Although I have no experience with suspension curls, I must disagree with you on this one. I started doinog nordic like half a year a go, once a week. At the begging I could barely whitstand 1 second of the negativ portion. And I was so afraid to go fully in with the excercise, like you do as well. But i decided to stick with it. Fast forward till today, I'm doing 3-4 full nordics (negative and positive) and sets of like 3*12 of fully controled negatives. My hamstrings feel so much stronger, and they are definitley bigger. Plus, it really transferd well to my athletic abilities. And to adress your point that it's focused only on lower part of hammies, believe if you do a full nordic you will your entier posterior chain just light up! I'm talking cavs, hams, gluteus, erectors, even upper back. Core is activated as well for sure. Plus, it feels really cool when you can control your body like that, some matrix type shit. It deff gets the looks in the gym which, let's be honest, we all like 😁 all in all, if I had to do one excercise for the rest of my life, it'd be a tie between a bridge and nordic. Ps, it seems to me that you are not really giving it a chance. You should mount your heels to some kind of reisistance, not toes. And truly go all out💪
Well, he did explicitly say that if your own experience differs from his own and you like what Nordic curls do for you, then go ahead and follow your gut and disregard what he said...
I've been doing the Nordic Hamstring curl for about 2 years at least once a week along with the Jefferson curl. I love them. I can now do 10 good Nordic hamstring curl ( all the way down and up without any assistance) . By the way, I am 59.
I do them mostly isometrically and progress nicely. This is one of those exercises where isometric holds provide massive resistance so you don't need anything more to challenge yourself. There is no point in dropping to the floor and pushing yourself back up, that is a waste of time. Just hold the position, and when you're about to fail and have to pull yourself back that is really difficult.
There's a couple of things I'd like to mention: 1. I have to agree that the Nordic Curl (which isn't new, just newly interested in again)does seem to put a lot of pressure on the knees. For folks who train for any kind of sports that requires joint strength, this could compromise the health of the knee. This, like Matt mentioned, is through the shearing effect it has by taking all of the upper bodyweight and placing it on just a couple of inches of contact points. Even on thick pads, there's still resistance and it's going to take an easy way out, since it isn't flowing through the joint but directly into it. The cartilage is now being ground faster than the normal effects of daily movement, gravity, possible poor diet choices, possible lack of regenerative vitamins and minerals, lack of recovery, aging, and so on. 2. For people who can feel their hamstrings working in the Nordic Curl but not the Suspension Hamstring Curl, I have to ask a few questions: 1. are you really trying the SHC with good form? 2. If you are feeling it in the back, isn't that an indication that your form may need some work? I'm not judging and obviously, I don't know how folks are trying each exercise and what form their using since I can't see it. However, these are questions to ask oneself regardless of which way they choose to follow. I've noticed many times, people will be on a suspension trainer or trying out BW Cals for the first time and not put thought into the form or expect everything from the gym to perfectly carry over - this simply does not and will not happen the way they expect it to. It's like comparing grilled gormet food versus fried fast food and expecting them to taste the same. Yes, it really is that simple. I'm not saying they both can't taste good or they both can't satisfy you, but I am saying there's a difference and it really depends on your approach and what you want out of it. Food - The better the taste, the better it was prepped. Training - The better the results, the better the form. I've seen, (and done so myself in the early part of learning), people perform the suspended row and quit because their forearms or shoulders gave out. I've seen some people say it doesn't work as good as (insert machine/barbell/dumbbell exercise here), and quit, calling it garbage. However, I also noticed their form was the garbage part and not the exercise. For others, I've seen great form and yet, still say they don't get as much out of the row. However, come to find out, their specific body part that gave out before the back was simply a weak point and needed some work. When they decreased the angle, made the suspension row more intense, they felt it right where it was supposed to be! They just had to check the rep count at the door and get the training done differently. Remember, the body doesn't count reps, it counts intensity. If you've read this far, you must really be motivated to learn or a glutton for punishment for my diatribe. Wither way, you're outstanding and I apologize for not being able to communicate my point more precisely.
No damage is done to the patella whatsoever from doing Nordic curls, especially when using the appropriate padding as your knees shouldn't be what is making contact with the ground. The anterior tibia is what is making contact with the horizontal surface.
This is fantastics advice. I have patella issues that make my knees hurt no matter what type of padding I used in my nordic curls, even though I was doing them with a resistance band.
Considering how the hamstrings are the biceps of the legs, I find the Nordic curls to resemble close grip pull ups, where we lift the body mainly using the biceps (assuming you're using an underhand grip) and the suspension curl to be similar to a Dumbbell curl since you're curling the (lighter) weight towards you. Obviously the latter is going to be easier for beginners while the entry point for the former is too far up for beginners (similar to a close grip or even a normal grip pull up). So you could make the argument that the suspension curls are a progression towards the full Nordic curl.
An astute observation, especially sine one of your hamstring muscles is bitterly called your Biceps Femoris. The mistake I made for years was thinking that the primary action of the hamstring was to flex the knee so I kept focusing on knee flexion thinking that covered it. But the hamstrings are much more complex. The your hamstring complex is also invovled in hip extension as well. So hamstring work without some degree of hip extension is still leaving a lot of gains on test able.
1. You need to build resistance in order to increase ROM. 2. You can also use a hand for assist. 3. You can decrease tension flexing at the hips, but resisting both faces. I've trained seniors into Nordic curls. Suspension curls are a good tool if you lack the proper set up, true, entry point is lower than NCs, but soon enough you'll need somewhere to progress them.
I will start my clients with suspension trainer, but have them load it in the negative space, meaning the ankles are behind the center axis of the Trainer. This allows the leg to curl easier without the resisted tension of the trainer. Then as they get stronger, I slowly have them reposition toward neutral, then to the positive space. This allows progression of the exercise. The nordic is an all or nothing exercise since body weight is the resistance. To modify or assist this you can use elastic bands of different thickness to compensate for loading until you have adequate strength to perform without assistance. The bands also work great as a drop set style on nordics to get a volume style workout. Simply start with a smaller band and progress to a thicker as you fatigue.
You hit the nail on the hamstring; I switched from nordics to hamstring suspension curls for the exact same reasons you stated. I hated how nordics are almost entirely a negative lift.
Not even true that they are just a negative lift. It just takes time and plenty of regressions. You can’t just do one from the get go. There’s plenty of ways with resistance bands to slowly get there without injury. And if you can do full Nordic curls all the way down and up your knees will be stronger and you’ll be less likely to get injured.
There are some things to mention here, though I don't know too much! Nordic Curls in particular have protective benefits with how they are done (heavy eccentrics that are too much to actually control). If one can control them, then I think it becomes kind of a different exercise, like a "bodyweight hamstring curl", and they should add more weight (I don't know much about the concentric part of it though). Then all the athletic carry-over, but I don't particularly care about that myself. To get more out of the eccentric, a resistance band is a good idea (as long as it's not so strong that we can now fully control the eccentric). One nice thing about Nordic Curls is that it's a bodyweight exercise that doesn't get the glutes super involved, which can be handy if another part of the workout has already covered the glutes pretty hard. Definitely need some nice padding though yea. I can't seem to find much on how there's weight on the knees, other than to use proper good padding (balance pads are ideal). One can have padding just below the knee cap, too, to have a bit less pressure there, if they can figure out the positioning right. Can't find anything on it being an issue though. I do really like suspension hamstring curls, though. Just a bit of a different thing for a couple reasons. At least from what I can gather.
The suspension curl has a lovely low entry point. Yet the fact that your experience in that exercise, hasn't translated into a reasonable Nordic. Shows that they are very different.
Good point, and again, that would beg question then of how much functional carry over would there be from the Nordic curl. the hamstring curls have made a massive difference in all of my sports and activities. So if the NC is that different, then how much carry over would there be? Then again strength is always specific. there's no such thing as an exercise that makes you stronger in everything. There's always limited benefit from any single exercise.
@@RedDeltaProject the biggest plus of the NC is that it's most difficult when the legs are near straight. When a person runs, the foot strike on the ground is when the leg is in the near-straight position. So the theory is that a person's speed should increase by doing NCs (and continuing a regular regimen of sprints). Pretty much all other ham exercises get more difficult as the knee bends and and heels get closer to butt.
You made an excellent case for using SHC over Nordics. I never thought about the shearing forces on the knee, which isn't terrible but is better minimized. I also thought that was an excellent point about how progressive or regressive you can make the SHC, and how it accesses a greater range of motion. I've been wanting to put a more focused posterior chain exercise into my basketball team's strength warm ups, and I think this would be an excellent one to do the job, as you pointed out. Thanks for sharing!
Check out the Knees Over Toes Guy regarding the Nordic curl. There is no damage being done to the knee joint nor the patella during this exercise. Too many people are basing their opinions on flawed data from a 1978 research publication from (I believe) Penn State.
Hey, you actually made it, thanks. Two questions. 1. Would you know any DIY setups to do the Nordic Curls at home? I don't have any low couch or anything of the sort to lock my feet into place. 2. What if I choose to progress the Suspended curls to the Nordic curls? In that way I think it would help to complete the full ROM eccentrically
That's another bit I didn't over as sometimes the NC can be a bit tricky to set up. Not that suspension is always easier either, but locking the feet down at the right height can be a bit tricky. The way I would do it, is to take a nylon strap with a cam buckle or yoga strap and try to anchor that down t something sturdy and put your feet into that.
If you have a bench you have the possibility to use that strap Matt mentioned, I first saw it on MrInfinity's instagram or TH-cam, not sure. And that really is no piece of magic to build! So you lay with your belly on the bench and strap it arouund your achilles/ankles
Late response but thought I'd share anyway. I found the perfect setup for my situation. I use a gymnastic ring strap and loop it down so it's small enough to just fit both my feet. Then I anchor the middle part (between my feet) underneath a door. For padding I just fold a yoga mat so it's thick enough to support the weight.
What’s the point of doing curls and not just focus on suspended straight bridge? The only advantage I see is hypertrophy but I’m only interested in strength. Am I missing something?
you're not missing much. Straight briges will work both the knee flexion and hip extension (which is key) but movement also has carry over to functional applications as well.
Great video. I was wondering, if I skip curls altogether and only do squats for lower body, am I missing out on strength the same way I would if I only did pushups (and no pull ups) for upper body? Would that create imbalances or are curls just compementary to squats and therefore optional?
I have been wondering this too. I mainly do weighted lunges and explosive movements like box jumps and jump squats for my legs as well as some calf raises, should I do something like this to target the hamstrings as well?
Depends on your goals. If you want nice/big hamstrings, it would be great to do some deadlifts and hamstring curls to develop the area. Hamstring curls are great for injury prevention(most people are quad dominant and needs more posterior chain exercises). If your goal is just functionality for sports, hamstring curls has been shown to decrease hamstring tears. Its a tool in your pocket.
I used to believe squats were enough, but the research has now suggested that it's not quite enough. You'll want to get some hamstring action In there, but there may also be some squat movement that hit the hamstrings more. I'll address this in a new video soon.
Great discussion, Matt. Wouldn't that "beginner harop curl" (I don't know the right name for it) be a regression for the nordic you're showing in the beginning of the video? I do them and it fires like hell my hamstrings. But at the same time it seems a very, very long road until I can be strong enough for the traditional nordic curl.
If I just stick to standard bilateral pushups and overtime just try to progress the amount of proactive tension I can produce in my muscles then will it make me stronger ?
Do it the way the Knees Over Toes Guy does it and you'll change your mind. The Nordic curl is actually beneficial for the knees and the entire posterior chain.
Not doubt, I just get more variation and versatility from the straps. It's also a much easier learning curve which is why I use it with clients. Any good exercise shouldn't be a challenge to do in the first place.
@@RedDeltaProject If that is the case, then wouldn't the pull-up also be a challenge? My thoughts are in line with performing regressions of the exercise until one is able to properly execute it throughout the range of motion. Ever since I've incorporated the Nordic hamstring curl into my fitness regimen I've eliminated lower back discomfort and some lingering knee issues that had plagued me for nearly two decades.
As I started to progress suspended curls I felt it more in my back and not in my hamstrings. It just felt awkward raising my hips as the progression so I dropped that exercise, at least for now. Maybe I'll try again later.
I used to have the same issue. here are some things to try. - Make sure you're packing your shoulders down and tight. When setting up, you should literally pull yourself up with your shoulder blades. - You may have an anterior pelvic tilt which I compressing your lower back. Not only is the causing the pain, but i's also greately reducing the tension in your gluten and hamstrings. keeping some tension in your abs to ever so slightly "crunch" your pelvis into more or a posterior tilt should eliminate that. - By al means, try just holding the top isometric position to build control in that position. Sometimes a lack of strength / control means we sort of "throw" the hips up with momentum.
I get that you think that the suspension curl gives you more benefit, but I'm not sure what benefits you are talking about because you don't say. I work my legs to jump higher and run faster. Are we on the same page?
My choice would be suspension hamstring curl, for 2 reasons. 1. I'd rather train more muscles together than less muscles isolated. It builds a better, stronger, longer lasting body. 2. Even though the Nordic Curl isn't new, it is suddenly fashionable and the bragging rights to do such a move so perfectly is definite bragging rights. However, looking at it long term, like anything done for this reason, it doesn't have the long term benefits as SHC does. Plus, I like to run long distance, bike, play football, and etc. and would rather protect the cartilage and not grind it down for a quick IG post or to impress people for a minute, when something else comes in to be the hot, new thing to do. Ego lift is temporary, long lasting mobility is far longer and more rewarding.
Nordic curls do not have any deleterious effects on the knees nor the cartilage therein. This youtube personality is giving an opinion that is factually inaccurate.
@@The_Kirk_Lazarus I don't base my opinions on YT personalities but I happen to agree with this one. I've performed both exercises and the Nordic really grinds my knees. I've also went to a medical specialist, who explained to me the possibility of damage from pivoting on the kneecap. Weight plus movable bone equals potential for damage. Also, again, I know how I felt when I performed them and the repercussions thereof. I appreciate your concern, and if you can do them with no problems, that's cool, enjoy.
Single leg STDL is the best for hamstring stretch in my opinion. Anything laying down on your stomach or your back is never really natural to me. I prefer standing exercises the best.
With all due respect, & I appreciate & enjoy the content, you lose credibility with the one for the basic reason that you're unfamiliar & inexperienced with the specific movement the video is supposed to be about. But it's only one video, & they all can't be perfect, so not the end of the world.
That was the point... the Nordic curl is an exercise that's out of reach for most people, so they just struggle through sloppy negatives and half-baked technique when there are much more accessible options available.
Nordic curl should be the goal . #atgfam . It strengthens the acl and bulletproofs the joint from stupid injuries.and it's scalable . Go to kneesovertoesguy youtube channel. You'll transform your knee ability
I much prefer to make work capacity the goal not a specific exercise. In the past, when I made a given exercise the goal there was too much compensation to make the training easier.
Please stop being so biased towards suspension trainers. The Nordic curl is a very powerful exercise for building hamstrings and the tendon overload on the eccentrics are unmatched by lying hamstring suspension curls. Yes they have a high entry level but don't say that hamstring curls are better because they're not.
That's why I kept it open, saying one exercise is flat out always better is just pure ignorance. But having a preference (for the reasons I listed) is totally different. imo, if you can get more benefit from a given exercise, why settle or less?
He´s just saying that nordic curl it's not the best entry point for most of people. Even him. It's like trying to achieve the planche from the beginning with a lot of things to do earlier.
Neither can most people, which is my point. They are an exercise that's out of reach for most people so they just struggle through sloppy negatives and half-baked technique when there are much more accessible options available.
![Your Psoas Isn't Just Tight, It's WEAK [Don't Stretch, Do These Instead]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/h_srhkcJxAY/mqdefault.jpg)
Although I have no experience with suspension curls, I must disagree with you on this one. I started doinog nordic like half a year a go, once a week. At the begging I could barely whitstand 1 second of the negativ portion. And I was so afraid to go fully in with the excercise, like you do as well. But i decided to stick with it. Fast forward till today, I'm doing 3-4 full nordics (negative and positive) and sets of like 3*12 of fully controled negatives. My hamstrings feel so much stronger, and they are definitley bigger. Plus, it really transferd well to my athletic abilities. And to adress your point that it's focused only on lower part of hammies, believe if you do a full nordic you will your entier posterior chain just light up! I'm talking cavs, hams, gluteus, erectors, even upper back. Core is activated as well for sure. Plus, it feels really cool when you can control your body like that, some matrix type shit. It deff gets the looks in the gym which, let's be honest, we all like 😁 all in all, if I had to do one excercise for the rest of my life, it'd be a tie between a bridge and nordic. Ps, it seems to me that you are not really giving it a chance. You should mount your heels to some kind of reisistance, not toes. And truly go all out💪
Great insight.
Well, he did explicitly say that if your own experience differs from his own and you like what Nordic curls do for you, then go ahead and follow your gut and disregard what he said...
I've been doing the Nordic Hamstring curl for about 2 years at least once a week along with the Jefferson curl. I love them. I can now do 10 good Nordic hamstring curl ( all the way down and up without any assistance) . By the way, I am 59.
impressive
I do them mostly isometrically and progress nicely. This is one of those exercises where isometric holds provide massive resistance so you don't need anything more to challenge yourself. There is no point in dropping to the floor and pushing yourself back up, that is a waste of time. Just hold the position, and when you're about to fail and have to pull yourself back that is really difficult.
I love nordic curls!!
Haven't tried these curls! Excited to add them into my routine!
Thanks for the info!
There's a couple of things I'd like to mention:
1. I have to agree that the Nordic Curl (which isn't new, just newly interested in again)does seem to put a lot of pressure on the knees. For folks who train for any kind of sports that requires joint strength, this could compromise the health of the knee. This, like Matt mentioned, is through the shearing effect it has by taking all of the upper bodyweight and placing it on just a couple of inches of contact points.
Even on thick pads, there's still resistance and it's going to take an easy way out, since it isn't flowing through the joint but directly into it. The cartilage is now being ground faster than the normal effects of daily movement, gravity, possible poor diet choices, possible lack of regenerative vitamins and minerals, lack of recovery, aging, and so on.
2. For people who can feel their hamstrings working in the Nordic Curl but not the Suspension Hamstring Curl, I have to ask a few questions: 1. are you really trying the SHC with good form? 2. If you are feeling it in the back, isn't that an indication that your form may need some work? I'm not judging and obviously, I don't know how folks are trying each exercise and what form their using since I can't see it. However, these are questions to ask oneself regardless of which way they choose to follow.
I've noticed many times, people will be on a suspension trainer or trying out BW Cals for the first time and not put thought into the form or expect everything from the gym to perfectly carry over - this simply does not and will not happen the way they expect it to. It's like comparing grilled gormet food versus fried fast food and expecting them to taste the same.
Yes, it really is that simple. I'm not saying they both can't taste good or they both can't satisfy you, but I am saying there's a difference and it really depends on your approach and what you want out of it. Food - The better the taste, the better it was prepped. Training - The better the results, the better the form.
I've seen, (and done so myself in the early part of learning), people perform the suspended row and quit because their forearms or shoulders gave out. I've seen some people say it doesn't work as good as (insert machine/barbell/dumbbell exercise here), and quit, calling it garbage. However, I also noticed their form was the garbage part and not the exercise.
For others, I've seen great form and yet, still say they don't get as much out of the row. However, come to find out, their specific body part that gave out before the back was simply a weak point and needed some work. When they decreased the angle, made the suspension row more intense, they felt it right where it was supposed to be! They just had to check the rep count at the door and get the training done differently. Remember, the body doesn't count reps, it counts intensity.
If you've read this far, you must really be motivated to learn or a glutton for punishment for my diatribe. Wither way, you're outstanding and I apologize for not being able to communicate my point more precisely.
No damage is done to the patella whatsoever from doing Nordic curls, especially when using the appropriate padding as your knees shouldn't be what is making contact with the ground. The anterior tibia is what is making contact with the horizontal surface.
This is fantastics advice. I have patella issues that make my knees hurt no matter what type of padding I used in my nordic curls, even though I was doing them with a resistance band.
I do suspension curls for my light day and nordic curls for my heavy day. I alternate between both
Considering how the hamstrings are the biceps of the legs, I find the Nordic curls to resemble close grip pull ups, where we lift the body mainly using the biceps (assuming you're using an underhand grip) and the suspension curl to be similar to a Dumbbell curl since you're curling the (lighter) weight towards you. Obviously the latter is going to be easier for beginners while the entry point for the former is too far up for beginners (similar to a close grip or even a normal grip pull up).
So you could make the argument that the suspension curls are a progression towards the full Nordic curl.
An astute observation, especially sine one of your hamstring muscles is bitterly called your Biceps Femoris.
The mistake I made for years was thinking that the primary action of the hamstring was to flex the knee so I kept focusing on knee flexion thinking that covered it.
But the hamstrings are much more complex. The your hamstring complex is also invovled in hip extension as well. So hamstring work without some degree of hip extension is still leaving a lot of gains on test able.
1. You need to build resistance in order to increase ROM.
2. You can also use a hand for assist.
3. You can decrease tension flexing at the hips, but resisting both faces.
I've trained seniors into Nordic curls. Suspension curls are a good tool if you lack the proper set up, true, entry point is lower than NCs, but soon enough you'll need somewhere to progress them.
I will start my clients with suspension trainer, but have them load it in the negative space, meaning the ankles are behind the center axis of the Trainer. This allows the leg to curl easier without the resisted tension of the trainer. Then as they get stronger, I slowly have them reposition toward neutral, then to the positive space. This allows progression of the exercise. The nordic is an all or nothing exercise since body weight is the resistance. To modify or assist this you can use elastic bands of different thickness to compensate for loading until you have adequate strength to perform without assistance. The bands also work great as a drop set style on nordics to get a volume style workout. Simply start with a smaller band and progress to a thicker as you fatigue.
Thks.
Your logic and common sense wins me over again.
Well done.
You hit the nail on the hamstring; I switched from nordics to hamstring suspension curls for the exact same reasons you stated. I hated how nordics are almost entirely a negative lift.
Not even true that they are just a negative lift. It just takes time and plenty of regressions. You can’t just do one from the get go. There’s plenty of ways with resistance bands to slowly get there without injury. And if you can do full Nordic curls all the way down and up your knees will be stronger and you’ll be less likely to get injured.
@@jasonhollis3958 Exactly.
Well done Matt!
Was just thinking about this topic earlier today. Thanks for the info.
Great stuff Matt
There are some things to mention here, though I don't know too much!
Nordic Curls in particular have protective benefits with how they are done (heavy eccentrics that are too much to actually control). If one can control them, then I think it becomes kind of a different exercise, like a "bodyweight hamstring curl", and they should add more weight (I don't know much about the concentric part of it though).
Then all the athletic carry-over, but I don't particularly care about that myself.
To get more out of the eccentric, a resistance band is a good idea (as long as it's not so strong that we can now fully control the eccentric).
One nice thing about Nordic Curls is that it's a bodyweight exercise that doesn't get the glutes super involved, which can be handy if another part of the workout has already covered the glutes pretty hard.
Definitely need some nice padding though yea.
I can't seem to find much on how there's weight on the knees, other than to use proper good padding (balance pads are ideal). One can have padding just below the knee cap, too, to have a bit less pressure there, if they can figure out the positioning right. Can't find anything on it being an issue though.
I do really like suspension hamstring curls, though. Just a bit of a different thing for a couple reasons. At least from what I can gather.
Very helpful, I will have to do these on rings.
The suspension curl has a lovely low entry point. Yet the fact that your experience in that exercise, hasn't translated into a reasonable Nordic. Shows that they are very different.
Good point, and again, that would beg question then of how much functional carry over would there be from the Nordic curl. the hamstring curls have made a massive difference in all of my sports and activities. So if the NC is that different, then how much carry over would there be?
Then again strength is always specific. there's no such thing as an exercise that makes you stronger in everything. There's always limited benefit from any single exercise.
@@RedDeltaProject yeah I'm with you. I'm using it for a party trick😂. I'm too old to improve at sports😂
@@RedDeltaProject the biggest plus of the NC is that it's most difficult when the legs are near straight. When a person runs, the foot strike on the ground is when the leg is in the near-straight position. So the theory is that a person's speed should increase by doing NCs (and continuing a regular regimen of sprints). Pretty much all other ham exercises get more difficult as the knee bends and and heels get closer to butt.
You made an excellent case for using SHC over Nordics. I never thought about the shearing forces on the knee, which isn't terrible but is better minimized. I also thought that was an excellent point about how progressive or regressive you can make the SHC, and how it accesses a greater range of motion. I've been wanting to put a more focused posterior chain exercise into my basketball team's strength warm ups, and I think this would be an excellent one to do the job, as you pointed out. Thanks for sharing!
Check out the Knees Over Toes Guy regarding the Nordic curl. There is no damage being done to the knee joint nor the patella during this exercise. Too many people are basing their opinions on flawed data from a 1978 research publication from (I believe) Penn State.
Muy buen video, no conoai el 2do ejercicio, es usted muy buen explicador gracias
Hey, you actually made it, thanks. Two questions. 1. Would you know any DIY setups to do the Nordic Curls at home? I don't have any low couch or anything of the sort to lock my feet into place. 2. What if I choose to progress the Suspended curls to the Nordic curls? In that way I think it would help to complete the full ROM eccentrically
If you don't live alone: have someone hold ankles in place with their weight! :)
Place feet under heavy couch.
That's another bit I didn't over as sometimes the NC can be a bit tricky to set up. Not that suspension is always easier either, but locking the feet down at the right height can be a bit tricky.
The way I would do it, is to take a nylon strap with a cam buckle or yoga strap and try to anchor that down t something sturdy and put your feet into that.
If you have a bench you have the possibility to use that strap Matt mentioned, I first saw it on MrInfinity's instagram or TH-cam, not sure. And that really is no piece of magic to build! So you lay with your belly on the bench and strap it arouund your achilles/ankles
Late response but thought I'd share anyway.
I found the perfect setup for my situation.
I use a gymnastic ring strap and loop it down so it's small enough to just fit both my feet.
Then I anchor the middle part (between my feet) underneath a door.
For padding I just fold a yoga mat so it's thick enough to support the weight.
Suspension curls always torch my hammies. The variability to make them harder is awesome.
I love Nordic curls my hamstrings are fired up afterwards
Does it put pressure on the neck
What do you think of the ‘leaning tower ‘ exercise for the quads . It’s the reverse of Nordic curls ?
Love 'em, one fo my all-time favorites and I use them all the time.
As a climber, I like them both. When I want to load the eccentric, I choose nordics over suspended hammies.
What’s the point of doing curls and not just focus on suspended straight bridge? The only advantage I see is hypertrophy but I’m only interested in strength. Am I missing something?
you're not missing much. Straight briges will work both the knee flexion and hip extension (which is key) but movement also has carry over to functional applications as well.
@@RedDeltaProject thank you! Best fitness educator on TH-cam! Going to stay focused on straight bridges then.
Great video. I was wondering, if I skip curls altogether and only do squats for lower body, am I missing out on strength the same way I would if I only did pushups (and no pull ups) for upper body? Would that create imbalances or are curls just compementary to squats and therefore optional?
I have been wondering this too. I mainly do weighted lunges and explosive movements like box jumps and jump squats for my legs as well as some calf raises, should I do something like this to target the hamstrings as well?
Depends on your goals. If you want nice/big hamstrings, it would be great to do some deadlifts and hamstring curls to develop the area. Hamstring curls are great for injury prevention(most people are quad dominant and needs more posterior chain exercises).
If your goal is just functionality for sports, hamstring curls has been shown to decrease hamstring tears. Its a tool in your pocket.
Squats is more quad dominant. You need a good balance of both quad dominant and hip dominant exercises(deadlift , hip thrust and hamstring curls...)
I used to believe squats were enough, but the research has now suggested that it's not quite enough. You'll want to get some hamstring action In there, but there may also be some squat movement that hit the hamstrings more. I'll address this in a new video soon.
Great discussion, Matt.
Wouldn't that "beginner harop curl" (I don't know the right name for it) be a regression for the nordic you're showing in the beginning of the video? I do them and it fires like hell my hamstrings. But at the same time it seems a very, very long road until I can be strong enough for the traditional nordic curl.
If I just stick to standard bilateral pushups and overtime just try to progress the amount of proactive tension I can produce in my muscles then will it make me stronger ?
Of course, tension is tension. More tension = more strength
Do it the way the Knees Over Toes Guy does it and you'll change your mind. The Nordic curl is actually beneficial for the knees and the entire posterior chain.
Not doubt, I just get more variation and versatility from the straps. It's also a much easier learning curve which is why I use it with clients. Any good exercise shouldn't be a challenge to do in the first place.
@@RedDeltaProject If that is the case, then wouldn't the pull-up also be a challenge? My thoughts are in line with performing regressions of the exercise until one is able to properly execute it throughout the range of motion. Ever since I've incorporated the Nordic hamstring curl into my fitness regimen I've eliminated lower back discomfort and some lingering knee issues that had plagued me for nearly two decades.
As I started to progress suspended curls I felt it more in my back and not in my hamstrings. It just felt awkward raising my hips as the progression so I dropped that exercise, at least for now. Maybe I'll try again later.
I used to have the same issue. here are some things to try.
- Make sure you're packing your shoulders down and tight. When setting up, you should literally pull yourself up with your shoulder blades.
- You may have an anterior pelvic tilt which I compressing your lower back. Not only is the causing the pain, but i's also greately reducing the tension in your gluten and hamstrings. keeping some tension in your abs to ever so slightly "crunch" your pelvis into more or a posterior tilt should eliminate that.
- By al means, try just holding the top isometric position to build control in that position. Sometimes a lack of strength / control means we sort of "throw" the hips up with momentum.
Thanks, I'll try that.
I get that you think that the suspension curl gives you more benefit, but I'm not sure what benefits you are talking about because you don't say. I work my legs to jump higher and run faster. Are we on the same page?
Full ROM unassisted nordics is the only thing you need for hams.
My choice would be suspension hamstring curl, for 2 reasons.
1. I'd rather train more muscles together than less muscles isolated. It builds a better, stronger, longer lasting body.
2. Even though the Nordic Curl isn't new, it is suddenly fashionable and the bragging rights to do such a move so perfectly is definite bragging rights. However, looking at it long term, like anything done for this reason, it doesn't have the long term benefits as SHC does. Plus, I like to run long distance, bike, play football, and etc. and would rather protect the cartilage and not grind it down for a quick IG post or to impress people for a minute, when something else comes in to be the hot, new thing to do. Ego lift is temporary, long lasting mobility is far longer and more rewarding.
Nordic curls do not have any deleterious effects on the knees nor the cartilage therein. This youtube personality is giving an opinion that is factually inaccurate.
@@The_Kirk_Lazarus I don't base my opinions on YT personalities but I happen to agree with this one. I've performed both exercises and the Nordic really grinds my knees. I've also went to a medical specialist, who explained to me the possibility of damage from pivoting on the kneecap. Weight plus movable bone equals potential for damage. Also, again, I know how I felt when I performed them and the repercussions thereof. I appreciate your concern, and if you can do them with no problems, that's cool, enjoy.
Single leg STDL is the best for hamstring stretch in my opinion. Anything laying down on your stomach or your back is never really natural to me. I prefer standing exercises the best.
Thank you! I just throw nordic curl to the trash can. I hate to do nordic curls at home.
Well, as a Norwegian, I have never heard of the Nordic curl before. The latter one I am familiar with, and so are my hamstrings! :-D
If you can master the nordic curl and the process to get to even 1 rep and then 5 reps, then you WILL become a much better athlete.
jefferson's curls is a totally different exercise dude
I looked it up once and found several videos showing this.
then again I've never been a fan of labels and keeping them all straight.
With all due respect, & I appreciate & enjoy the content, you lose credibility with the one for the basic reason that you're unfamiliar & inexperienced with the specific movement the video is supposed to be about. But it's only one video, & they all can't be perfect, so not the end of the world.
That was the point... the Nordic curl is an exercise that's out of reach for most people, so they just struggle through sloppy negatives and half-baked technique when there are much more accessible options available.
Nordic curl should be the goal . #atgfam . It strengthens the acl and bulletproofs the joint from stupid injuries.and it's scalable . Go to kneesovertoesguy youtube channel. You'll transform your knee ability
I much prefer to make work capacity the goal not a specific exercise. In the past, when I made a given exercise the goal there was too much compensation to make the training easier.
Please stop being so biased towards suspension trainers. The Nordic curl is a very powerful exercise for building hamstrings and the tendon overload on the eccentrics are unmatched by lying hamstring suspension curls. Yes they have a high entry level but don't say that hamstring curls are better because they're not.
That's why I kept it open, saying one exercise is flat out always better is just pure ignorance. But having a preference (for the reasons I listed) is totally different. imo, if you can get more benefit from a given exercise, why settle or less?
He´s just saying that nordic curl it's not the best entry point for most of people. Even him. It's like trying to achieve the planche from the beginning with a lot of things to do earlier.
YOU CAN’T EVEN DO THEM YET
Neither can most people, which is my point. They are an exercise that's out of reach for most people so they just struggle through sloppy negatives and half-baked technique when there are much more accessible options available.