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How Alexander Skarsgård Transformed Into a Viking for ‘The Northman’

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A shirtless Alexander Skårsgard doing battle as a Viking warrior in The Northman.


Alexander Skarsgård has been drawn to Viking stories since childhood. His family’s home on the Swedish island of Öland was surrounded by ancient runestones, monuments erected to commemorate Vikings who had died with great honor in battle. Growing up among the legend of those feared warriors, the actor has long carried a desire to tell their story in a more authentic light. That desire became a reality when he met with director Robert Eggers for an early meeting that would lead to The Northman.

“This is more than a big action movie, even though there’s a lot of action in it,” says Skarsgård. Based on the Old Norse tale that inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the story follows Prince Amleth from youth to adulthood on a quest for bloody vengeance for his slain father. The lore has been combined with diligent research to create an odyssey that honors both the brutal reality and the mythology of the Viking Age. “I believe working with Robert we were able to create something special that hasn’t been seen before.”

We spoke with Skarsgård about becoming a Viking berserker (frenzied Norse warrior), training with axes, and more.

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Men’s Journal: How does it feel to have your Viking epic finally out in the world?

Alexander Skarsgård: I’ve been harboring a dream to do a project like this since I was a young boy in Sweden. I spent my summers on an island in the Baltic, and some of my earliest memories are of reading inscriptions on Viking runestones. I was mesmerized by them. I would pretend I was a Viking as a kid. I was so obsessed I even gave my two younger brothers their own Viking names. So Gustaf’s actual legal middle name is Ormr, which means snake, and Sam’s is Ymir, which was the name of the first giant in Norse mythology. I consider it an understatement to say that doing this movie and having it out there is a dream come true.

Going into filming, what did your Viking character require you to look like physically?

The first time we see my character Amleth in adulthood, he’s a berserker—part of this savage fighting team within a Viking army doing raids along the Russian rivers in an area that is now Ukraine. He’s being used by the Viking chieftain as the tip of the spear for his invasion. He, along with his group of fellow berserkers, are thrown into the lion’s den to initiate the attacks while the rest of the force comes in as a second wave.

So it was important that the character look like he was physically capable of a tremendous amount of violence. His whole purpose at that point in his life is to wreak havoc. He’s lost his way and forgotten the mission he had given himself as a young boy. Now he’s being used as a weapon to attack villages for the gain of others. I needed to make sure that he looked as imposing and intimidating as possible.

You worked with trainer Magnus Lygdbäck to get into shape for the role. What did you like about working with him?

Magnus and I spent nine months together while shooting Tarzan. That was the first time I’d ever worked with a personal trainer. It was the first time I had to drastically change my body for a role. We didn’t know exactly how my body was going to respond to his workout plan and diet. I was very stressed and nervous about whether we were going to get where we needed to go as far as body goals. I had a hard time relaxing and carried that stress through a lot of the prep and into the shoot.

The process was a lot simpler this time around because we knew each other—and how my body was going to respond to certain training and diets. I wouldn’t say that made the work any easier because we trained extremely hard from the start. There was a tremendous amount of time in the gym and fight choreography to learn, but at least I could sleep at night! I was supposed to be incredibly lean while staying muscular when I was doing Tarzan and that meant a very restrictive diet. I couldn’t even have an orange juice or a drop of alcohol because of the sugar. The situation was different for The Northman, because I wasn’t portraying this very popular character that people had all of these preconceived notions about. I’m playing a warrior of an original design based on what we know of the time—so we had more room to work with as long as the bulk was there. The goal was to build a physique that looked like the combination of a wolf and a bear.

I’m guessing it was nice to get a break from the diet from time to time.

Because it was more about the mass and not so much about being completely shredded, I could occasionally blow off the diet. I was allowed to have the random indulgent meal or the occasional beer. That helped a lot, because film shoots are long and a bit of good food or drink can go a long way toward your happiness.

What was the weapons training like?

I kept the axes and hatchets close to me, because you need those when you’re fighting 300 soldiers. There were months before filming where we were able to work with the weapons from hatchets to spears. Magnus and I tried to incorporate a lot of that into our training in the gym—working with weights that stimulated the same muscle groups as those weapons. There was even a second sword made so I could train with it during our sessions. During a part of the film, my character is enslaved on a Viking farming community, so we did a lot of training to mimic the manual labor he was forced to do on that farm. I was lugging big pieces of rock around. Doing that sort of training felt very purposeful.

The battle sequences in The Northman are epic, and done mostly in long shots with continuous action. How hard were those scenes to film?

They were really, really difficult. The style of shooting that we were utilizing for this film was very specific and precise—with no cuts or stopping. So the battle scenes were these long takes, which is challenging because there’s so much that can go wrong, and if something does you have to start from the beginning. Most movies do inserts or camera changes to substitute a new shoot when there’s a mess up, but we weren’t working with that safety net. Those warfare fight sequences that were three minutes long had to be executed perfectly. The experience was grueling and completely exhausting—but worth it in the end.

The Northman is now playing in theaters.

 


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10 Best Porters to Drink Right Now

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A bottle of Deschutes Black Butte Porter




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Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength

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Barbell Back Squat


The key to 360-degree muscle: 90-degree eccentric isometrics. It might seem like we’re throwing a lot of geometry at you, but the concept behind time under tension (TUT) is simple, says Joel Seedman, PhD, owner of Advanced Human Performance: “Perform the lowering phase of a movement in a slow, controlled fashion, usually 3 to 5 seconds; pause in the stretched position, typically around 90 degrees; then perform the lifting phase in a powerful yet controlled fashion.” Believe us, a time-under-tension workout can humble even seasoned lifters…Eccentric isometrics are like the pressure cooker of training.

“Rather than mindlessly performing slow-tempo reps, you’re using the increased time under tension as a means to fine-tune your body mechanics and alignment, which requires more mental engagement and focus,” Seedman adds.

If you want to forge functional muscle mass and strength while simultaneously bulletproofing the joints and connective tissue, give this 10-move, full-body eccentric isometrics workout a go.

Directions

Perform the following moves as 90-degree eccentric isometrics following the above protocol. Use heavy weight, but not at the detriment of proper form. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between circuits. Perform once every 2 to 4 days for optimal results.

Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength

Circuit 1

Marius Bugge

A. Barbell Back Squat

Set a squat rack up with heavy weight, then grasp bar and step under it. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then stand to unrack bar and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale, hinge at hips and slowly bend knees to 90 degrees. Pause, keeping natural arch in low back, then extend through hips to powerfully stand. 3 x 4-6 reps

Athletic man wearing gray T-shirt and maroon shorts renegade row
Marius Bugge

B. Renegade Row

Start in the top position of a pushup with hands shoulder-width apart on moderate-to-heavy dumbbells (shown). Explosively drive right elbow back to row dumbbell toward ribs while balancing on opposite hand and feet. Pause, then slowly lower weight, stopping a few inches above floor. Switch sides after all reps are done. 3 x 5 reps each side

Circuit 2

Athletic man wearing gray T-shirt and maroon shorts doing renegade row Dumbbell Bentover Row in gym
Marius Bugge

A. Dumbbell Bentover Row

Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing you. Push hips back and hinge torso forward so it’s nearly parallel to floor, soft bend in knees. Dumbbells should be near shins. Drive elbows back to row weights toward ribs. Pause, then slowly lower down for 3 to 5 seconds. 3 x 4-5 reps

Athletic man wearing gray T-shirt and maroon shorts doing Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised 
Marius Bugge

B. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised 

Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back with dumbbells in either hand. Engage core and lift legs off floor, flexing feet. Press weights overhead, palms in. Slowly lower to 90 degrees, staying tight and compact. Pause, then drive weights up directly over chest. 3 x 4-5 reps

Circuit 3

Athletic man wearing gray T-shirt and maroon shorts doing Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat
Marius Bugge

A. Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat

Stand lunge-length in front of a flat bench, holding heavy dumbbells in each hand by your sides, palms facing in. Rest the ball on top (shoe’s laces) of your right foot behind you on the bench. Slowly lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then drive through your heel to stand. Switch sides after all reps are complete. 2 x 3-4 reps each side

Athletic man wearing gray T-shirt and maroon shorts doing Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Marius Bugge

B. Single-leg Romanian Deadlift

Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Drive right leg up, foot flexed, knee aligned with hip, making a 90-degree angle. Hinge at hips as you slowly lever your torso toward floor, lowering weights and driving right leg back for counterbalance. Hold, then squeeze glutes to reverse. 2 x 3-4 reps each side

Circuit 4

Athletic man wearing gray T-shirt and maroon shorts doing pullup
Marius Bugge

A. Pullup

Hang from a pullup bar using an overhand grip with legs extended and feet flexed. Engage lats and draw shoulders down your back, then pull yourself up until chin is higher than hands. Pause at the top, then slowly lower. Pause at bottom, then reset before your next rep. 2-3 x 4-5 reps

Athletic man wearing gray T-shirt and maroon shorts doing Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press
Marius Bugge

B. Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press

Hold a bar with moderate-to-heavy load at shoulder level with forearms perpendicular to floor. Kneel at end of bench with feet flexed to grip edge for support. Inhale, engage your core and glutes, then press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward so it passes your face, exhaling at the top.
Slowly lower until elbows are at 90 degrees, then hold to maintain tension. Begin your next rep from here. 2-3 x 4-5 reps

Circuit 5

A. Dumbbell Pushup

Place hands on dumbbells (this provides greater range of motion) at shoulder width and feet wider than shoulder width with just toes touching the ground. Keep head neutral and hips high to increase tension on core, chest and tris and reduce stress on spine. Slowly lower to the floor. Stop
once elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then push up to start. 1-2 x 6-8 reps

B. Biceps Curl

Stand with feet hip-width apart with moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in each hand hanging by sides. Engage biceps to curl the weights up, keeping upper arms still. Pause at the top, then lower slowly. Don’t let arms drop all the way down to keep greater time under tension on biceps. 1-2 x 6-8 reps


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The Best Jump Ropes for a Killer Cardio Workout

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The Best Jump Ropes for a Killer Cardio Workout




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