Nordic Curl
- Primary muscleHamstrings
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyAdvanced
- TypeIsolation · Knee-dominant
The Nordic curl is a bodyweight hamstring exercise: kneeling with your ankles anchored, you lower your body forward as slowly as you can with your hips straight, then return to kneeling. It works the hamstrings, with the glutes and the muscles along the spine keeping your body straight. Most of the work is in the lowering.
How to do the Nordic Curl
- Kneel on a pad with your ankles anchored under rollers or held by a partner, arms crossed over your chest.
- Keep your hips straight so your body forms one line from your knees to your head.
- Lean forward slowly, resisting the fall with your hamstrings for as long as you can.
- When you can no longer slow the fall, catch yourself with your hands, then push off lightly and pull yourself back up to kneeling.
Muscles worked
Primary
Hamstrings · Legs
Common mistakes
- Bending at the hips — folding forward shortens the lever; keep a straight line from knees to head.
- Giving up the last part — slow the fall for as long as you can, then catch yourself with your hands rather than landing on your chest.
- Skipping the build-up — if you cannot control any of the lowering yet, start with an assisted version.
Where it fits in a workout
Use it early in a leg session, after your warm-up, while your hamstrings are fresh.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Logging the Nordic Curl in SetGrip
SetGrip logs the Nordic Curl as reps with an optional added weight, so most sets need only the rep count. If a band or a partner helps you, write that in a routine note so later sets compare.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without bodyweight
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
Track the Nordic Curl in SetGrip
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. Text: SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.