The Húsafell Stone
The purpose of this article is to share my personal experience with the Húsafell Stone, in hopes that you will find the same inspiration I did from those who went before me, and to offer some practical ideas and training strategies to help you better prepare yourself, if you ever decide to test your mettle
against the mighty stone. But first, the story of the stone.
The History
The legendary Húsafell Stone is a historic lifting stone found in Húsafell, Iceland. The stone weighs 186kg/410lb and is made of iron-rich basalt, which is poetic, because it means the stone is volcanic lava forged into existence by the land of fire and ice!
The stone's Icelandic name is Kvíahellan, meaning The Pen Slab, because the stone was originally used by Snorri Björnsson as a gate to prevent sheep from escaping their pen. Snorri was a reverend and farmer who lived in Húsafell from 1756 to 1803. The pen, or fold, is made of very large natural stones and it still stands. It’s approximately 30m/100ft around, and Snorri’s name can still be seen carved on the top of one of the stones in the northern wall.
In time, this humble stone that was used as a gate became a monumental test of strength for people from near and far. If somebody was strong enough to lift the Husafell Stone from the earth and carry it one complete lap around the pen without putting it down, they would earn the title of Fullsterkur, meaning full-strength. It’s said that Snoori created this challenge by doing it himself, and that his daughter, Guðný Snorradóttir, could do it as well. This 200+ year strength tradition continues to this day.
In modern times, the Húsafell Stone has been used in several different strength competitions. In 1985, Icelandic legend and 4-time World’s Strongest Man winner, Jón Páll Sigmarsson, literally danced his way to victory while carrying the stone in his arms during the first ever Iceland's Strongest Man
competition. In 1992, the stone was used in the World's Strongest Man competition, which was held in Iceland. Most recently, Strongman superstar, and 4-time World’s Strongest Man winner, Magnús Ver Magnússon, has used the stone for his Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman Classic competition, held in Iceland in 2021, 2022, 2023. The stone has become a part of the very culture of the
Icelandic people.
My Story
When I think back, I remember, somehow, always just knowing about the Húsafell Stone. The stone has always captured my imagination. I was probably first introduced to the stone by watching the 1992 World’s Strongest Man competition on TV as a kid. I don’t know for sure, but I do know that I have always wanted to lift it.
In 2009, I competed in my first ever Strongman competition, and I absolutely loved it. I competed in the sport of Strongman for a total of 10 years, and during that time, I had many opportunities to carry Húsafell Stone replicas in both training and competition. In 2017, I competed at Canada’s Strongest Man in the 90kg/198lb weight class, and won the 140kg/310lb replica carry for maximum distance. Later that year, I failed to lift a 147kg/325 lb replica off the floor at the 2017 World’s Strongest Man in the 90kg/198lb weight class. I went from thinking that I may have a chance with the real stone in Iceland, to thinking that it may not even be possible for me.
Finally, in July of 2018, I proclaimed to my family and friends that I was going to Iceland to try to make my dream come true. I always questioned whether I could lift the stone, and now I was going to find out. I had never had so much hope, and so much doubt.
I put together a training plan and experimented with different techniques early on. Even though I already had a good physical foundation and technical understanding from my Strongman days, I wanted to stay open minded to anything that could help me. The training was brutal, but I gave it my all to make sure that I wouldn’t have any regrets about my effort, regardless of what happened in Iceland.
On May 29, 2019, I arrived in Húsafell, Iceland, at the site of the historic stone. I can still remember seeing the stone for the first time and being barely able to contain myself. I also remember putting my hands on the stone, and thinking it was going to be impossible to grip because of its smooth rounded edges. I walked around the pen to get a feel for the footing and distance, and then I started warming myself up. First with stretch bands, and then by lifting and carrying nearby stones. The moment was finally here. I stood the stone up, took my grip, and pulled myself down into position. I created tension throughout my body, and with one last big breath, I lifted with all my might. To my surprise, I then found the stone lying flat in my lap. As I tried to stand the stone up to get my arms around it, I quickly lost my balance and fell backwards, nearly dropping the stone onto myself. I was completely unharmed, and now hopeful. I knew, for the first time ever, that I could at least lift the stone onto my lap. My second attempt was the same, but without the drama of falling. On my third attempt, I was finally able to keep the stone upright from the ground to my lap. I then wrapped my arms around the stone, wrestled it into my body, stood up, and got moving. At approximately halfway around, I remember thinking about how great it was going. At this exact moment, the stone slipped some from my right arm. I continued for a few more steps, but I wasn’t sure if my grip could hold on, so I decided to stop and readjust my grip with the stone on my lap. I now found myself, out of all of the places where I could have been, standing directly in front of Snoori’s carved stone, as if it was planned. I secured my grip, and as soon as I stood back up, I knew that I would be able to finish. This time gave me the opportunity to appreciate the last moments before I finally set the stone back down. It was a dream come true. I was Fullsterkur!
The Technique - Lift
Study the stone with your eyes and hands for the best grip options. Some prefer the
stone in a starting position where it's taller than it is wide, and some prefer it where it’s wider than it is tall. The stone will stand up on its own without being held. When standing it up, make sure to pull the stone towards you rather than flipping the stone away from you, which can be dangerous for your biceps.
Once the stone is standing, start the lift by straddling the stone with your feet and pushing the top half of the stone away from you with your hands. Walk your feet forward, as you continue to tilt the stone away from you more, until the stone is between your legs and under you.
Now put your arms around the sides of the stone in a hugging position. Wrap your arms around the stone the least amount possible while not compromising your grip. This will allow you to stand as tall as possible, which will make the lift easier by decreasing the range of motion you will need to lift the stone. If you wrap your arms around the stone more than needed, you make yourself shorter, which makes the lift harder by increasing the range of motion you will need to lift the stone.
Now, the goal is to get the stone into the best possible position just before you lift it. That position is when the stone is under you and your hips are as close as possible to the stone. To achieve this position, the stone must be
tilted forward enough, or the stone will not be able to get under you enough. Walk the stone under you by pivoting its base against the ground and doing a left arm pull, right arm pull, left arm pull, right arm pull sequence, as you
continue to inch your feet forward. Spreading your knees open here will create more space for the stone and actively driving your hips into the stone will get you into the best lifting position possible. Not tilting the stone forward enough will leave the stone out in front of you, where it will feel much heavier and may also fall aggressively away from you as it leaves the ground when you lift it.
Finally, it’s time to lift the stone. First, squeeze the stone hard with your hands, wrists, and arms to lock your grip in position. Then actively drive your hips into the stone as you lift the stone up and into you by using your entire upper
body. Lift with maximum effort.
Once the stone is lifted high enough, actively pull it into your body to help clear your knees and keep it in an upright position as you wrestle it onto your upper legs. Here, the stone can be supported enough to readjust your grip and wrap your arms around it more. Once you control the stone, you are in the lapped position. Do not try to rest in this position because you are now supporting the full weight of the stone. Everything from here needs to be done quickly. I have seen many videos of people dropping the stone just a few steps before the finish line. Don’t waste time.
Once the stone is lapped, immediately pull the stone into your torso where you can wrap your arms around it even more. The more you can reach around the stone in this hugging position, the more load you will take off your arms and grip, and transfer onto your stronger muscles. This position also ensures the stone will be high enough on your torso to not interfere with your legs when walking. When reaching around the stone, you can choose between having your hands open and touching the stone, or a closed fist that doesn’t touch the stone at all. Finally, pin the stone against your torso by pulling it very tightly into you, and then stand up.
The Carry
The carry needs to be done as quickly as possible while you keep control of yourself and the stone. If you go too fast, you may lose control. If you go too slow, you may run out of time.
Leaning back during the carry decreases the load on your arms and grip, but increases the load on your hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors. Being upright decreases the load on your hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors, but
increases the load on your arms and grip. The best position for you will depend on your strengths and weaknesses, as well as what stage of the carry you are in at that time.
Squeezing the stone tighter than needed will only exhaust those squeezing muscles faster than necessary. Pulling the stone into your torso more than is needed will only restrict your breathing more than it already is from the weight of the stone. Relax your breathing as much as possible.
As you walk, look slightly ahead for good footing. Looking down can cause your head and upper back to round over into a weaker position. Big stride lengths would cover more distance, but they also cause much more jarring to your body because your feet hit the ground much harder. Instead, take shorter strides and keep your feet closer to the ground, and increase your cadence. Smooth horizontal movement is good, excessive vertical movement is bad. Keep your hips square and your upper body still. This style of walking will feel similar to how you shuffle your feet and move your body when you are sneaking up on someone to scare them.
Use something as a marker to indicate a start and finish line. The tradition is 100% around the pen, not 99%. The last thing you want to do is put the stone down too soon because you didn't know where the finish line was.
Training Considerations
- Be open-minded and willing to experiment to find what works best for you.
- The lift and carry do not need to be done together. They can be done individually
to allow more focus on each. - Based on the videos I have seen, most people who fail do so while carrying the stone, not when lifting it. This is most likely because carrying the stone takes a lot more time than the lift does, and because the carry is done after you are already fatigued from the lift. Unless you think you may not be able to lift the stone, it would probably be wise to prioritize the carry during your preparation.
- The real Húsafell Stone is a one-of-a-kind stone in Iceland. Everything else is only practice. Don't be fooled into thinking gym lifts predict success in Iceland. I know of a person who squats and deadlifts 410+kg/900+lb, who failed to carry the stone to Fullsterkur. Even replica lifts are irrelevant. An awkward stone is simply different.
- Most people prefer flat and firm soled footwear.
The Lift
When learning the lift technique, the more first reps you can do, the better. As an example, doing 10 sets of 1 rep is better than doing 1 set of 10 reps because you get 10 opportunities to practice your setup position versus only 1, even though 10 total reps are done in both. Doing multiple rep sets can be a good idea as well, because it increases the amount of practice you get and offers you the opportunity to self-correct your starting position from rep to
rep.
Listen to the feedback you get from the stone. If the stone feels like it's falling away from you as soon as you lift it, it’s probably out in front of you. To correct this, tilt the stone forward more to be able to get it underneath of
you more.
The Carry
Learning to relax and breathe easily with a heavy weight on your chest is counterintuitive and uncomfortable. Exposing yourself to this discomfort through practice is the only way to overcome it. The title of Fullsterkur must
be earned, and doing carries is how you earn it. Always try to relax and breathe easier than you did on your previous carry.
Learn how little you need to pull the stone into your body by relaxing your pull until the stone wants to drop. This will safely teach you the minimum effort that’s needed.
Most people who become Fullsterkur carry the stone for a maximum of 30 seconds. Because of this, most of your carries in training should be a minimum of 30 seconds so you are prepared for the worst-case scenario. Doing carries for up to 60 seconds, especially early on when you are learning carries, will offer you more time to learn and experiment. They also force you to use lighter weights, which is great for building a foundation.
Doing carries in a small area by going back and forth can still be beneficial.
Once you master the basics, walking in circles and on grass/gravel will better replicate the pen.
Important Information
Respect
Honor the tradition of historic stonelifting, and the Húsafell Stone itself, by being respectful. The stone now weighs less than it originally did because pieces of it have broken off, so handle it with care. For grip, use chalk, dirt, spit, or
bare skin, but do not use tacky. Permission is not needed to lift the stone.
Geography
The Húsafell Stone’s location can be found on Google Maps by searching for “Iceland’s Historic Húsafell Stone”. Reykjavík is Iceland's capital and largest city. The drive from Reykjavík to Húsafell is approximately 2 hours, and Jón Páll Sigmarsson’s gravesite is on the route approximately 25 minutes into the drive. Thor’s Power Gym, owned by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, and Jakaból Gym, owned by Magnús Ver Magnússon, both offer day passes and are a 5-minute drive from each other in Reykjavík. The waterfall Hraunfossar is a 10-minute drive from Húsafelll. Páll Guðmundsson is a descendant of Snorri who carried the Húsafell Stone to Fullsterkur. He’s an artist, and his carved stone artwork can be seen on the Húsafell Stone property.
Availability
The Húsafell Stone is sometimes moved from Húsafell, Iceland to be used at a different location for Iceland’s Strongest Man. It would be wise to confirm the stone will be at the pen in Húsafell, Iceland for your attempt. The Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman Classic also uses the stone in their competition, but in the past, they have used it at the pen in Húsafell, Iceland.
Oldmanofthestones.com
The website includes information about Iceland’s other historic lifting stones, as well as a map with the GPS coordinates of these stones, stonelifting articles, and history.
Inspiration
Kvíahellan:The Pen Slab - by Philip Arnold
A documentary video about Steve Jeck and the Húsafell Stone.
Fullsterkur- by Rogue
A documentary video about Iceland’s historic lifting stones, including the
Húsafell Stone.
Stonelifting- by Martin Jancsics & Dr. Bill Crawford
A book about lifting stones, including the Húsafell Stone.
Final Thoughts
I had a dream. So, I made a plan and suffered in training to give myself the best possible chance to succeed. I went to Iceland not knowing what would happen but needing to find out. I now have my answer. I consider it to be the single greatest thing I have ever accomplished, and I will remember it until the day I die. On that magical day, I carried the Húsafell Stone in a complete circle, finding myself not to be the same man at the end, as I was at the beginning.
Do you want to lift the legendary Húsafell Stone and become a part of its saga? The stone is there, now, waiting to be lifted. Why not you?