Nordic Curl

How to Perform the Nordic Curl

1. Kneel on a pad or soft surface with your feet anchored securely under a fixed object or held by a partner.
2. Keep your body upright from knees to head, with your arms at your sides or crossed over your chest.
3. Slowly lower your torso toward the ground by extending at the knees, keeping your hips straight and core braced.
4. Resist the descent as long as possible, maintaining a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
5. When you can no longer control the descent, catch yourself with your hands on the ground.
6. Push off the ground lightly with your hands and use your hamstrings to pull your body back to the starting position.
7. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement and avoid bending at the hips.
8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Muscles Worked

Benefits

• ✓Significantly reduces the risk of hamstring injuries, which is well-supported by research.
• ✓Develops exceptional eccentric hamstring strength that transfers to sprinting and jumping.
• ✓Requires minimal equipment and can be performed almost anywhere with a secure anchor point.

Pro Tips

• ●Start with just the eccentric portion if you cannot complete a full rep, lowering slowly and using your hands to push back up.
• ●Place a resistance band around your chest and anchor it behind you to provide assistance during the concentric phase.
• ●Aim to increase the time under tension during the lowering phase as you get stronger.

Recommended Sets & Reps