Stone Lifting
Stone Lifting: The Oldest Test of Strength
People have been lifting weights for thousands of years. They may not have had calibrated plates, chrome barbells, or air-conditioned gyms, but they had the same drive we have today—or maybe a stronger one. Back then, strength was not a hobby. It was survival. If you were weak, you didn’t last long.
Across cultures—Spartans, Vikings, Celtic warriors, Germanic tribes—strength meant labor, honor, and protection. But among the Norse, one tradition stood out more than anything else: stone lifting.
The Viking Purpose Behind Stones
For Vikings, stone lifting wasn’t just training—it was a test of manhood, social status, and usefulness to the community. Certain Icelandic farms, fishing villages, and ports kept “testing stones” near the docks. A man had to lift a specific stone to be hired as a fisherman or laborer. Pay depended on the stone you could lift:
Amlodi (Weakling): could not lift the lightest stone
Hálfdrættingur (Half-strength): could lift the lowest hiring stone
Hálfstyrkur (Half-Strong): medium stone
Fullsterkur (Full-Strong): the top stone—reserved for the elite
If you couldn’t lift the hiring stone, you didn’t get the job. That simple. You were either useful or you weren’t.
The most famous of these is the Husafell Stone—a 410-lb flat triangular slab. It originally served as a sheep pen door on the Húsafell farm in Iceland. Only the strongest men could lift it and carry it around the pen. If you could do that, you earned the title fullsterker, full-strength. The fishermen who proved themselves by lifting it got better pay because they could haul heavier fish nets, build faster, and survive harsher work.
The Vikings didn’t care about six-packs or gym selfies. Strength meant productivity—and productivity meant survival. The stronger you were, the more you could build, carry, fight, and protect. That mindset hasn’t changed as much as we like to pretend.
Why Stone Lifting Still Matters
Strength is the foundation of every other physical quality—endurance, power, speed, and durability. The stronger you are, the more work you can do. The better conditioned you are, the longer you can work hard. That is the blueprint for success in training, sport, and life.
Look at any job site or physical trade:
You see strong heavy guys, weak skinny guys, and the rare beasts who are both strong and conditioned.
Guess who always excels? The rare men willing to push further.
And you don’t need Iceland to tap into that old-world strength. Stones are everywhere—strongman gyms, CrossFit gyms, backyards, or your own home setup. If you want something closer to tradition, get a Husafell replica. Empty, they usually weigh 120–150 lb and can be loaded heavier than the original.
Start light. Respect the stones. Earn strength the old-fashioned way.
How to Lift a Round Atlas Stone
Find a stone you can rep—don’t start with hero weight.
Foot Position
Feet outside the stone, toes aligned with the stone’s midpoint.
Grip and Lap
Reach underneath as far as possible.
Squeeze your forearms into the stone.
Try to crush the stone into your chest.
Keep hips low.
Row the stone into your lap—this is lapping.
Stand with the Stone
Wrap your arms around the top half.
Hug it tight against your chest.
Explode from the bottom like a squat.
Drive through heels, hips, and glutes.
You can drop it, re-lift it, or squat it for reps. All make you stronger, but doing both makes you stronger faster.
Training Each Phase
Weaknesses will show up. That’s part of stone lifting. Attack each piece of the lift.
1. Stone Row
Light weight, high reps.
Hands deep under the stone.
Row it to the chest and set it down.
Builds confidence and protects the biceps—tears are common, so respect the stone.
2. Stone Squat
Lap the stone.
Squat fast and violently with control.
Extend tall at the top.
Helps with loading and explosiveness from the bottom.
3. Loading to Platform
Row, lap, explode.
Extend hips, rise onto toes, place on platform.
Roll off onto mats (never bare floor).
4. Stone to Shoulder
Lap the stone.
Explode up the torso.
If it stalls, grind it higher using total-body pressure.
Once balanced, hold with one arm and extend the other—competition standard.
Encore: One-Motion Lift
One violent pull from floor to standing.
Keep abs tight—your back will thank you.
Advanced and risky, but powerful.
Programming: Sets, Reps, and Intensity
Train stones:
Heavy (max strength)
Fast (dynamic power)
High reps (hypertrophy, conditioning)
If stones are your priority, train them first while fresh.
If they’re accessory work, finish your workout with them.
Pick two stone days per week with at least 3 days rest in between.
✅ Four-Week Stone Program
Week 1
Day 1 – Max Effort: Heaviest stone, 1–2 reps
Day 2 – Dynamic: 60% of ME, 10 fast singles (good day for one-motion)
Week 2
Day 1 – Hypertrophy: 90% of DE stone, 3 × 8+
Day 2 – Max Effort: Beat last ME day—more reps or heavier stone
Week 3
Day 1 – Dynamic: 60% of new ME, 10 singles
Day 2 – Reps: 90% of DE, 3 × 8 (last set AMRAP)
Week 4 – Deload
Day 1 & Day 2: 50% of heaviest stone, 3 × 5
Final Thoughts
Atlas stones are brutally simple. They don’t care who you are.
You can lift them or you can’t.
You get stronger or you quit.
The first time you touch one, you’ll either fall in love or swear them off forever. Either way, stones are the most honest strength test you’ll ever face.
The Vikings understood that.
Modern strongmen understand that.
Pick up a stone and you will too.
“The slothful man believes he will live forever,
if he keeps himself from fighting;
but old age gives him no peace,
though spears have spared his life.”
— Hávamál, stanza 16
Vikings knew the truth:
strength and action mattered more than comfort.
Pick up a stone and prove it.