How to do Nordic Curl – The best exercise for hamstrings

2023-04-17 13:59:57

• The Nordic curl is a strength exercise, performed from the lower body and uses body weight to primarily activate the hamstrings.
• There are three hamstring muscles: biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. When executing the exercise these muscles work together, supporting the movement of the legs and stabilizing the joints.
• In addition, there are other muscles that are also involved as a result of the movement, among which are: the sartorius (inner part of the thigh) and the buttocks.
• On the other hand, the core area participates with the work of the biceps and triceps; likewise, there is a burning sensation in the pectorals and deltoids as the chest and shoulder muscles are activated.

In general, the Nordic curl is an excellent exercise that involves multiple muscle groups, strengthening the hamstrings in a special way, with important benefits derived from its practice.

How is it done?

In the Nordic curl we work the legs eccentrically.

It is a sequential exercise that It can be done assisted by a partner or using a fixed team to anchor the lower part of the legs.

Next we explain how to develop the movements.

Option 1: assisted (with partner)

We will advance based on the ability developed to maintain good technique in each series.

1. We start kneeling in an upright position, with a pad or cushion below to support the knees.

We will ask a partner to hold our lower legs or ankles on the floor.

It is very important that the feet and ankles are in line with the knees. Shoulders should be over hips, with a neutral head and neck position; while the chin should remain tucked throughout the movement.

2. We place our arms at the sides or crosswise on our chest, tense our shoulders and hips. Next we activate the hamstrings, glutes and core.
3. We slowly lower to the ground, maintaining a straight line from the knees to the head. We must go as low as possible using only the upper part of the legs. Then we will place our hands in front of the body if necessary, to stop the fall when we can no longer descend using only our legs.

The descent must be slow and controlled.

4. We will use the strength of the arms to drive the upward movement and climb more easily until we reach the starting position.

At the end of each repetition, the shoulders should end directly over the hips.

We can start with 4 series of 6 to 8 repetitions.

Option 2: no partner

We can anchor the lower legs under a piece of equipment to ensure that the ankles remain immobile during execution.

Variants to use include:

• Weight bar: We load a lifting bar with plates from both sides and it rests fixed on the ground. We kneel in front of her, sliding our legs under in order to support them.
• Smith Machine: The bar of the machine is fully lowered to support and secure the feet. It is convenient to use a pad so that the ankles are comfortable against the bar.

Not all machines are used for this.

• Pulldown machine: This equipment is ideal for securing the ankles during the Nordic Curl.

We adjusted the thigh pads so that your lower legs slide securely under them as you kneel on the seat.

• Other gym items: It is possible to locate in the gym other options to secure the ankles. The water row bar or the bottom rungs of the Swedish ladder can be the height you need, even the bottom of the weight rack could provide the correct height.

We will start by doing 5 to 6 repetitions for 4 series, until we achieve stability.

Benefits of the Nordic curl for your hamstrings

The Nordic curl is probably the most effective bodyweight exercise for strengthen and develop the hamstrings.

Below we explain the greatest benefits that we can obtain from training.

• Improve your strength: By maintaining a force against it to prevent the fall, a eccentric contraction; which is one of the best ways to achieve muscle growth. Additionally, working the hamstrings deep into the muscle tissue promotes maximum power and strength.
• Flexibility: The hamstring muscles are what facilitate movement to perform all kinds of exercises and daily activities. With the Nordic curl we focus the work on this muscle group, achieving greater flexibility with its development. It also contributes to performance in sports of speed and brakingsuch as tennis, soccer or athletics, because the hamstrings are related to the effectiveness of the brake and speed of the lower body.
• Prevents injuries: The Nordic curl contributes to protect hamstrings, strengthening and lengthening them, so that we can prevent injuries. Because we are using the negative phase of the movement, the muscle is stretched as we try to contract it, and the hamstring is forced to lengthen to support the load.

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