The Viking Press

Don’t re-invent the wheel. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

If this is the way the sporting community felt at large,
it’s doubtful we would have trailblazers breaking the 4 minute mile,
deadlifting 1,000 pounds or sprinting 100m in less than 10 seconds.

Everywhere you look athletes are getting bigger, faster and stronger than the standards set previously. This is because, we as a whole look for better ways to do things. Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless; as Bruce Lee once said.

The Viking Press is a tweak on the military press that offers two particular benefits.

First is that the hands are now placed in a neutral position, similar to pressing with a Swiss Bar. The arms are placed more towards the midline of the body, and the shoulder girdle is in a more stable position. Given the shoulder is the most commonly injured joint in the gym, this is a particularly significant adjustment. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

Second is the fact that due to the position of the handles,
the head can now pass through where normally you would have to adjust your
position. This keeps reps more consistent, and helps prevents the spine from
being placed in hyperextension. Care to guess the second most commonly injured
joint in the gym? The fact that this will allow more weight to be lifted makes
this a winner for all involved.

Sounds great, what’s the catch?

From the ground, the Viking Press has a very strong ascending strength curve. That is, the higher you go, the easier the lift is. Due to the position and angle of the bar, you will be able to lock out almost anything that you can get above your head.

We can tweak this a couple of ways.

The easiest and most accessible way is to angle your body so
that you are “falling” into the bar. Whilst leaning forward, you can counteract
some of the angle, reducing the strength curve somewhat.

You can add bands from your feet, stretching as you lift and
increasing the resistance as you press.

Or if you have a Torsonator Sleeve, plug the bar about chest height into your Rack; rest the Barbellon a Spotting Arm or sling and press from a greater height. The bar will be on much less of an angle, and feel at its most natural.

On a personal note, I feel this provides the most natural
feel but have a play and see what works for you.

The Viking Press attachment can also be used with a variety of other exercises; including deadlifts, cleans, squats and rows; similar to how a Glute Hamstring Developer can be used for all kinds of exercises whilst being specifically intended for one purpose. Using a Torsonator instead of a traditional bar set up introduces a different strength curve to the exercise, providing a boost to trainers struggling at the bottom component of most lifts.