Way before I started training in Glima, I came across a blog post written by Tyr Neilsen of the Academy of The Viking Martial Arts in Norway. I was researching at the time, trying to find somewhere in the UK that I could learn the art and having no luck I spread my search into Scandinavia. I’d been messaging schools for Brokartok in Iceland without anyone getting back to me.
I messaged teachers of Lausatok in Sweden without getting a reply. I sent messages to the Academy of Viking Martial Arts in Norway, and as I was waiting a reply, I continued researching, reading and learning.
I read a post called VIKING FIT CHALLENGE, which really got under my skin. It was so simple yet challenging that I added it to my routine. Soon it became something I did every day. I was challenging myself every day, competing with myself every day, and every day I saw progress!
As a Nutritional Therapist, boxing Coach, and lifelong martial artist, I was extremely excited by reading Tyr’s post. It was all about simplifying fitness, and breaking it down into a short workout, using a core set of movements.
The theme of competing with yourself to drive improvement, and his tips on diet, fitted in absolutely with everything I already knew and did, and taught my clients to do.
Not long afterwards, I recieved a reply from the Academy in Norway, and I got talking with Tyr, who is senior instructor there. I asked if he would be interested in doing a Viking martial art seminar in the UK if I arraged one. He was interested, and with his steady approval over the course of the year, the birth of a Viking Martial Art in the UK was realized.
Tyr became my teacher and mentor and I now use a version of the Viking Fit Challenge as part of my martial art warmup at training sessions and Masterclasses. My students really look forward to these personal challenges, and as they do in Norway, we train outdoors over here in the UK.
During all of that time I wanted to do justice to Tyr’s Viking Fit Challenge by spreading it here in the UK and to supplement it with a little of my own input on the nutrition aspect to make it an all round health movement which anyone can do, anywhere at any time.
In my version I’ve stripped it down to three basic movements which can be done with no more equipment than a chair. Combined, they hit virtually every muscle group in the body particularly the core.
It’s essentially a HiiT workout, as it combines intense cardio with resistance, and because it utilises little more than body weight to create the resistance, you can do it in your living room, bedroom, hotel room if you travel. Even if you can’t get to a gym, there is absolutely nothing to stop you getting Viking Fit.
And so here it is - the UK Glíma VIKING FIT CHALLENGE!
First of all this is a 3 minute workout, at least to begin with - as you get fitter there are options to develop it so that it evolves as you improve.
You’ll need to be able to time your challenge, this can simply be with your watch or a clock, I like to use an app which I preset to alert me when an exercise ends and I need to start the next one.
There are lots of fitness timers out there, I use ‘Boxing iTimer’ set to 3 x 1 minute rounds with a 10 second round end notice. And you’ll need a little space and a chair, small table or the arm of your sofa can also work.
ENJOY!
