Ask an Insider: Alexander Skarsgård’s Trainer Shares His Must-Have Fitness Essentials Ahead of ‘The Northman

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In Robert Eggers’ new epic “The Northman,” out this weekend, Alexander Skarsgård seeks revenge on a man who has killed both his parents and usurped the throne from his royal father.

It’s a noble task, one that sees his character scaling mountains, rowing through tumultuous waters and getting into brutal, primal, combat.

Tasked with such body-intensive missions, it makes sense that the 45 year-old actor would need to make some serious physical transformations in preparation for the film — not only to convincingly take on the role of a Nordic Viking but to simply make it through a scene without breaking down from exhaustion.Skarsgård’s compelling portrayal as a bulging warrior with superhuman strength (and very ripped abs) is all thanks to fitness trainer and physical movement coach Magnus Lygdback who first worked with the actor on “Tarzan” in 2019. “His spirit animal is a wolf and and a bear so we wanted to really build that into the character,” Lygdback tells Variety.  “We needed him to move like a wolf, and have the vibe, presence and look of a bear like in the big, hulking way he walks.”Anyone who’s seen the film, or even promo images showing Skarsgard in character, won’t be surprised to find out that a main area that they focused on during training was the shoulders.