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Kettlebell exercises

Nordic Lowering: The Full Nordic Hamstring Curl

Heels hooked, hips straight, lower your body to the floor as slowly as you can and catch yourself on your hands. Push back up and repeat. One of the hardest hamstring moves without weights.

Strength · 2 min read

Why it works: Chapter 13, Why stretching your hamstrings will not loosen them

How to do it

  1. 1

    Hook your heels

    Kneel on a folded towel, heels hooked under a heavy sofa or held by a partner. Hands ready in front of your chest.

  2. 2

    Hips straight

    Knees, hips and shoulders in one straight line, and they stay in that line all the way down.

  3. 3

    Lower as slowly as you can

    Lean forward from the knees and fight the fall the whole way. The slower, the better.

  4. 4

    Catch on your hands

    When you can't hold it any longer, catch yourself on your hands like the start of a push-up.

  5. 5

    Push back up

    Push off the floor with your hands just enough to get back to kneeling tall. That is one rep. Do 3.

  6. 6

    The test

    Every rep is slow until near the floor and your hips stay straight. When the lowering turns into a fall, the set is over.

Watch for

  • Bending at the hips. The straight line is what keeps the load on the hamstrings.
  • Falling the last half. Fight the fall all the way.
  • Doing more than 3. A few slow reps are the dose.

Questions

Do Nordic curls help prevent hamstring injuries?

They are one of the best-studied ways to make the hamstrings stronger while they lengthen, which is where they are most often hurt.

Why catch myself on my hands?

Very few people can lower all the way and pull back up. The hands let you do the hard part, the slow lowering, and skip the part you can't do yet.