Strength Icons - Svend Karlsen By Jay "Ursus" Pateman
Looking
back at my past i can vividly remember one Christmas time, staring at the old
28" box Hitachi Television, surrounded by snoring half pissed
relatives and being drawn magnetically to the vision of a bleached blond
,thick set, tattooed giant of a man stripped to the waist bellowing a war
cry to the Viking spirits. This to me held so much more sincerity than the
American wrestlers stomping there feet and back handing each others ballooned
up physiques,this guy really meant it, his bloodshot discus like eyes were
bulging out of his head ,his zig zagging road map like veins pulsating around
his temple and neck and thick wads of spittle projecting at the screen coming
from his purple lips ............this man was the real deal, no sheep in
wolfs clothing but more a grizzly bear trapped in a snare trap !
Anyone
who knows anything about 'strongman' knows Svend Karlsen, big, strong, aggressive
and humorous, his passion is unparalleled in strength sports and some of the
things he did with the weights were ahead of there time.
When I
think of a symbol of strength i struggle not to include Svend, one
thing I believe we are sorely missing in our great sport is great
ambassadors and salesmen of the sport, but he was certainly one of them, brash
but not arrogant, loud but worth listening to, and he had strength married
brilliantly with a high modicum of intellect and technique. For those
reasons I chose Svend Karlsen to accompany the other greats included
in my "Strength Icons" series, as he has done so much in
promoting our great sport and for making it admirable, feared and
respected.
SVEND "VIKING" KARLSEN
Weight 145kg
Chest 61"
Biceps 22"
Thighs 33"
Calves 21"
Svend
Odegard Karlsen was born in Drammen ,Norway , about 30mins from Oslo on the 6th
October 1967. From the very early age of three years he can remember vividly
posing for his family doing the usual muscular ritual that he had witnessed
bodybuilders doing and from then on he had an obsession with the big and
heavily muscled physiques on the movie screens and in magazines.The figure that
really inspired him to begin on a path to greatness was one of the Austrian
oak,the most influential bodybuilder of all time Arnold Schwarzenegger. After
seeing Arnolds puffin like chest, the giant softball like peaks of his biceps
and his flared 'wing like' lats Svend couldn't wait to get to the gym. He began
training at the young age of thirteen . From this point onwards the teenage
Viking spent so much time in the gymnasium that he began to call it home ,often
dedicating up to eight hours a day relentlessly punishing his muscle fascia in
an attempt to mimic his idol .
Amazingly
enough Svend claims that the first time that he ever attempted the big three
powerlifting moves of the squat the bench press and the deadlift his numbers
were 150kg,100kg,150kg incredible numbers for his first real attempts!!
People noticed the handsome muscular man and his gym lifts became that
impressive he was told to try his hand at Powerlifting.By the age of sixteen
Karlsen started winning medals,world medals soon followed and this snowballed
into thirty Norwegian powerlifting records,three European and one world record.
His best lifts being a staggering 400 260 410 !!!
Svend came
to thinking it was time to change course in his life and get away from
his prolific powerlifting career and his solution was to try out the sport
of bodybuilding .His background in the gym had given him a very thick and
grainy look and a density to his body which resulted in a terrific human form
once he had dieted down to a low bodyfat.. He was already a great showman and
his routines were second to none ,really showing of his attributes to the
crowds who adored him and he was soon rewarded with the coveted Mr Norway title
in 1993 and a 2nd in the World games followed by an IFBB professional
card.Unfortunately for Karlsen he suffered a severe muscle tear that finally
put an end to the bodybuilding.
A chance phone call with friend and former strongman Illka kinnuen to
assist him in a local strongman competition excited him enough to accept the
request ,it was 1996 and Svend was out of shape, drinking and smoking a pack of
cigarettes a day .Karlsen had always fantasised about competing in strongman
and looked up to and admired the likes of Bill Kazmaier and Jon Pall
Sigmarsson.and although not doing any specific strongman training ,competed in
his first competition 'Strongest man of the North' and then qualified for
Worlds Strongest Man the same year. After just missing out on the final in a
heat with Riku kiri and Flemming Rasmussen,The following year he nearly made it
again but got injured in his banker event ,the squat .Svend decided to get
serious and began acquiring strongman equipment and adjusting his diet and
training accordingly.
Svends Strongman Training
Day 1
Log
curl 2-3 sets 6-12reps
Tyre flip 3 sets ascending reps 6/8/10
Stones 3 sets of 5 runs
Close
grip bench 1 set of 4-6reps 1 set of 10-14
French press 2 sets 8-12reps
Pushdowns 2 sets 8-12 reps
Crunches 3 sets of 12 reps
Day
2
Front squats 2 sets 5-6 reps
Karlsen squats 3 x 8-12 reps
Leg extensions 3 x 12-20 reps
Calf raises 3 x 20 reps
Rower 3 sets of 500m sprints
Day
3
Walking or swimming
Day 4
Apollons axle 1 x 1-3reps
(drop
set) axle reps 1 set of 6-10 reps
Log lift 1 set of 4-8 reps 1 set 8-12 reps
Karlsen crucifix flyes 2 x 3-8 reps
Upright row 2 x 8-12 reps
Incline log press 1x3-reps 1x12 reps
Crossovers 3 x 8-12 reps
Day
5
Deadlift
2 sets 3-6 reps
Seated rows 3 sets 8-12 reps
Pull downs 3sets 8-12 reps
Shrugs 3 x12 reps
Bent side laterals 3 x 8-12 reps
Day 6
Swimming x 1hour
Day 7
Day 7
Super yoke 3 x 25m Farmers 2 x35m
Conans 2 x 3 laps Truck pull 3 x 10m
Keg tossing 3 x
5 throws
His
diet was dialled right in now and it mainly consisted of anything he could
acquire that was natural,and refused any processed foods favouring dishes such
as Oatmeal,milk,eggs,vitamins ,minerals,amino acids,and then five more meals in
the day,normally cod and rice,steak and rice and then chicken and rice.
With his
training and diet all going smoothly he went again to Worlds strongest man in
1999 and took a very respectable third place behind Yanne Virtanen and twice
champion Jouka Ahola the following year in Sun sea South Africa he progressed
again by coming second only behind champion strongman Vertanen . Then in 2001
on the banks of the Zambezi river Svend Karlsen finally fulfilled his fantasy
by becoming the 2001 worlds strongest man.
For me
though Svends crowning glory wasn't in the battle that he won in 2001 but
rather the one in which he came off second to the awesome 380lb Lithuanian
Zydrunas Savickas .The reason i picked this event particularly over his win in
Worlds strongest man is that this year he was well past his peak performances,
he was 37 years old and he was pitted against the two up and coming powerhouses
and arguably the two strongest strength athletes of all time Big Z and the
'Dominator' Pudzianowski !!! Karlsen was recovering from injury and was pale
and pasty throughout the competition and still managed 2nd place against a prolific
field of monsters.In order to do this and compete against the super heavy
Savickas ,Svend had upped his body weight to a lifetime high of over 150kg and
gave every event his heart and soul.
2004 IFSA SUPER SERIES ARNOLDS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Columbus Ohio.
The
Apollons axle was introduced into the competitions in 2002 and Svend that
year,had been unable to successfully clean and press the awkward 166kg thick
handled train wheels overhead .This year he had other ideas and had been
training the heavy axle relentlessly.The newly bleached blond Viking charged
onto the platform and took hold of the 2" handle with both hands. Shocking
the whole audience by ripping the massive weight to his deltoids in
one giant pull using a mixed grip,changing quickly and in one motion into the
pressing position Svend jerked the 26stone axle overhead with absolute
conviction.The second attempt in the maximum reps competition began in
disaster,as Svend attempted another power clean his huge hamstring muscle tore
causing him to drop the weight onto his 33" thighs in pain.He soon
shrugged off the agony screaming from his legs ,and by using the continental
clean style managed to not only clean the weight but also to press it overhead
with incredible will power grip and determination he managed another two
repetitions to get his tally up to an incredible four repetitions .Angrily
Karlsen claimed to reporters that if his hamstring hadn't torn he would have
been good for six or seven repetitions,few people dared to argue with his
claim !!!!
The 14
foot bar of the Hummer V deadlift stood ominously in the centre of the lifting
platform as the technicians made there final adjustments and refinements to the
set up.4 huge tyres sat 2 at each end of the bar with room for more plates to
be added when needed.This was not the best event for a strongman with a torn
hamstring but nevertheless the Viking managed his first two attempts the second
one being 850lbs !! He came out for his third attempt of 915lb snorting and
screaming at the bar whilst adjusting his belt and grip .He pulled with
everything he had but unfortunately Thor and Odin were not with him today and
he couldn't quite get the full weight of the bending bar off the platform and
over his knees. No shame in that attempt and managing fourth place behind
Philipi,big Z and Isivan Arvati was phenomenal in the circumstances.
The third
event was derived as an offspring of the Highland games classic "weight
for height ".The 50lb medicine ball for maximum distance
overhead was a tough battle for the broken Viking, nevertheless he fought
on bravely achieving a great 4th place with 15 1/2 ft whilst wincing with pain
in the event which required such explosive hamstring and hip power.
The
fourth event was an immensely tough one,and total body strength was required .
The yellow giant replica hammer had to be pushed to full extension using
your shoulders and legs to drive the implement upright. It had 700lbs worth of
pressure when horizontal and the more you pushed it towards the vertical
the heavier it rose to upwards of 1000lb !!! Svend said before he began
that "i know i have to do everything right and i cant afford any
mistakes" . He was true to his word as he bulldozed through the
competition with a final time of only 13.63 seconds eclipsing others times.
Punching the air ,shouting and wailing at the crowd and even rolling on the
floor, the importance of what Svend had done against the odds was clear to
everyone........he wanted this bad !! Grabbing the microphone of the MC he
shouted to anyone who would liten that "Thor and Odin are
here!!!!" he wasn't the only one who realised that gallant effort
had pushed him to within half a point of Savickas with only one event
remaining.
The last
event was one of true savagery the aim was to walk up a 10%incline ramp
carrying a timber frame with grip strength alone,not just any old frame but one
weighing in exess of 850lb !!! The task was enormous with not one man able to
finish the course at all and only the two favourites and title contenders
Savickas and Karlsen left to battle it out now. The magnitude of the task
was etched all over Svends face as he approached the timber frame and adjusted
his grip for as best he could .Squeezing the handles tight he hept his head
bowed as referee David Webster gave the signal to start and he slowly
deadlifted the weight until his knees locked out and he began shuffling forward
up the steep incline .Dropping the implement several times in the process Svend
managed three quarters of the course but was unable to finish before the
timekeeper blew his whistle. Svends face said it all ,and despondently he
strolled down the ramp in preparation to watch Savickas who managed the task in
sensational fashion without dropping it once. .
For the
third consecutive year Karlsen came second place against all the odds and
heavily injured in the heaviest competition in the world ,forever etching his
name into strongman history.
During
his vibrant career he also won,Europe's strongest man,Scandinavia's strongest
man,Norway's strongest man and broke many world records including the Log lift.
The
Arnolds competition was his last major one other than winning Norway's
strongest man in 2006 after which he retired ,but he still trains hard recently
trebling 400kg in the deadlift !!!
Svend now
runs Viking power productions,the Norwegian strongman competition and the Svend
Viking power challenge.He continues to train athletes but spends a lot of time
in between appearances and commentating out hunting ,fishing and shooting with
his big dog 'Elvis' for company.
In 2010
he became only the second strongman ever to enter the coveted strongman hall of
fame voted for by strength fans.
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