead Lift
The Mechanics of the Viking Press: Leverage Over Sheer Strength
Step-by-Step Guide to Performing the Viking Press Safely and Effectively
Muscles Worked: A Comprehensive Upper Body Builder
Benefits of Incorporating the Viking Press into Your Training
Viking Press vs. Overhead Press: Choosing Your Strength Path
Variations and Alternatives to the Viking Press
Training Protocols and Programming the Viking Press
Conclusion

Understanding the Viking Press: More Than Just an Overhead Lift

When you hear "Viking Press," your mind might first conjure images of a publishing house rather than a strength exercise. It's true that Viking Press is an American publishing company, founded in 1925 by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim. This renowned imprint, now a division of Penguin Random House, has published many notable authors, such as John Steinbeck, James Joyce, and Barack Obama, and is committed to publishing great books, connecting readers and authors globally, and spreading the love of reading. The Viking logo was chosen to represent the new firm's spirit of robust entrepreneurship and curiosity.

However, in the context of strength training, the **Viking press** refers to a highly specialized overhead pressing movement. It's a leveraged overhead press that challenges your strength and power, making it a cornerstone lift in strongman competitions. Unlike a traditional overhead press where the weight is lifted straight up, the Viking press often involves pushing a weight that is hinged or angled, requiring a unique blend of strength, balance, and coordination. This exercise is not just about brute force; it’s about understanding the mechanics and using your body efficiently to move significant loads overhead. It's a testament to the ingenuity in strongman, where lifts are designed to test functional strength in dynamic and often unconventional ways.

The Mechanics of the Viking Press: Leverage Over Sheer Strength

The core principle behind the **Viking press** lies in its unique mechanical advantage, or rather, the way it manipulates leverage. While often performed with a dedicated Viking press machine that features a pivot point, the essence of the lift can be replicated with other setups. The machine typically has two handles that pivot upwards and outwards from a fixed base, allowing for a natural arc of motion. This setup means that unlike a standard barbell overhead press, the weight isn't directly above your head at all times. Instead, you're pushing against a lever, which changes the force dynamics throughout the lift.

As strongman competitor Mitchell Hooper's training seminar extends to the **Viking press**, he emphasizes that leverage and positioning are more important than sheer strength. This is a critical insight. Proper body positioning—engaging the core, maintaining a stable base, and understanding the arc of the press—allows lifters to move heavier weights than they might with a strict overhead press. While some variations might involve a seated position, such as "The viking press is a variation of the overhead press that is performed while seated on a bench. You sit with your feet flat on the floor and hold a barbell or dumbbells at chest height," the strongman competition version is typically performed standing. The standing version allows for leg drive, further enhancing the power output. The neutral grips provided by a dedicated Viking press handle are designed to work your shoulders and triceps with less stress on your shoulders during overhead presses, squats, deadlifts, and more, making it a potentially safer option for those with shoulder concerns compared to a straight barbell press.

Step-by-Step Guide to Performing the Viking Press Safely and Effectively

To truly master the **Viking press**, understanding its execution is paramount. This leveraged overhead press challenges your strength and power, but proper form is key to both performance and injury prevention. Here's a general guide, assuming a standing Viking press machine:

Setup: Stand facing the Viking press machine, positioning yourself directly under the handles. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart, providing a stable base. Grab the neutral grip handles firmly, ensuring your wrists are straight and aligned with your forearms. The starting position will vary slightly depending on the machine, but generally, the handles will be at chest or shoulder height.
Core Engagement: Before initiating the press, brace your core tightly. Imagine someone is about to punch you in the stomach. This creates a solid foundation, protecting your spine and transferring power efficiently from your lower body to your upper body.
Initiate the Press: Take a deep breath and begin to drive the weight upwards. The movement should be powerful and explosive. Many lifters utilize a slight leg drive (a "push press" motion) to get the weight moving, especially with heavier loads. This involves a quick dip of the knees followed by an explosive extension, transferring momentum into the press.
Press Upwards and Outwards: As you drive, the handles will move upwards and slightly outwards due to the machine's pivot. Focus on pushing through the entire range of motion until your arms are fully extended overhead. Maintain control throughout the lift; avoid letting the weight crash down.
Controlled Descent: Once the weight is locked out overhead, control its descent back to the starting position. Don't just drop it. A controlled eccentric (lowering) phase helps build strength and prevents injury.
Breathing: Inhale at the bottom, brace, and exhale as you press.

Remember, learn how to perform and include the **Viking press** in your workouts by starting with lighter weights to perfect your form. Focus on the key components, variations, and tips for this strongman competition lift. Consistency in form will lead to greater strength gains and a reduced risk of injury.

Muscles Worked: A Comprehensive Upper Body Builder

The **Viking press** is a powerful compound exercise that engages a wide array of upper body muscles, making it an excellent choice for building overall strength and mass. As a popular exercise in the sport of strongman, it mainly works your shoulders and triceps, but its benefits extend far beyond these primary movers.

Shoulders (Deltoids): The Viking press is exceptional for targeting all three heads of the deltoid muscle:
- Anterior Deltoids (Front): Heavily involved in the initial push and the upward motion.
- Medial Deltoids (Side): Crucially activated due to the wider range of motion and the outward arc of the press. The Viking press is a better exercise for targeting the lateral deltoids than the overhead press. This is because the wider range of motion in the Viking press allows for more activation of the lateral deltoids. This makes it superior for building broader, more defined shoulders.
- Posterior Deltoids (Rear): While less dominant than the anterior and medial heads, they play a stabilizing role, especially at the top of the lift.
The exercise helps build mass and define muscle in your anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids.
Triceps: As with any overhead pressing movement, the triceps are heavily recruited, especially in the lockout phase where they extend the elbow to complete the press.
Chest (Pectorals): The upper chest muscles, particularly the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, assist in the pressing motion, especially if there's a slight forward lean or arc in the press.
Core (Abs, Obliques, Lower Back): A strong, braced core is absolutely essential for stability during the Viking press. Your abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back work synergistically to prevent hyperextension of the spine and to transfer force efficiently from your legs to your arms.
Trapezius (Traps): The upper traps assist in shrugging the shoulders up, especially during the lockout, contributing to overall shoulder girdle stability.

In essence, the **Viking press** is a versatile overhead press variation that engages your shoulders, chest, triceps, and core, making it a comprehensive upper body and core strength builder.

Benefits of Incorporating the Viking Press into Your Training

While the **Viking press** might seem like a niche strongman exercise, its benefits extend far beyond competitive lifting. Almost every lifter can benefit from it in some way to build upper body muscle or strength. Incorporating this powerful movement into your routine can yield significant advantages:

Enhanced Overhead Strength and Power: This is perhaps the most obvious benefit. The unique leverage and often explosive nature of the Viking press directly translate to increased power in all overhead movements. It teaches your body to generate force efficiently from the ground up.
Superior Shoulder Development: As previously noted, the Viking press is particularly effective for targeting the lateral deltoids due to its wider range of motion. This leads to broader, more rounded shoulders, contributing significantly to a powerful physique.
Improved Core Stability: The demand for a rigid core to stabilize the body during the press is immense. This translates to a stronger, more resilient core, which is fundamental for almost all other strength exercises and daily activities.
Reduced Shoulder Stress: Many Viking press setups, especially those with neutral grips, can be less taxing on the shoulder joint compared to a traditional barbell overhead press where the hands are pronated. This can be a huge advantage for lifters with pre-existing shoulder issues or those looking to train overhead more frequently without excessive strain.
Functional Strength: The movement pattern of the Viking press, particularly the standing version with leg drive, mimics real-world pushing motions. This builds functional strength that carries over to various sports and activities.
Variety and Motivation: Introducing new, challenging exercises like the Viking press can break plateaus and keep your training exciting. The novelty can reignite motivation and provide a fresh stimulus for muscle growth.
Grip Strength: Holding and stabilizing the handles, especially with heavier loads, provides an excellent workout for your grip strength.

Learn how to do the **Viking press** and discover the benefits, variations, and alternatives of this exercise for your home or gym. It's a fantastic way to diversify your training and unlock new levels of upper body strength.

Viking Press vs. Overhead Press: Choosing Your Strength Path

When it comes to building powerful shoulders and triceps, both the **Viking press** and the traditional overhead press (often referred to as the strict press or military press) are excellent choices. However, they offer distinct benefits and engage muscles in slightly different ways. Exploring the Viking press and overhead press, comparing benefits and muscle engagement, can help you make the right choice for your strength training.

Overhead Press (Strict Press):

Mechanics: A strict overhead press involves lifting a barbell or dumbbells directly overhead from the front rack position, with minimal to no leg drive. It's a vertical push.
Muscle Engagement: Primarily targets the anterior deltoids and triceps. The medial deltoids are involved, but often less so than in the Viking press. Core stability is crucial to maintain a rigid torso.
Benefits: Excellent for pure vertical pressing strength, shoulder stability, and developing the front deltoids. It's a foundational strength lift.
Equipment: Requires a barbell/dumbbells and a rack.

Viking Press:

Mechanics: Involves pushing a weight that is hinged or angled, often with a dedicated machine or a landmine setup. It allows for a more natural arc of motion and often incorporates leg drive (push press style).
Muscle Engagement: Works the shoulders (anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids), triceps, chest, and a significant amount of core engagement. The Viking press is a better exercise for targeting the lateral deltoids than the overhead press because the wider range of motion allows for more activation of the lateral deltoids.
Benefits: Superior for lateral deltoid development, excellent for power and explosive strength, often more shoulder-friendly due to neutral grips and natural arc.
Equipment: Ideally requires a Viking press machine or a landmine attachment with a suitable handle.

Can I do both the overhead press and the Viking press in the same workout?

Yes, you absolutely can, but it depends on your training goals and recovery capacity. If your goal is maximal strength in both movements, it might be too taxing to perform them at high intensity in the same session. However, you could:

Use one as a primary strength lift (e.g., heavy overhead press) and the other as an accessory or hypertrophy movement (e.g., higher reps on Viking press).
Alternate them in different training cycles or weeks.
If you're training for strongman, incorporating both is often necessary as they test different aspects of overhead strength.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your specific goals, available equipment, and how your body responds to the demands of each lift. Both are valuable tools in a comprehensive strength program.

Variations and Alternatives to the Viking Press

While the dedicated **Viking press** machine offers the most authentic experience, you can still reap the benefits of this movement pattern through various alternatives and variations, making it accessible for your home or gym. Find out the benefits, variations, and alternatives of this exercise for your home or gym.

Machine Viking Press

This is the most common form seen in strongman gyms and competitions. The machine provides a fixed path of motion, making it excellent for consistent training and loading heavy weights. It often features neutral grips, which can be more comfortable for the shoulders. The average Viking press weight for a male lifter is 109 kg (1RM), which makes you intermediate on strength level and is a very impressive lift, highlighting the potential for significant strength gains with this specific equipment.

Barbell/Dumbbell Viking Press

If a dedicated machine isn't available, you can simulate the **Viking press** motion using free weights. This often involves a landmine attachment where one end of a barbell is anchored to the floor, and the other end is loaded. You can then use a V-bar handle or a specialized Viking press handle that provides neutral grips to work your shoulders and triceps with less stress on your shoulders during overhead presses, squats, deadlifts, and more. This reloaded Viking press is a great addition to shoulder weight training, offering a similar arc of motion to the machine.

Landmine Press

The landmine press is arguably the most common and accessible alternative to the **Viking press**. Using a barbell anchored in a landmine attachment, you can press the loaded end overhead. It mimics the upward and outward arc of the Viking press, engaging similar muscle groups, particularly the anterior and medial deltoids, triceps, and core. It can be performed standing, kneeling, or half-kneeling, offering various levels of stability challenge.

Log Press

Another strongman staple, the log press, while different in its mechanics (pressing a thick, heavy log), shares the goal of building immense overhead strength. It emphasizes shoulder and triceps power and often involves a clean from the floor to the chest before the press. While not a direct substitute for the Viking press's unique leverage, it's an excellent complementary exercise for overall strongman overhead development.

Each variation and alternative offers a slightly different stimulus, allowing you to continually challenge your muscles and adapt your training based on available equipment and specific goals. The Viking press is used in strongman competition and trains the shoulders and triceps, making any of these variations valuable for similar training adaptations.

Training Protocols and Programming the Viking Press

Integrating the **Viking press** effectively into your training program requires a thoughtful approach to maximize its benefits while minimizing the risk of overtraining or injury. Learn what the Viking press is, how to perform it, and what muscles it works, then find out the pros and cons of this strongman exercise and when to use it in your training program.

When to Use It:

Strongman Training: This is its natural habitat. If you're competing in strongman, the Viking press should be a staple in your overhead day, often performed with maximal effort or for reps.
Strength Cycles: Incorporate it as a primary overhead strength movement for 4-8 weeks to build raw power and improve your traditional overhead press.
Hypertrophy (Muscle Building): Use it as a secondary or accessory lift after your main compound movement. Focus on higher repetitions (8-12 reps) with controlled eccentrics to stimulate muscle growth, particularly in the deltoids.
Shoulder Health/Variety: If traditional overhead presses cause discomfort, the neutral grip and natural arc of the Viking press can be a great way to train overhead without excessive strain.

Sets, Reps, and Intensity:

For Strength: 3-5 sets of 3-6 repetitions. Focus on heavy, challenging weights.
For Hypertrophy: 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions. Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good form through all reps.
For Power/Explosiveness: 3-5 sets of 1-3 repetitions with a focus on speed and intent to move the weight as fast as possible.

Progression Strategies:

Increase Weight: The most straightforward progression. Once you can hit your target reps with good form, add a small amount of weight.
Increase Reps/Sets: If weight increments are too large, add more repetitions or an extra set.
Reduce Rest Time: For hypertrophy or conditioning, gradually decrease the rest periods between sets.
Improve Technique: Continuously refine your form, especially your leg drive and core bracing, to lift more efficiently.

Remember that the average Viking press weight for a male lifter is 109 kg (1RM). This makes you intermediate on strength level and is a very impressive lift, highlighting the potential for significant strength gains. However, this is an average, and individual strength levels will vary. Always prioritize form over weight, especially when learning this complex lift. Consider consulting a qualified strength coach to ensure proper technique and safe progression.

Conclusion

The **Viking press**, a formidable strongman exercise, stands as a testament to the diverse ways we can challenge and build upper body strength. Far from being a mere niche lift, it offers unique benefits for anyone seeking to enhance their overhead power, develop robust shoulders, and forge an unshakeable core. Its distinctive mechanics, emphasizing leverage and a natural pressing arc, make it an invaluable addition to any serious strength training regimen, providing a stimulus that traditional presses might not.

Whether you're an aspiring strongman, a powerlifter looking to bolster your bench press, or simply someone passionate about building a strong, functional physique, the Viking press holds immense potential. By understanding its mechanics, mastering its execution, and integrating it strategically into your program, you can unlock new levels of strength and muscle development. Don't let its strongman origins intimidate you; embrace the challenge, learn the lift, and experience the transformative power of the Viking press for yourself. Have you tried the Viking press? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below, or explore our other articles on strongman training to further expand your strength horizons!

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