Nordic Hamstring Curl
Lowering your body forward from kneeling under hamstring control — the best-evidenced exercise for reducing hamstring-strain risk.
Equipmentpartner or anchor for the anklespad for the knees
Muscleshamstrings
Setup
Kneel on a pad with your ankles anchored (partner, bar, or heavy furniture). Body upright, hips extended.
How to do it
- Keep a straight line from knees to shoulders — no hinging at the hips.
- Lower forward as SLOWLY as the hamstrings allow.
- When you can no longer control it, catch yourself with your hands and push back up lightly.
- A few quality reps beat many collapsing ones.
Common mistakes
- Breaking at the hips so the hamstrings never load.
- Free-falling past the controllable range.
- Doing too many too soon — this exercise causes legendary soreness; start with 2–3 reps.
Scale it
Easier: Limit the range with a band assist or lower to a raised pad.
Harder: Full-range lowering, then add a partial push back up with minimal hand help.