Nordic Hamstrings Curls
Trains the hamstrings, with help from the glutes. No equipment needed. One of our free programs uses it, across 3 sessions.
Free to use. The app works out every weight and times your rest.
In the programs
How our programs run Nordic Hamstrings Curls
These numbers are counted from the programs themselves, not averaged off the internet.
1of our 50 programs use it
3×8–10the shape they run most (3 sessions)
1:30typical rest between sets
| Program | Session | Sets × Reps | Progression |
|---|---|---|---|
| WS4SB 3 | Lower — Explosive + Strength | 3×8–10 | Fixed weights |
See it in action
Watch Nordic Hamstrings Curls progress week by week
A full run of a program built around it, session by session, in the real app.
Muscles worked
What Nordic Hamstrings Curls trains
Technique
How to do Nordic Hamstrings Curls
- Kneel on a padded surface and secure your ankles under a sturdy anchor, such as a loaded barbell, a partner's hands, or a dedicated Nordic bench. Keep your body upright from your knees to your head, arms held ready in front of your chest.
- Keeping your hips extended and your body in a straight line, lower your torso toward the floor as slowly as possible by resisting with your hamstrings.
- When you can no longer control the descent, catch yourself with your hands and lower your chest to the floor.
- Push off the floor with your hands to assist your hamstrings in pulling you back up to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Form cues
Getting it right
- Keep your hips extended and your body straight from knees to shoulders; do not bend at the hips.
- Lower yourself as slowly as possible; the controlled descent is where the benefit comes from.
- Use your hands to catch yourself and to assist on the way back up as needed.
- Expect significant hamstring soreness at first; start with low volume and build up gradually.
Substitutes
Swap Nordic Hamstrings Curls for
The app's swap picker ranks these the same way: same muscles, similar movement, similar equipment.
Let the app run Nordic Hamstrings Curls for you
Durata picks the weight, times your rest and adds load when you earn it. That works on any of our 50 free programs, or on a session you put together yourself.