How to Get Alexander Skarsgård’s Northman Viking Body

Nutrition

Alexander underwent three diets throughout his transformation: the build-up phase, the cutting cycle and the maintenance cycle, according to Magnus. “The build-up phase [is] when you want to build as much muscle mass as possible and don’t care about the fat. That’s when you overeat calories a little bit,” he explained. “Then, you have a cutting cycle when you eat, you’re in a calorie deficit. That’s when you want to maintain all that muscle mass and lose some body fat.”

As for the maintenance cycle, which Alexander was on while filming, “that’s when you really want to dial it in and make sure that you keep that low body fat and high muscle mass and the foods are more or less the same,” Magnus said.

Although there are more food restrictions within the last two cycles, including no fast carbs or sugars, Magnus noted that Alexander did indulge once in a while.

“There’s also room there to enjoy life a little bit,” said Magnus, whose favorite foods include smoked salmon and avocado. “We took the weekends off and had a glass of wine and cooked dinner.”