Spend much time Googling the Norwegian village of Geiranger and you’ll get countless results wherein people debate whether or not it’s worth visiting. From watching a few YouTube videos and reading a bit myself, it does seem like it’s the Norwegian version of Gatlinburg:

Tourist trap; Unreasonably expensive; Beautiful scenery; Great place to hike.

Many of these travel bloggers come across arrogant and incredibly condescending. What they don’t realize is that some of us LIVE FOR THAT SHIT.

(I am some of us)

Anyway, most of my “Welcome To” posts include a little historic factoid, but I can’t find much with regard to the storied history of a town that seems to exist solely for tourism. It, like many other Norwegian locales, is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its fjordian features, waterfalls and glaciers.

All in all, I’d love to kayak and hike here, maybe even have a waffle or two, then spend the night in a much cheaper neighboring town. I do hope to see it all one day.

On this Oppdrag: Norge project, however, I’m definitely there! At just a hair under 700 miles traveled, I have reached the sixth (of only 11!) destination.

Accordingly, there was a feast. I’ll outline it next, but also want to mention there’s been a change to the training, so I’ll be outlining it as well.

Anyway, let’s have dinner, ja?

Menu:

Cocktail: Nordic Blue Fizz

So this isn’t really Nordic at all, but it works. I’m not doing “Dry January,” but I’m done with drinking (with one caveat). So all Oppdrag: Norge cocktails will, indeed, be mocktails. This one was very simple, utilizing blueberry syrup we had in the fridge along with sparkling water and fresh lemon juice. I garnished with a lemon wedge and some fresh blueberries. It was crisp and delightfully refreshing. I was kind of surprised that we still had the blueberry syrup, and I kinda want to add it to everything now.

I missed the booze approximately 0%.

Hoverdrett (Main Course): Jaktsuppe (Hunter Soup) and Dutch Oven Loaf

Once again, North Wild Kitchen knocking it out of the friggin’ park.

I almost bought the thinly sliced ribeye from Kroger despite the recipe asking for sliced venison. This was an easy button choice, but I veered. I dug up some venison steak from the freezer and sliced as thinly as I could (by hand). Add to this, plenty of potatoes, thick-cut bacon, and spinach in lieu of kale (I had plenty of spinach, no kale), and you have a light-yet-hearty soup!

We added a few extra cracks of fresh ground black pepper and the flavor exploded. This is a very simple recipe but it packs a sexy Scandinavian punch.

Much like the mocktail, there wasn’t anything inherently Scandinavian about the bread, but there isn’t much that pairs with homemade soup better than homemade bread! I chose a Dutch oven loaf since those tend to be low maintenance and come out looking gorgeous even though they look like garbage when they go into the oven. We served this with softened butter. Simple and delicious.

Dessert: Sitronfromasj (Lemon Mousse)

I rounded out this very pale dinner with this beautiful lemon mousse from North Wild Kitchen. I’ve found it very interesting that while Scandinavian countries are well known for their sweets, every dessert I’ve made thus far has been impossibly simple. This was no exception.

I don’t know the last time I’ve had mousse – and I’ve certainly never made it – but this was wonderful! Just a little sweet and plenty of volume for such a light-and-airy dessert. Another classic.

I’d say that’s adequate fuel to burn while I push through my new workout phase! One thing you’ll notice below is that I’m not running currently. While it’s technically bro-science to say that running kills your gains, it’s actual science that says it’s very difficult to improve and be efficient at either while doing both.

With that in mind, I’ve stopped running briefly until I finish this final eight-week bulk phase. My cardio is coming in the form of daily post-workout walks with longer walks possible on weekends. I’m using the Walk Your Way Fit program (intermediate level) from T-Nation presently.

As for strength training, I’m going really hard with a six-day split that I’ll outline below.

Also, for the first time in my fitness career, I am doing a truly clean bulk. 90% or more of my nutrition is coming only from whole foods and I’m getting in at least one if not two servings of vegetables with each meal.

Without further ado:

Oppdrag Norge: Winter Bulk Phase Part 2

Monday: Strength Training – Upper-Push Focus and Walking Cardio

Barbell Bench Press: 3 x 10, 8, 6
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 x 12
Lower Cable Fly Crossovers: 3 x 15
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 x 15
Cable/Rope Triceps Pushdown: 3 x 15
Treadmill Walking: 35 – 45 Minutes

Tuesday: Strength Training – Upper-Pull Focus and Walking Cardio

Chest-Supported Incline Dumbbell Row: 3 x 10, 8, 6
Cable Lat Pulldown: 3 x 12, 10, 8
Dumbbell Bicep Curl: 3 x 15
Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 3 x 12
Cable Face Pull: 3 x 25, 20, 15
Treadmill Walking: 35 – 45 Minutes

Wednesday: Strength Training – Legs Focus and Walking Cardio

Barbell Back Squat: 3 x 10, 8, 6
Dumbbell Split Squat: 3 x 12
Hip Abductions: 3 x 15
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 15
Standing Calf Raises: 3 x 12
Treadmill Walking: 1 Mile

Thursday: Strength Training – Upper Body Focus and Walking Cardio

Pull-Ups: 3 x Failure
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press: 3 x 10, 10, 8
Cable Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown: 3 x 15
Seated Machine Shoulder Press: 3 x 12, 10, 8
Push-Ups: 3 x Failure
Treadmill Walking: 35 – 45 Minutes

Friday: Strength Training – Lower Body Focus and Walking Cardio

Leg Press: 3 x 12, 10, 8
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 x 10
Leg Extensions: 3 x 15
Seated Calf Press: 4 x 20
Crunches: 4 x 15
Treadmill Walking: 1 Mile

Saturday: Strength Training – Arms Focus and Walking Cardio

Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press: 3 x 10, 8, 6
Triceps Rope Pushdown: 3 x 15
Overhead Cable/Rope Tricep Extension: 3 x 15
Bicep Curl Machine: 3 x 15
Cable Hammer Curls: 3 x 15
Cable Behind-The-Black Curls: 3 x 15
Treadmill Walking: 35 – 45 Minutes

The walks have been great so far, giving me ample cardio that is low-impact and easy to recover from. I’ve also been watching lots of great documentaries while still pulling about 10 miles per week.

Anyway, I’ll be doing this program until the end of February. The first of March is when I intend to start my spring/summer cut phase, so I’ll be bringing those runs back out and switching up my strength training plans again. Here’s to hoping I update my progress at least once between now and then?

Up-to-date tracker:

Road Trip Tracker
Road Trip Mileage	Total Mileage	Percentage Complete
1,284.37	695.1173	54.12%
Miles to Geiranger	Leg Mileage	Percentage Complete
67.1081	70.4107	100%+
Date	Type	Distance (Miles)
12/15	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
12/16	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
12/17	Rest Day Walk	3.1
12/18	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
12/19	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
12/20	Weekend Hike	3.1
12/23	Charleston Walk	2.32
12/29	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
12/30	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
12/31	Post-Workout Walk	1
1/1	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
1/2	Post-Workout Walk	1
1/3	Post-Workout Walk	1.5
1/5	Post-Workout Walk	2
1/6	Post-Workout Walk	2
1/7	Post-Workout Walk	1
1/8	Post-Workout Walk	2
1/9	Post-Workout Walk	1
1/10	Post-Workout Walk	2

The trip to Fjaerland has begun! Only 110.604 miles to go!

Alltid Videre!

-JTF