The Nordic curl is a bodyweight hamstring curl done in reverse: you kneel with your ankles held down and lower your whole torso toward the floor under control. It is the hardest hamstring movement most people will meet, because there is no weight stack to reduce — the load is your bodyweight on a long lever and it only gets harder the further you go.
How to do it
- Anchor the ankles and lower as slowly as you can control, hands ready to catch you.
- Push back up with the hands if you cannot pull yourself up — that is normal at the start.
Common mistakes
- Falling rather than lowering. The eccentric is the entire exercise.
What it trains
- Hamstrings
- resist the knee straightening as you fall forward — almost all of it eccentric
- Glutes
- hold the hips extended so the body stays in one line instead of folding
- Abs
- keep the trunk rigid through the descent
Variations and alternatives
Common questions
I cannot do a single Nordic curl — how do I start?
Nobody starts with a full rep. Lower as far as you can control, catch yourself on your hands, push back to the top and repeat — and add a band from a rack overhead to take some of your weight if you need it. Progress is measured in how far down you get before the catch.
How do I anchor my feet without a partner?
Slide your ankles under a loaded barbell on the floor, under the bottom of a smith machine bar, or under a heavy dumbbell rack. A lat pulldown machine's thigh pads work well too if you kneel facing away from the seat.
How many sets of Nordics should I do?
Two or three sets of three to six, and not more. It is almost all eccentric work, which is what makes it effective and also what makes it leave you sore for days — this is the one hamstring movement where adding volume usually backfires.
In StackUp. Logged as reps per set. Add weight if you use a belt or a dumbbell and StackUp progresses it like any other lift. Get the app.
Legs
