Nordic Hamstring Curl

Muscles Worked

How to Perform

1. 1

   Position your body for the exercise with proper alignment — joints stacked, core engaged.

2. 2

   Move through the full range of motion with control. Bodyweight exercises reward quality over quantity.

3. 3

   Focus on the muscle contraction at the hardest point of the movement.

4. 4

   If the movement is too easy, slow down the tempo or add pauses. If too hard, use an assisted variation.

Common Mistakes

• Lifting your hips off the pad to use body momentum. Stay pressed down throughout.

• Not achieving a full contraction at the top of the curl. Squeeze your hamstrings hard at the peak.

• Letting the weight slam down between reps instead of controlling the eccentric.

Pro Tips

• Dorsiflex your feet (toes toward shins) during the curl to reduce calf involvement and keep the tension on the hamstrings.

• Use a slower tempo on the eccentric — 3 to 4 seconds down. Hamstrings are highly susceptible to eccentric overload for growth.

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