I want to share some valuable insights about the Nordic Curl and explain the unique benefits of the Nordic and how almost everyone should be doing it.

At any strength level.

You can check out the full video here.

The Nordic curl is the king of bodyweight hamstrings exercises because it's able to hit them in a way that no other exercise can. It's a true feat of strength and can can help you become a better athlete, grow your hamstrings, and reduce injuries.

Let's dive into the details!

Anatomy: Understanding the Hamstrings

The hamstrings are a group of three muscles: the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. These muscles are responsible for both flexing the knee and extending the hip, except for the short head of the biceps femoris which is only involved in knee flexion. Because of this, to fully develop the hamstrings, it's important to engage in exercises that target both hip extension and knee flexion.

When it comes to activating the hamstrings, knee flexion exercises like the Nordic curl are particularly effective compared to hip extension exercises like Romanian deadlifts (1). This makes sense because during hip extension, the glutes can also contribute to the movement, whereas during knee flexion, the hamstrings bear the primary workload. Additionally, the gastrocnemius muscle is not a strong knee flexor, further emphasizing the role of the hamstrings in knee flexion exercises.

Protecting Against Injuries: The Role of the Hamstrings

The hamstrings play a vital role in preventing knee injuries, particularly hamstring strains. Hamstring strains are among the most common injuries in sports, accounting for up to 24% of all injuries (2,3). If your hamstrings are too weak to counteract the force created by the quadriceps (the antagonist muscle group), you're putting yourself at a higher risk of injury.

Strengthening the hamstrings, especially their eccentric strength (contracting as they lengthen), is crucial for preventing hamstring strains. And this is where the Nordic curl shines!

The Nordic Curl: Your Hamstring Savior

The Nordic curl is an exercise that provides both concentric and eccentric contractions to the hamstrings, making it a highly effective way to strengthen these muscles. The best part is that you only need your body weight and something to anchor your feet for support.

Research has shown that incorporating the Nordic curl into your training routine can significantly reduce hamstring injury rates, with some studies reporting a reduction of up to 51% (4)

So clearly the nordic is worth doing, but you probably already knew that. But how about actually doing it?

Choosing the Right Setup

You might be wondering about the best setup to perform Nordic curls. The good news is that there are plenty of options available. You can use a lifting belt and a standard bench, a barbell, a smith machine, a lat pulldown machine, a partner, a couch, a door, or even a literal Nordic curl attachment.

My personal favorite is to use a lifting belt and a bench.

Just slide the belt over the edge of a bench, and then pop your feet into it, making sure they're secured nice and tight. It’s incredibly secure, and you can change the tightness and position quite easily.

Now that you're all set up, let's dive into the technique and how to progress effectively.

The Nordic curl is relatively simple to do: With your feet fixed, just lower your torso towards the floor without bending your hips or arching your back, and come back up. However, technique isn’t the thing that makes this so difficult, it’s because it requires quite extreme hamstring strength.

Progression Towards the Full Nordic

The first option is restricting the range of motion. Grab an object and place it in front of you at a point where you would usually fail. As you lower down, lightly touch your upper body to the object and then come back up. Gradually reduce the size of the object over time as you get closer to the floor.

Another option is using assistance with your hands (image above). This method involves controlling your descent as much as possible. Then, from the bottom position, create some momentum by performing a push-up motion. Finally, finish the movement by relying on your hamstring strength. Keep in mind that this method is subjective and harder to measure your progress accurately.

Now, in my opinion, this is the exercise you should be doing: the resistance band assisted Nordic curl. This is the method that worked wonders for me, and here's why I recommend it:

Resistance bands offer accommodating resistance, meaning they provide more assistance as you go deeper into the Nordic curl. It perfectly matches the increasing difficulty of the exercise, so you’ll be able to train the movement through its full range of motion. Plus, you can easily track your progress by reducing the size of the band over time, eventually ending up at body weight.

Personally, I solely relied on the resistance band assisted Nordic curl to achieve my first one. It was the only knee flexion exercise I did. I also had RDLs in my program sporadically which would have definitely contributed, but you could 100% get your first Nordic without RDLs.

Believe me, there's no need to complicate things with other exercises. Dedicating your time and energy to this exercise is all you need. I ended up programming Nordics twice a week, and as it was a strength skill, I kept the reps low and intensity high. The Nordic is no different to any exercise you want to get stronger at, so there’s no reason to treat it so. Low reps, high intensity.

That’s all it takes to get your Nordic, other than patience and persistence. Don’t be fooled, it is quite simple to do, but it does take a lot of work. No matter where you are, if you commit to it, it’s just a matter of time.

Thanks for reading and good luck on your journey to mastering the Nordic curl!