Lifting the Husafell Stone; Five Years in the Making
Lifting the Husafell Stone; A Five Year Journey
For those unaware, the husafell stone is a 186 kilo (410 pound) basalt stone found in Husafell, Iceland. The stone was used as a door for a sheep pen by Snorri Bjornsson. Legend has it, the husafell stone was used as a testing stone for passing travelers. Regardless of what you read in this article, I suggest picking up a copy of Stonelifting off amazon, written by Martin Jancsics and Dr. Bill Crawford. This is the book that got me interested in stonelifting, and led to trips to both Scotland and Iceland.
https://www.amazon.com/STONELIFTING-Ancient-Test-Strength-Revived/dp/1719808015
In order for a lifter to reach ‘Fullsterkur’ (Full-Strength), the lifter must pick up and carry the husafell around the perimeter of the pen.
My five year journey began as an ambitious novice strongman. I was 23 years old, fresh on the scene, and had fallen in love with the idea of lifting the husafell as soon as I was made aware of the challenge. I was a whopping 180 pounds of underdeveloped muscle. This isn’t a knock on leaner gentlemen. I was just the worst combination of composition; not lean and small!
I went in arrogant; thinking I can deadlift ___, squat ____, and overhead press ____, there’s no way I could fail!
My arrogance left me with bloody forearms and a busted ego. However, I knew I would come back to retry the stone at a later time, once I knew I was finally strong enough. I may have been arrogant, but dammit, I would be persistent. There was no way I wouldn’t complete the challenge in my lifetime.
I came back five years later (with two of my lifting partners for my bachelor party), about 20 pounds heavier, and much much stronger. I completed the challenge not just once, but nine times during that week, including a run where I was able to complete two laps.
This article is going to prioritize exercises that will assist in a successful lift, as well as what technique you should use to pick the Husafell.
First things First, Etiquette!
Nothing grinds my gears more than tales of jerks going to historic stones, and not following the rules in place to preserve the stones for future generations. I’ll give you an example. I read a horrifying tale of a bodybuilder going to the Dinnies in Scotland, strapping up, and hitting max reps with straps on concrete, chipping away a couple of kilos off the stone. Not only disrespectful, but completely selfish behavior. If everyone treated the stone this way, there would be no challenge left!
In regards to the Husafell, it’s pretty simple. (I write these rules with the hope that we preserve a piece of history for future generations. If it comes off a bit strong, please understand that I want you to be able to have a chance to try!).
Preserve the stone. For the love of god, don't walk it onto the road and drop it. Keep the stone by the pen!
Try to drop the stone face down versus on the side (this will prevent holes in the nearby terrain)
ABSOLUTELY NO TACKY OF ANY KIND. You can thank the Arnold (aside from Thor, who only used chalk) for making it seem like tacky towels are okay to use. The challenge is chalk only!
When you are finished, return the stone to a place that is visible next to the pen so other lifters can find the stone.
When other lifters ask about the stone, you also provide them with etiquette training.
There you have it. Five simple rules that will help preserve the stone and allow for everyone to have a shot at completing the challenge!
Exercises that I Find as the Most Effective for Training for the Husafell
I know the title says exercises that are most effective for training for the real Husafell. I’m going to actually begin with exercises that are not effective. Despite the name, I find husafell (yes I'm aware I'm capitalizing and lower-casing Husafell. For the case of this article, husafell refers to gym replicas, Husafell is the real deal!) stones in the gym to actually be wildly ineffective and a poor simulation tool for the actual Husafell. First, most husafells have fantastic grip and coating that make it easier to pick. The Husafell stone is smooth. It’s comparable to the feel of an Apollon’s axle. More importantly, most husafell stones in commercial gyms are made to be bottom loaded.
It’s physics. The stone in Iceland will be top heavy and pull you forward harder (making your wrist and hip strength all that more important!). Because of this, I find either a concrete made husafell OR a modified gym husafell to be significantly more similar. Before my first attempt at the Husafell, I had picked a 390 husafell at the strongman gym fairly comfortably. It’s not the same!
In order to modify a gym husafell, I would place towels at the bottom of the husafell, and only load the middle and top of the husafell, with the top carrying the most weight. I would also not use chalk, as the husafell stones at gyms already provide enough grip.
As for a concrete husafell, sanding the stone down to make it a bit more slick. In addition, this could add rounded sides.
Alright… Enough of that… Now, what Exercises actually work?
Basic Exercises
Front Squat
When you carry the stone, there will be significant strain on your quads. Conditioning and strength will be important. I recommend waving 3’s and 6’s week by week to prepare for carrying the stone. In addition, front squats do a great job strengthening the upper back.
Pause Back Squats
When you lift the stone from the floor, your hips will need to be strong to break the floor. Pause back squats are a great way to strengthen your hips.
High Rep Zercher Squats with an Axle Bar
Conditioning in your arms, upper back, and quads will be essential as stated above. I like to complete sets of 20 on zercher squats. At the end of my strongman training day, I would hit three sets of 20 at 225 with 60 seconds rest.
*Note; I HIGHLY discourage heavy zerchers. If the weight slips forward (especially with an axle), you can say goodbye to your bicep. Light, high rep zerchers are great.
Deadlift Variations of Differing Heights
Great for strengthening your back. The Husafell stone is awkward. Put yourself in more positions you suck in and train there. The awkward movement pattern will pay off! Keep in mind, when pulling from a deficit; make sure your hips aren’t too low. You want to load your hamstrings and hips, not your quads!
Rows, Rows, and more Rows
Goes without saying!
Less Basic
Any Exercise that Simulates the Rounded Back Position
The Husafell stone is 410 pounds. Great news for spine enthusiasts; your back will round when breaking the floor with this stone.
Sandbag to Shoulder
My favorite exercise for this; HEAVY sandbag to shoulders. Leading into this lift, I would complete sets of three for sandbag to shoulder. Often, I would go 265, 300, 330. These heavier bags are awkward, will work your wrist strength, and get you in a position similar to that of the Husafell stone. Why shoulder it? Because it’s awkward and hard.
Jefferson Curl
This is a great exercise that puts you in a similar position to that of lifting the stone. Bonus points for attaching a band in front of you so it pulls away and completing this exercise from a deficit.
Deficit Snatch Grip RDL’s
Another good, awkward exercise. Load those hamstrings and pull back!
Strong Forearms and Wrists
Yes, you will need more than a strong back to lift the Husafell stone. In fact, most lifters have a strong enough back, but their wrists and forearms aren’t strong enough to stabilize the stone from lifting forward.
This is basic; complete exercises that put your wrists and forearms in a similar position.
Wrist Roll
Yes, the most basic of exercises. Do it for high repetitions until your forearms burn and you can no longer roll the rope to the finished position. This is my favorite attachment for such exercise…
Remember, you are trying to isolate your forearms! An item like this will provide support for your shoulders so you can focus on forearm strength.
Wrist Curls; Internal Extension and Hold
Grab a 5 or 8 pound dumbbell. Hold both straight down, arms straight down. Internally rotate the dumbbells using your wrist so that the ends opposite of your hand are facing each other. Hold for a ten count. Repeat this ten times and rest.
Trust me, you’ll feel it.
Double Overhand Axle Deads
More forearm work. Great for your hands. Stop using tape and bent axles, cheaters!
Bicep Work
Any Bicep variation, tons of reps. Strong biceps matter.
Actually Lifting the Stone
Husafell Iceland is located about two hours from Reyjkavic. Look for a church on the side of the road. Once you see that church, pull onto the gravel road and drive forward. About 100 meters down the road, you will see Snorri’s pen. Park your car and find the stone.
Warming Up
I HIGHLY recommend lifting some of the stones around the pen (THAT AREN’T ACTUALLY THE PEN) before giving the husafell a tug. Even during the summer, Iceland can be a bit chilly. It will be important to warm up. There is a nice sized stone near the pen, weighing about 200 pounds that I lifted 10-15 times before attempting to lift the Husafell. Pick it, sit with it, lap it, walk with it… Get all the good warm ups in.
During your warm up, you should also take a walk around the pen. There is one area that I note as a bit more difficult than the rest. It has a slightly different terrain height. I would walk the 200 pound stone around that corner once to get a feel for the terrain. Facing the entrance of the pen, this would be the North-East corner.
The Part Everyone Cares about… Actually Picking the Stone
Items I would bring;
A belt (I will say; completing this beltless with no sleeves felt a bit more primal)
Chalk
A towel to dry off the stone in case of rain. Iceland’s weather can be a tad moody.
I’ve seen a handful of videos where guys who are shorter than 6 feet fail to lift the stone. The reason? They are trying to lift the stone like they see the giants lift it. But they aren’t giants!
You’ll see in my video how I like to pick the stone. Turning it so that the stone sits lower with the flat side on the floor allows you to get your arms more into the pick. Once the stone is on your lap, I also found picking the stone in this manner would allow for a better hitch to the chest.
Once your stone is set up, you're going to want to dig your hands in. Remember those wrist extensions? They are going to come in handy. Don’t start squeezing the stone with your forearms until your hips are set, as this is going to burn essential energy. Remember, the stone is slick, and you need to save that big squeeze until you are ready to pick the stone.
Tilt the stone slowly forward. Remember, the stone is 410 pounds, but about 300 of those pounds sit in the top portion of the stone. Tilt it slowly so it doesn’t fall forward. It is going to feel heavy! Don’t give up.
Walk your hips in. Once your heels are in line with the center of the stone, squeeze as hard as you can with your forearms. For me, the tilt got to about 45 degrees before the stone came off the floor. Keep squeezing and pull back with your hamstrings. Make sure you are pulling the stone into your body! Engage your hips and send them into the stone.
Once the stone is on your lap, great! You’ve gotten past the hard part. Now, dig into the stone with your forearms. As you extend your hips to stand up, hitch the stone hard to jump it up higher on your chest. Once it is in position, begin a steady stride around the pen. For your first run, I don’t recommend sprinting, as you may slip or misstep on the terrain. Once you are more familiar, you can begin moving faster.
Don’t give up on the run! Keep moving your feet and take short breaths. Once you reach the end of the course, put the stone down and bask in your accomplishment.
A Quick Note on Bodyweight
Bodyweight is an interesting factor when it comes to lifting the Husafell. You want to be heavy enough so the stone doesn’t toss you forward, but being leaner benefits the carry as the stone doesn’t sit as far from your body.
When I completed the Fullsterkur challenge, I weighed 206 pounds. At 5’8, this isn’t necessarily small or large. The twenty extra pounds of bodyweight certainly helped so the stone wouldn’t toss me forward, but I wasn’t too thick where the stone would sit too far in front of me.
That’s a Wrap!
The Husafell stone has been by far the greatest moment of my lifting career. The feeling of fulfillment after lifting and completing the challenge is indescribable. I hope this guide allows for you to feel the same way I did when I first completed the challenge. Feel free to reach out with any questions I did not answer in this article.
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