Nordic curl

The full Nordic curl: lower yourself with your hamstrings and pull back up with little or no push from your hands — one of the hardest hamstring exercises without weights.

How to do it

1. 01Kneel on a pad with your ankles hooked under a heavy sofa or a low bar, or held by a partner, knees hip-width apart.
2. 02Squeeze your glutes and abs and extend your hips so your body forms a straight line from knees to head.
3. 03Lean forward slowly, braking with your hamstrings, until you are just above the floor with your hands ready to catch you.
4. 04At the bottom, give at most a light push with your hands, then curl with your hamstrings to pull yourself back to tall kneeling, hips still extended.

Common mistakes

• Bending at the hips on the way up to shorten the lever — stay straight from knees to head for the whole rep.
• Pushing hard with your hands to bounce up — keep the push light; if you need a big push, stay with Nordic negatives.
• Adding volume too fast — Nordics are very demanding on the hamstrings, so add reps gradually and rest well between sessions.

In the Nordic curl progression

1. 1Band-assisted Nordic curl
2. 2Nordic curl negative
3. 3Nordic curl

Standard to move on: 3 sets × 5, two sessions in a row.