Nordic Hamstring Curl
Muscles worked: Hamstrings.
How to do it
- Using the leg pad of a lat pulldown machine or a preacher bench, position yourself so that your ankles are under the pads, knees on the seat, and you are facing away from the machine.
- This will be your starting position.
- Remaining in control, raise yourself back up to the starting position.
- If you are unable to complete a rep, use a band, a partner, or push off of a box to aid in completing a repetition.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Lower as slow as you possibly can
- Hips stay extended - no folding
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 3 to 8 rep range, progressing in 1 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Bodyweight movement: log added weight only, and your records account for your logged bodyweight. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Romanian Deadlift - hamstrings
- Good Morning - hamstrings
- Seated Leg Curl - hamstrings
- Lying Leg Curl - hamstrings
Track the nordic hamstring curl properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.