fitness

The latest trend invading the fitness world is inspired by Vikings. Really.

It feels like conventional exercise methods just don’t cut it anymore.

2015 has been proclaimed the “Year of Rucking“, prancercise, doga (yoga with your dog) and cycle karaoke are all real things and The Glow team have already tried their hand at roller skating and dancing like Beyonce to keep fit.

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Now there’s another new method invading your workout and it takes its inspiration from an unusual place: Vikings. Icelandic Vikings to be exact.

Founded by Icelandic personal trainer Svava Sogbertsdottir, The Viking Method is an intense, no-nonsense fitness plan that celebrities including Suki Waterhouse and Nicole Sherzinger swear by. (Post continues after gallery.)

The basis for the workout is inspired by the “toughness” that Icelanders have developed after “surviving centuries of isolation, cold, enormous volcanic eruptions,” Sogbertsdottir writes on her website.

Not only is it designed to strip fat, increase performance, agility, power, create a long, lean athletic physique and bring the “quickest and greatest” results, Sogbertsdottir claims it will become “addictive”

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“I want people to look good but also enjoy exercise more and think about what they’re doing,” she told Look Magazine.

“It is a tried, tested and rock solid method. It will not be hard work. It will not be work. It will be a pleasure. You will love every second of the method and you will love the huge results it will give you.”

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If you love the TV show Vikings, this could be the workout for you.

 

Making intense exercise a pleasure? That would certainly be a miraculous result, abs or no abs.

According to former Ironman and fitness expert Guy Leech (who's trained the likes of Madonna and George Clooney, just FYI!) the Viking method has been proven to achieve fast results.

RELATED: The 12 weirdest fitness and diet trends thoughout history.

"It focuses on functional fitness and high intensity training (HIIT) which is great to really burn fat and increase the metabolism," he says.

"It has a heavy focus on strength which is excellent too, particularly in building a tight, toned body and achieving results that you can really see." (Post continues after video.)

Unfortunately it's probably not for the fainthearted, or for anyone who has been a little *ahem* slack with their fitness (*cough* ME *cough*).

"The viking method would be best suited to reasonably fit to very fit people looking to maximise their results and take their training to the next level," Leech admits.

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"This method can be a little intimidating for those new to training and those who have a poor fitness base. Because of the vigorous movements, it's also no good for someone who is nursing an injury," he says.

While it's not an exercise you can pick up immediately at home, with initial help it can certainly be a method incorporated into your general workout.

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Image via Instagram (@thevikingmethod)

 

"It's not something you could just start doing on your own with no prior fitness training or knowledge — you'd need to enlist the help of a PT to show you the ropes and get you started," Leech says.

"It can be carried out at home, as long as you have been coached by how to perform the exercises properly."

As with any exercise, no matter what your fitness levels, there are some precautions Leech believes should be taken.

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"When performing high intensity and explosive moves, it is very important that you are using the right technique as injuries can occur otherwise. You'd also need to make sure you warmed up sufficiently because all of the vigorous moves could be a real cause of injury," he says.

Want to give it a go? Here are some exercises Sogbertsdottir shared with Look to get you started.

You can sign up online for the full Viking experience and have a personal workout plan tailored to your needs or injuries.

As for us? We might give it a miss this time and stick with rucking for now.

Have you tried any new fitness trends recently?

Looking for some more fun ways to work out?

Would you try the Viking method? What's the strangest exercise you've ever tried?