How to Do Nordic Hamstring Curls (and Easier Versions to Start With)

To do a Nordic hamstring curl, kneel on a soft mat with your ankles held down by a partner or a sturdy anchor, keep your body straight from your knees to your head, and lower yourself towards the floor as slowly as you can, catching yourself with your hands when you can no longer hold on. Most beginners should start with an easier version, such as a short-range or band-assisted Nordic, for 1 to 2 sets of 3 to 5 reps once or twice a week. This guide covers safe anchoring, the easier versions, common mistakes and how Nordics fit into a week of running.

What is a Nordic hamstring curl, and what muscles does it work?

A Nordic hamstring curl, often just called a Nordic, is a kneeling exercise where your hamstrings act like brakes. Your lower legs are fixed and you tip forward from the knees while your hamstrings fight to stop you falling. Working a muscle as it lengthens under load like this is called eccentric training.

• Hamstrings. The three muscles along the back of your thigh do almost all of the work.
• Calves. They help a little, as part of the upper calf crosses the back of the knee.
• Glutes and core. They hold your hips straight so you lower as one solid piece.

If your hamstrings often feel tight after runs, our guide to fixing tight hamstrings as a runner explains why strength usually matters more than stretching.

How do you anchor your feet safely at home or in the gym?

Your anchor has to hold your heels down while you lean your whole bodyweight forward. If it lifts or slides mid-rep, you fall. Test any new anchor with a few small leans first, and always kneel on a folded mat or cushion.

• In the gym. A Nordic bench or glute-ham machine is ideal. Otherwise, kneel facing away from a lat pulldown machine with your heels hooked under the thigh pad.
• At home. Hook your heels under the base of a heavy sofa or bed frame, but only if your heels fit and it does not lift when you lean. Door-anchored Nordic straps are also sold; follow the maker's instructions.
• Never use anything on wheels, a loose barbell that can roll, or a chair or table that could tip.

Is a partner or a fixed anchor better?

Both work. A partner needs no kit, while a fixed anchor lets you train alone and feels the same every time.

How do you do a Nordic hamstring curl step by step?

1. Kneel tall. Knees on a soft pad about hip-width apart, heels locked under the anchor.
2. Make a plank. Squeeze your glutes and brace your stomach so you are straight from knees to head. Keep your hands up in front, ready to catch yourself.
3. Lean from the knees. Tip forward slowly with straight hips, taking 3 to 5 seconds to lower.
4. Resist all the way. Keep fighting the fall for as long as you can. Slower means more work for your hamstrings.
5. Catch softly. When you cannot hold on, let your hands take you into a press-up position.
6. Push back up. Push firmly off the floor to return to kneeling. You are not expected to pull yourself up with your legs.

What are the easier versions, and how do you progress?

Most people drop quickly the first time they try a full Nordic, and that is normal. Start on the rung where you can lower slowly with straight hips, and move up when you can do 2 to 3 sets of 5 smooth reps.

1. Prep work. Glute bridges and slider or towel leg curls build basic hamstring strength.
2. Short-range Nordic. Lean forward only as far as you can control, then pull back up to kneeling. Go a touch further each week.
3. Band-assisted Nordic. Fix a long resistance band high behind you and loop it around your chest so it takes some of your weight. A thicker band gives more help.
4. Lower to a target. Lower until your hands land on a bench or box in front of you. A higher target means an easier range.
5. Full Nordic with a hand catch. The version described above.
6. Slower and longer. Take 5 seconds or more, or pause briefly on the way down. Pulling yourself back up with your hamstrings is a long way off for most people, and you do not need it.

What are the most common mistakes, and how do you fix them?

If a hamstring cramps, stop the set and stand up gently. Sharp pain at the back of the thigh is different: stop, and see a physio before you try again.

How many sets and reps should you do?

For most beginners, 1 to 2 sets of 3 to 5 reps once or twice a week is a good start, with about 2 minutes of rest between sets. Over a few weeks you can build towards 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8. Studies comparing training volumes suggest even small doses can build eccentric hamstring strength, though higher volumes may bring bigger changes over time. Expect some soreness at first. Our guide to DOMS and sore legs explains why it happens and what helps.

What does a 4-week starter plan look like?

Only move on if the previous week felt controlled and the soreness settled within a couple of days.

Why do runners do Nordic hamstring curls?

Every stride, your hamstrings work to slow your lower leg as it swings forward before your foot lands. They are lengthening and working at the same time, which is what a Nordic trains, and the demand grows the faster you run.

The research is promising but not settled. A well-known 2019 review, mostly of football and other ball sports, linked injury prevention programmes that included Nordics with roughly half the rate of hamstring injuries. A later re-analysis questioned how strong that conclusion is, and very few studies have looked at distance runners. Treat Nordics as a useful part of a strength routine, not a guarantee against injury. They pair well with a hip-hinge move: our guide on how to do a Romanian deadlift covers working the hamstrings from the hip.

Skip Nordics for now if you have a current hamstring strain, knee pain when kneeling, or are coming back from surgery. A physio can tell you when to start.

How do Nordic curls fit into a hybrid week with running?

• Do them after, not before. Put them at the end of a strength session or after an easy run, never before intervals or a long run.
• Give hard runs space. Leave at least a day, ideally two, before your hardest session of the week.
• Pair them with leg strength. Doing them on the same day as squats or deadlifts keeps hard days hard and easy days easy.
• Ease off before a race. Cut the volume in the last week or two before a goal race.

A simple week might be an easy run on Monday, strength with Nordics on Tuesday, intervals on Thursday, HIIT or mobility on Friday and a long run at the weekend. Edge Pro builds running, strength, HIIT and mobility into one fully personalised plan, from £19.99 a month with a 7-day free trial, and you can message a real coach anytime about form or timing.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.