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Strength Training · Bodybuilding

Assisted Nordic Hamstring Curl

The assisted Nordic hamstring curl uses a counterbalanced machine to reduce your bodyweight as you lower forward from kneeling. It trains your hamstrings to control the descent and pull you upright.

  • Beginner
  • Isolation
  • Low injury risk
  • Rest 1 min

How to do it

  1. Set the machine's assistance according to its instructions.
  2. Kneel on the pad with your knees hip-width apart.
  3. Secure your ankles beneath the restraints.
  4. Position yourself against the assistance support as directed by the machine.
  5. Align your shoulders, hips, and knees in a straight line.
  6. Lower your body forward by slowly straightening your knees through a range you can control.
  7. Bend your knees to pull your body back to the upright starting position.

Form cues

  • Brace your stomach.
  • Keep pressure even across both knees.
  • Exhale as you curl back.

Common mistakes

  • Folding at the hipsMove your torso and thighs as one unit rather than sending your hips backward.
  • Dropping through the descentIncrease assistance until you can lower at a steady speed throughout each repetition.
  • Bouncing out of the bottomReverse direction smoothly without using momentum to start your return.

Safety

Too little assistance or fatigue can overload your hamstrings near the bottom of the movement. Loose ankle restraints can let you slip forward.

  • Check that the ankle restraints and assistance settings are locked before starting.
  • Begin with a short range of motion, extending it gradually as control improves.
  • End the set when you can no longer control the lowering phase.
  • Return the moving support fully to its stop before changing assistance or dismounting.

If you have a recent hamstring injury or pain when kneeling, get guidance from a physiotherapist before attempting this exercise.

Muscles worked

Back

Primary muscles

  • Hamstrings

Equipment

  • Assisted Nordic Curl Machine

Sets and reps

Sets
2–3
Target
6–10 reps
Rest
1 min

Record the assistance setting in your notes; more counterweight generally makes the movement easier rather than adding resistance.

Variations

Harder