Train like Ulfhednar
TRAIN LIKE THE ULFHEDNAR
There was a time when strength could not be faked.
Centuries before iron plates and climate-controlled gyms, a different breed of man carved strength from the unforgiving world around him. In the harsh forests of Scandinavia, where winter winds tore at the skin and wolves hunted the weak after dark, a small class of warriors rose from obscurity—the Ulfhednar, the wolf-skins of Norse legend.
They were not common fighters. These were shock troops, berserks, guardians of chieftains and jarls, and raiders feared for their ferocity. Joining their ranks was not a matter of signing a name or paying a fee. To live as one of them, a man had to first prove he could survive as the forest survives—with cold blood, strong lungs, and an iron will.
There were no polished floors, no chrome machines, no coaches with clipboards. Their training was born from necessity.
Lift what is heavy.
Carry what must be moved.
Push until the body breaks—or adapts.
Stones became weights. Logs became barbells. The land itself became a gym.
A man training to become Ulfhednar needed strength to swing an axe, endurance to run in snow and mud, and power to throw his enemy—or a spear—further than the next warrior. There is no perfectly preserved manual of their training, but history gives us enough to reconstruct a method based on the tools and demands of their world.
And so we rebuild:
Stone lifting to forge the back and hips.
Log pressing to strengthen the shoulders and arms.
Carries and drags to build a body that knows how to work.
Running, jumping, rowing, swimming to survive the demands of battle and terrain.
Bodyweight drills for every moment when tools were scarce and the only instrument was the man himself.
Below is a modern interpretation, rebuilt with the philosophy of the old world but written for the man of today—a 6 to 12-week progressive training program designed to strengthen body and mind in the spirit of the wolf-warriors.
THE ULFHEDNAR TRAINING PROGRESSION
A 6–12 Week Progressive Program Inspired by Norse Warrior Conditioning
Structure
6 Weeks = foundational strength
9 Weeks = hardened conditioning
12 Weeks = full Ulfhednar cycle
Each week adds one of three progressions:
Load (heavier implements)
Distance/volume (more carries, throws, rows)
Difficulty (faster runs, shorter rest)
WEEKS 1–4: The Foundation (Build Strength & Work Capacity)
Monday – Stone & Iron
Warm-up: 1000m row
Medicine ball or stone throws: 30 total
Sprint: 20–30 yards × 6
Trap bar deadlift: 3×5 (RPE 7–8)
Squat: 3×5 (RPE 7–8)
Stone-to-shoulder: 3×3 (moderate)
Progression: each week add 5–10 lbs to the lifts OR 1 extra rep per set
Tuesday – Work of the Land
Frame or Farmer Carry: 4 trips × 80–100 yds
Prowler or heavy push: 8 trips × 40–50 ft
Med ball tosses: 60–80 total
Progression: add distance OR add weight—not both
Wednesday – Endurance of the Wolf
1000m row × 3, rest 2–3 minutes
Run 100 yds × 8 (not a jog, not a sprint)
Backward sled drag: 6 trips × 40–50 ft
Progression: add one more run and one more drag each week
Thursday – The Iron Shoulders
Jumps: 20–30 total
Log or barbell press: work to heavy set of 5
Bench press: 3×8
Dumbbell strict press standing: 3×10
Prowler or sled: 6 reps × 40–50 ft
Progression: small weight increases weekly
Friday – Repeat the Hard Road
1000m row × 3
Run 100 yds × 8
Backward drag: 6 trips × 40–50 ft
Progression: match Wednesday’s improvements
Saturday – Bags, Bells, and Pain
Jump rope: 6–8 total minutes
Sandbag to shoulder: 3×5
Light yoke or farmer carry: 6 trips × 80–100 ft
Kettlebell snatch: 4 reps × 10 rounds (40 total reps)
Sunday – Recovery of the Hunter
Walk, swim, stretch, breathe. The body learns while resting.
WEEKS 5–8: The Warrior Cycle (Strength + Speed + Endurance)
The same weekly template continues, but:
✅ Deadlift & squat jump to 4 sets of 5
✅ Stone/sandbag increases to 4×3 or 5×2 heavier
✅ Farmers/frame carries increase to 5–6 trips
✅ Runs increase to 10–12 x 100 yd
✅ Jumps rise to 30–50 total
✅ More kettlebell snatch rounds (up to 60 total reps)
This middle phase is where progressions get uncomfortable.
Breathing gets harder.
Carries feel longer.
But conditioning will spike.
WEEKS 9–12: The Final Trial (The Ulfhednar Peak)
This is where the program becomes a test.
Strength Becomes Power
Deadlift: 5×3 heavy
Squat: 5×3 heavy
Log/Barbell press: 5×3 heavy
Stone to shoulder: 10 total reps with the heaviest stone that moves
Carries Become Endurance
Frame or farmer carry: 6–8 trips of 100 yds
Yoke: moderate weight, 10–12 trips
Sled drags: 10 trips of 50 ft, short rest
Conditioning Becomes Brutal
1000m row × 5
100 yd runs × 12–15
Kettlebell snatch: 100 total reps across the session
In the final four weeks, every session should feel like work—never easy, never casual. Heart, lungs, legs and grip are all pushed toward the limit.
If at the end of 12 weeks your lungs burn less, your hands tear less, your steps falter less, and your mind grows quieter in the pain—you have earned a small piece of the spirit those ancient men lived by.
WHAT MAKES THIS “ULFHEDNAR” TRAINING?
Implements that mimic nature: stones, logs, sandbags, sleds
Work-based strength, not aesthetic training
Carries, drags, throws, climbs—real world movement
Power for combat, endurance for travel, lungs for survival
Most importantly: training outdoors, in weather, without comfort
A gym is a luxury.
A forest is a forge.
This program can be run with barbells and strongman tools—or with nothing more than stones, sandbags, and rope.
Fueling the Body Like the Ulfhednar
The Vikings did not count calories.
They did not measure macros.
They ate to survive, to rebuild, and to prepare for war.
Their food came from what could be hunted, gathered, fished, or traded—simple, dense, and made for labor.
PRIMARY FOODS OF A VIKING WARRIOR
1. Meat & Fat
Vikings were not afraid of fat—it kept them alive in cold months.
Beef, lamb, pork, venison, elk, boar
Organ meat when available
Fatty cuts prized in winter
Fat was fuel. Protein rebuilt muscle torn by rowing, lifting, and battle.
2. Fish & Sea Food
The Norse were seafarers; fish made up a major part of their diet.
Salmon, herring, cod
Shellfish
Fish stews and dried fish for travel
High in omega-3 fats, perfect for joints and inflammation—something any warrior training hard can appreciate.
3. Grains & Carbohydrates
When people imagine Vikings, they think only of meat, but they ate plenty of:
Barley, rye, oats
Flatbreads and porridge
Honey and berries
Root vegetables: carrots, turnips, onions
Carbs fueled long rowing sessions and cold-weather work.
4. Dairy
Strong bones, strong recovery.
Milk, cheese, butter, skyr (a high-protein yogurt-like dairy)
Skyr alone is almost designed for muscle recovery.
5. Fermented Food
Preservation was survival:
Sauerkraut
Pickled vegetables
Fermented fish
Mead (honey wine)
Fermented foods kept the gut healthy during long winters.
HOW TO EAT LIKE AN ULFHEDNAR TODAY
High Protein. High Fat. Hard-working Carbs.
You can build a modern Viking meal strategy this way:
Breakfast (or first meal):
Eggs cooked in butter
Oats with berries & honey
Smoked fish or cheese
Training fuel:
Fruit or bread with honey
A little dried meat
Water or salt in water (for electrolytes)
Post-training:
Meat or fish
Root vegetables or stew
Cheese or skyr for protein and recovery
Evening meal:
Roasted meat or stew
Barley or vegetables
Mead or ale occasionally—not daily
THE VIKING APPROACH TO EATING
Eat whole foods
Eat enough to recover
Eat foods that can be hunted, fished, grown, or traded
Do not fear fat—warriors needed calories
Stay hydrated, especially when training outside or with carries and sleds
Feast some days, eat lightly others—their eating pattern was naturally intermittent
THE COMPLETE PHILOSOPHY
The Ulfhednar did not train to look strong.
They trained to be strong.
They lifted stones because they had stones.
They carried logs because life required it.
They ran, swam, rowed, and endured the cold because there was no alternative.
Their food was simple, dense, and earned.
Their strength was real.
Their endurance was hard.
Their will was unbreakable.
Run this program for 6–12 weeks.
Train in the weather.
Lift what you have.
Eat from the land.
Become something your ancestors would recognize.