Intermediate

Viking Press

Popular in strongman and general strength work, this press uses fixed neutral-grip handles that travel on an arc, which many lifters find far kinder to the shoulders than a straight bar. The neutral grip and supported path let you press heavy with less joint stress, making it a great way to build pressing volume. Program it as a primary or secondary overhead movement, especially on higher-rep pushing days.

Equipment
Barbell, Landmine
Body part
Shoulder
Type
Strength
Browse by muscle
Deltoid Anterior
Browse by movement
Vertical Press
Muscles worked
Target
Deltoid Anterior
Secondary
Deltoid Middle, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head, Trapezius Upper
Tertiary
Erector Spinae, Pectoralis Major Clavicular

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set the Viking press handles or a loaded landmine yoke at shoulder height and step in close.

  2. 2

    Grip the handles with palms facing each other and stand tall with feet hip to shoulder width.

  3. 3

    Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and take a breath.

  4. 4

    Press the handles up and forward along their arc until your elbows lock out overhead.

  5. 5

    Lower under control back to shoulder level and reset your breath before the next rep.

Tips

  • Stand close enough that the arc finishes with the load stacked over your shoulders, not out in front.
  • Use your legs for a slight dip and drive only if you are training it as a push-press style lift.
  • Keep the neutral grip firm so the wrists stay straight under the load.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The apparatus weighs more than people assume: a landmine yoke or a set of Viking handles can be 20 to 40 kg empty, so the first set often lands far heavier than the plates suggest.
  • One handle is gripped further forward than the other, or the yoke sits unevenly on its base, and one arm reaches lockout well before the other with the load skewed across the shoulders.
  • A dip and drive creeps in once the strict reps slow down, so the set turns into a push press without anyone choosing that; decide which lift you are doing before the first rep.
  • Bodyweight leans into the handles to hold the top position, which works until the arc swings back on the way down and takes you with it.
  • Rest between reps is taken with the arms locked overhead rather than with the handles back at the shoulders, so the delts hold a static load they should have put down.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the Viking press should you do when you are new to the exercise?
This is a volume lift, so use it that way: 4 sets of 8 to 12 with a minute or two between sets, and expect to handle more than you would with a straight bar. Add a rep to every set before you add a plate. If you decide to use the leg dip, treat it as a different exercise and drop to sets of 5, because a push press taken to 12 reps stops being crisp long before the shoulders are done.
What can I use instead of a Viking press if my gym has no yoke or handles?
Wedge a barbell into a landmine and press the loaded end with both hands from a standing stance; the arc is nearly the same, though centered rather than shoulder-width. A neutral-grip machine shoulder press gives the same palms-facing path with the machine holding the line for you. Two dumbbells pressed with the palms facing each other is the free-weight answer, though it demands far more stabilizing and the loads drop accordingly.
What is the Viking press good for?
The neutral grip and the fixed arc make it one of the easier ways to pile up hard overhead pressing volume, which suits strongman training, higher-rep pushing days, and lifters whose shoulders dislike a straight bar. Because the apparatus holds the path for you, it is a poor substitute if your goal is a stronger strict barbell press, where the stabilizing work is most of the exercise. It is also slow to set up, so it fits badly into a crowded gym or a short session.

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