FitFact: Top 3 Exercises for Oktoberfest – So You Don’t Fall Off the Bench
Oktoberfest is here 🍺🎉 – bringing with it the ultimate mix of tradition, calories, and physical effort. Between roast chicken, pretzels, and beer steins, it’s not just about partying: there’s lifting, standing, and dancing involved.
If you think that’s not a workout, you’ve clearly never tried to gracefully get up from a beer bench after five hours.
To help you stay fit – or at least look like it – we’ve put together three exercises to help you conquer Oktoberfest like a pro. With a wink 😉 – and a real training effect.
Fine print you should still read: This workout contains 0.0% alcohol, but 100% training effect.
3. Beer Stein Workout – Strength Training for Arms & Shoulders
The beer stein challenge is legendary: whoever holds it the longest wins – usually sore muscles. To avoid giving up after ten seconds at your next beer garden visit, this exercise will boost your shoulder, arm, and mental endurance. Bonus: you’ll look way cooler lifting that stein.
Exercise: Front raises with dumbbells or water bottles (1 liter ≈ 1 kg)
How to:
• Stand upright, feet shoulder-width apart.
• Raise both arms straight forward and hold – just like toasting.
• 3 sets of 30 seconds.
2. Beer Bench Booty Lift – For a Stable Seat in the Tent
Sitting for hours on a hard beer bench isn’t exactly a spa treatment. This exercise adds comfort – and a confident look in your dirndl or lederhosen. The Beer Bench Booty Lift trains your glutes and lower back, helping you survive the sitting marathon with fewer “ouches.”
Exercise: Hip thrusts with or without weights
How to:
• Rest your upper back on a bench, feet flat on the ground.
• Place a weight (barbell, dumbbell, or plate) on your hips.
• Lift your hips until your body forms a straight line.
• 3 sets of 12 reps.
1. Beer Bench Balance Test – Your Stability on Trial
Dancing on a beer bench is high-performance sport – with fall risk. This exercise gets your balance in check before you hit the tent. It improves coordination, core strength, and helps you stay on the bench during the next “Ein Prosit.”
Exercise: Single-leg stand with arm movement
How to:
• Stand on one leg, bend the other slightly.
• Move your arms like you’re swinging in a dirndl or lifting a stein.
• Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.
Conclusion:
Oktoberfest and fitness? Not mutually exclusive – quite the opposite. Between stein lifting and Schuhplattler dancing, there’s more training involved than you’d think.
With these three exercises, you’re not only ready for the Wiesn – but also for the day after. And who knows – maybe your next gym visit will be just as legendary as your last tent performance.
Join the Oktoberfest Workout at ACTIV FITNESS and show us your moves on Instagram!
And because we should thank not only the chicken, but also the dumbbell – the next FitFact edition is all about gratitude. Because your gym is more than just a place for sore muscles and sweat.
Gewinnspiel:
Experience the Sporthilfe Super10Kampf LIVE! 🎉
Swiss sports stars battle it out at the Sporthilfe Super10Kampf – and you can be there live at the Hallenstadion!
We’re giving away: 8×2 tickets for the event on October 31, 2025.
How to enter: Follow @schweizersporthilfe and @activfitness.ch on Instagram and tag your Oktoberfest buddy.
📅 Deadline: October 7, 2025
🎁 Winners will be notified via Direct Message.
