Nordic Hamstring Curl

The Nordic hamstring curl is a bodyweight hamstring exercise. It trains your hamstrings to slowly lower your torso toward the floor, building strength in the back of your thighs.

Kneel on a pad with your ankles held down by a partner, anchor, or Nordic bench. Your knees, hips, and shoulders should form one straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Keep your hands ready in front of you to catch yourself.

Start tall with your hips fully extended. Slowly lean forward from your knees, lowering your torso toward the floor while keeping your body in one straight line. Fight the descent as long as you can. When you can no longer control it, reach your hands to the floor and push yourself back up to the start.

Take a breath in and brace your core before you lower. Keep your ribs down and your body rigid. To make it easier, lower only part way down and push back up with your hands more. To make it harder, lower all the way to the floor without using your hands, then pull yourself back up.

Fault: Your hips bend or you sit back, breaking the straight line from knees to shoulders. Fix: Lock your hips in extension and move your whole body as one plank from your knees to your shoulders.

Fault: You drop quickly to the floor instead of controlling the lowering phase. Fix: Fight the descent as long as possible, even if that means only lowering a few inches at first.

Fault: You try to do full reps before you are ready and get very sore. Fix: Start with short-range negatives and use your hands to push back up as needed; build volume slowly.