Try the Svend press: test your strength in Scandinavian style

Who is Svend?

Svend Odegaard Carlsen is a professional athlete in several sports. He was a powerlifter, strongman and bodybuilder. Among his achievements, it is worth noting that since 1986, the athlete has set 30 Norwegian, 3 European and 1 world records in powerlifting. In bodybuilding, Svend became Mr. Norway and took second place at the World Games. In 2001, the athlete reached the finals and won the World's Strongest Man. Svend also became Europe's Strongest Man 2001 and a three-time silver medalist at the Arnold Strongman Classic (2002-2004). After his sports career, Svend became the host and producer of the Norwegian TV show World's Strongest Man, as well as Giants Live. This man became the organizer of the "Norway's Strongest Man" tournament. The Norwegian also held a number of competitions in his homeland. And also, this strong man became famous for creating the “horizontal press” exercise in a standing position.

Svend Odegaard Carlsen photo

Benefits and disadvantages

This exercise is not basic, but helps strengthen and increase the strength of the pectoral muscles.
The press develops grip strength, and also increases performance in the bench press and deadlift for the back muscles.
Some trainers recommend this type of bench press to women for effective breast recovery and tightening after childbirth.
The Svend press creates the contours of the pectoral muscles.
Another advantage is that it is not difficult to implement. The working weight when performing this press is much lower than that used when working with a barbell.
Develops several muscle groups.

The disadvantage of the bench press is the load on the ligaments of the pectoral and deltoid muscles. Very often, athletes feel discomfort and pain.

Athletes who are injured or untrained will need to perform the exercise with greater caution.

What muscles work

The Svend press is an exotic exercise that is not particularly well known in wide bodybuilding circles. But one cannot say that its unpopularity indicates ineffectiveness. Quite the opposite: requiring a minimum of equipment, it ensures that the pectoral muscles and triceps are worked no worse than various pullovers and flyes. All you need is two small plates from the barbell.

The exercise is guaranteed to improve bench press performance, improve triceps and pectoral synergy, and improve pushing movements, so it will be useful for those involved in martial arts .

Arnold Schwarzenegger is still a reference example of developed pectoral muscles

The main load falls on the pectoralis major muscle, which is responsible for straightening and bending the arms. The triceps and deltoids act as synergists in relation to it - they help perform the main movement and perform a stabilizing function.

Also stabilizers here are the biceps and latissimus dorsi muscles. If the position of the torso is stable (which is necessary for proper technique), then you will feel the work of the abdominal and lower back muscles. Holding weights in your hands requires tension in your forearms.

It's easy to see that this list is similar to other exercises that primarily target the pecs, such as the bench press.

Technique for performing the standing Svend press

The exercise should begin from the starting position, in which the feet are shoulder-width apart, the back is straight, and the shoulders are straightened. With his palms near his chest, the athlete holds two weighting disks (they are located perpendicular to the floor, vertically).
Please note that the discs cannot touch your chest.
The movement is performed in a horizontal plane while exhaling. The weight comes from the chest.
At the end point of the amplitude, the arms should not be completely straightened at the elbows. At this point, the athlete holds the load for a few seconds and then returns it to the starting position.
Another important point when performing the exercise is to squeeze your palms as tightly as possible.

Exercise technique

The technique is simple, but it’s better to start practicing it without weights. And then gradually increase the weight. But remember, even professional athletes rarely reach heavy weights. Basically these are 2 weights from a barbell, each weighing 10 kilograms.

Initial position:

Take two barbell discs in your hands and fold them in front of you, holding them between your palms. This happens due to tension in the pectoral muscles, not the arms.
Stand up straight. Bend your legs slightly at the knees for greater stability.
Raise your elbows up until your forearms are parallel to the floor.
Pull your shoulders back until your shoulder blades are completely brought together. To stretch the pectoral muscles as much as possible.

Performance:

As you exhale, we begin the movement, simultaneously with your shoulders and arms forward. Until they are completely straightened.
Our movement should resemble a basketball pass. That is, as if we are trying to throw discs to someone.
At the end point, squeeze your pecs until you feel tension in the entire muscle.
As you inhale, we begin to bend our arms and move the discs back. Then slowly move your shoulders back until your shoulder blades are completely brought together. By performing this exercise in this way, we use the full range of motion. Stretching your pectoral muscles as much as possible.

Remember, in the Svend press, our task is to feel the work of our target muscles. And not to set a strength record. As for moving your shoulders back, everything is simple. Remember how to do a regular BENCH PRESS. As we take the starting position, we also squeeze our shoulder blades together to push our chest out. This stretches the muscle fibers as much as possible.

Svend bench press with plate

According to some trainers, the bench press with a weight plate perfectly works the central area of the pectoral muscles. The bench press is performed identically to the standing version. When performing the Svend press, your legs can be rested on the back of the bench. The elbows in this press variation face apart during the movement and create 90 degrees from the bench.

Svend bench press with dumbbell

This version of the exercise is performed technically in the same way as the others. The difference will be in the grip and the lack of pressure with your hands on the weighted discs. You can also add the movement of your elbows, which will move at an angle of 45 degrees. This variation of the Svend press is simpler, as it is much easier to hold one dumbbell. If there is no discomfort when performing the exercise, the working weight can be increased.

Execution options

You can use dumbbells instead of weights. This variation is a little simpler than the classic one, as it requires much less effort to hold the projectiles together.

But this does not mean that your arms can dangle in different directions: dumbbells, like weight plates, should be parallel to each other and pressed tightly. Here you can afford more weight, but don’t go overboard.

You can make the bench press more difficult by using three plates instead of two. This will complicate the work of the stabilizers. But hardly anyone can afford to use pancakes heavier than 5 kg in this option.

Girls can perform this exercise lying on a bench or on the floor. Here the load is placed on the pectoral muscles alone; stabilizers and synergists are almost not involved.

However, experienced male athletes can also do the Svend bench press. In this case, you should take weights significantly greater than in the standing Svend press. This will allow you to work your chest as isolated as possible. It is more convenient to use dumbbells here.

Lying option with two dumbbells

When pressing with two dumbbells, it is possible to carry out additional static load by pressing the dumbbells against each other. The elbows will be turned out more, and the angle from the line of the bench will be 90 degrees. Lower the dumbbells onto your chest (no need to touch it). It is important to maintain short pauses at the end points of the amplitude.

Important Tips

A block of repetitions is included in the training program after performing the basic part on the chest. Their average number is standard and varies between 12-15 times. The next approach is done after 2 minutes. Over time, the load increases by using heavier weights. The most common mistakes made by novice athletes include:

placing fingers in the holes of the discs leads to the loss of the meaning of the exercise;
lowering the elbows down and fully extending them is fraught with injury to the joints;
weakening of the hold of the pancakes, which is fraught with their falling and bruises;
exercise through cramps - indicates an incorrectly chosen weight and insufficient physical preparation.

When performing the exercise, it is important to monitor your breathing . Rhythm disturbances, discrepancies in the number of exhalations and inhalations complicate movements and lead to their asynchrony. Exhale while pushing the projectiles in front of you to fully straighten your arms. At the end point, it is recommended to linger for 1-2 seconds, and then return to the starting position.

For girls, dumbbells are recommended instead of pancakes, since they are more convenient to hold in your hands and can be varied with any weight. The shells are placed symmetrically, tightly pressed to each other.

For “advanced” exercisers, it is useful to perform bench presses, since this option allows you to work out your torso as much as possible without creating a load on other muscles.

The Svend press is an effective exercise for working a large muscle group, and is therefore often used by bodybuilders . Its effectiveness is evidenced by the fact that a similar technique was part of Schwarzenegger’s training complex.

Recommendations for implementation

The Svend press is an excellent auxiliary exercise that is important at the very end of training the pectoral muscles.

For men , a standard training regimen consisting of three to four sets of eight to twelve repetitions is suitable for performing this press.
For girls, this exercise can be done in conjunction with a bench press. The scheme for girls is also traditional and consists of three approaches consisting of fifteen to twenty-five repetitions.

You need to perform the bench press after warm-up approaches with the lightest weight. During the warm-up, the number of repetitions can be increased :

up to 15 – for men;
for girls – up to 20-25.

Author of the exercise

Let's say a few words about the history of the exercise and its inventor. The name is deservedly given in honor of Svend Carlsen, a Norwegian bodybuilder and strongman. Many people remember this charismatic athlete thanks to the cry “Viking Power!”, which he shouted during competitions.

The Svend press was at one time very popular among athletes, but subsequently moved into the category of “forgotten exercises of the past.” Since then, many other effective exercises have appeared, but this bench press is still worth trying.

Perhaps if you diversify your chest training by adding it to the program (especially if the muscles are accustomed to the load), this will allow you to overcome stagnation and achieve the desired progress.