The 8 Best Nordic Curl Alternatives (2026)

The Nordic curl, also called the Nordic hamstring curl, is one of the toughest exercises you can do for your hamstrings without touching a weight. You kneel on a pad with your ankles locked under a partner’s hands, a GHD footplate, or a Nordic curl bench, then lower your torso toward the floor as slowly as you can, using only your hamstrings to control the descent. That eccentric lowering phase is the whole point. It’s what makes the Nordic curl one of the most studied exercises in sports science for cutting hamstring strain injury rates in team-sport athletes by roughly half.

You’ll want an alternative for a few practical reasons. Most gyms don’t have a Nordic curl bench, and you need a partner willing to pin your ankles down if you don’t have one. The exercise itself is brutally hard on its own. Most lifters can’t control a single full rep without their hamstrings giving out and their chest slamming toward the floor, so it’s a rough starting point if you haven’t built up eccentric hamstring strength first. Or maybe kneeling on a hard pad for reps bothers your knees, and you’d rather build the same strength standing, seated, or lying down instead.

Here are the 8 Nordic curl alternatives I’d reach for, picked for how well they train the hamstrings through knee flexion or a hip hinge, how much equipment they need, and how safely you can scale them from a true beginner up to someone chasing the same eccentric strength a Nordic curl builds. A few of these are close substitutes you could run in the exact same program slot, and a few are heavier hip-hinge options that build the same posterior chain from a completely different joint action. I’ll tell you when to use each one and exactly how to do it.

Table of Contents

1 The 8 Best Nordic Curl Alternatives
2 Reasons to Choose the Nordic Curl
3 Muscles Worked by the Nordic Curl
4 FAQs
5 Key Takeaways
6 Other Alternative Exercises

The 8 Best Nordic Curl Alternatives

Glute-Ham Raise
Slider Leg Curl
Swiss Ball Leg Curl
Lying Leg Curl
Seated Leg Curl
Romanian Deadlift
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Reverse Hyperextension

1. Glute-Ham Raise

When to Perform the Glute-Ham Raise

This is the closest swap on the list. The glute-ham raise still trains your hamstrings through knee flexion under an eccentric load, and it adds hip extension on top of that, but you can scale the difficulty with a resistance band or a shorter range instead of the all-or-nothing eccentric a true Nordic curl demands. Use it as your main hamstring builder on a day you’ve got a GHD available, as a more forgiving stepping stone toward Nordic curls, or as a full stand-in once your hamstrings can handle the load on their own. I’d program 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps, since like the Nordic curl, clean reps matter far more here than piling on volume.

How to Perform the Glute-Ham Raise

Set the footplate of a GHD or glute-ham developer so your ankles are locked and your knees rest just behind the pad.
Start with your torso upright and your body in a straight line from knees to head.
Lower your torso toward the floor under control by bending at the knees, keeping your hips extended the whole way down.
Use your hamstrings and glutes to pull yourself back up to the starting position.

Equipment: GHD machine or glute-ham raise bench (a partner holding your ankles on a pad works if you don’t have one).

This video from The Strength Institute shows how to perform the glute hamstring raise (GHR).

Glute Hamstring Raise (GHR) - Tutorial

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Glute-Ham Raise

Loop a resistance band around the top of the machine for assistance if you can’t do a full rep unassisted yet.
Keep your hips extended the whole rep. Letting them fold turns this into a back extension instead of a hamstring exercise.
Lower yourself slower than you raise yourself, since the eccentric portion is where most of the benefit comes from.
If your gym doesn’t have a good GHD footplate angle, a Nordic curl attachment or partner-held setup trains the same muscles.

For a full pros-and-cons breakdown of how this stacks up against the exercise it’s replacing, see our glute ham raise vs Nordic curl comparison.

2. Slider Leg Curl

When to Perform Slider Leg Curls

This is your best bodyweight option for building eccentric hamstring strength at home with zero equipment beyond a couple of furniture sliders or a towel on a hard floor. It’s also a smart beginner progression before you try a Nordic curl or glute-ham raise, since the load is just your bodyweight and you can control the difficulty by how far you slide your legs out. I’d run 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, and add single-leg reps once the two-leg version stops being a challenge.

How to Perform Slider Leg Curls

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your heels resting on sliders, valslides, or a towel on a smooth floor.
Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the floor into a bridge.
Keeping your hips up, slide your heels out until your legs are straight.
Curl your heels back in toward your glutes to return to the starting bridge position.

Equipment: furniture sliders, valslides, or a towel on a hardwood or tile floor.

This video from Ben Bruno shows how to perform valslide leg curls.

Valslide Leg Curls

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for Slider Leg Curls

Keep your hips up for the entire set. If they drop, you’ve lost most of the hamstring tension.
Slide your legs out slower than you curl them in for a bigger eccentric challenge.
Socks on a hardwood or tile floor work in a pinch if you don’t own sliders.
Try single-leg reps once the two-leg version gets easy for 15 or more reps, since it doubles the load on each hamstring.

3. Swiss Ball Leg Curl

When to Perform Swiss Ball Leg Curls

This uses the same bridge-and-curl pattern as the slider version, but the instability of the ball adds a balance and core demand on top of it. It’s a solid stepping stone toward a Nordic curl or glute-ham raise since it still trains hip extension and knee flexion together, and it’s easier on your spine than lying directly on a hard floor. I’d program 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, moving to single-leg reps once the two-leg version is no longer a challenge.

How to Perform Swiss Ball Leg Curls

Lie on your back with your heels resting on top of a stability ball and your arms flat on the floor for balance.
Bridge your hips up until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
Bend your knees to roll the ball toward your glutes, keeping your hips raised the whole time.
Straighten your legs to roll the ball back out to the starting position.

Equipment: stability ball (also called a Swiss ball or physio ball).

This video from Mind Pump TV shows how to perform the stability ball leg curl.

Build Your Hamstrings with the Stability Ball Leg Curl

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for Swiss Ball Leg Curls

Keep your hips level throughout the set. Don’t let one side sag as you fatigue.
Move slower than feels natural, since the ball makes it easy to cheat the range with momentum.
A slightly under-inflated ball is more stable and easier to control than a fully firm one.
Progress to single-leg reps once you can do 15 or more clean reps with both legs.

4. Lying Leg Curl

When to Perform Lying Leg Curls

This is the safest isolated knee-flexion option on the list, since a machine controls the weight instead of your bodyweight and gravity doing it for you. There’s no risk of an uncontrolled eccentric slam the way there is with a true Nordic curl, which makes it a good high-volume hypertrophy tool once your hamstrings need direct isolation work beyond the hip-hinge and knee-flexion combination movements above. I’d program 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps at the end of a leg day.

How to Perform Lying Leg Curls

Lie face down on the machine with the ankle pad resting just above your heels and your knees aligned with the machine’s pivot point.
Grip the handles and keep your hips pressed into the pad.
Curl your heels toward your glutes by bending your knees.
Lower the weight back down under control to full extension.

Equipment: lying leg curl machine.

This video from FIT.nl shows how to perform the lying leg curl.

Lying Leg Curl | Proper Form Tutorial for Hamstrings

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for Lying Leg Curls

Keep your hips pinned to the pad. Lifting them off turns this into a lower back exercise.
Control the eccentric the same way you would a Nordic curl instead of letting the weight stack slam down between reps.
Point your toes slightly to bias the hamstrings a bit more over the calves.
Add a short pause at full contraction for extra time under tension without adding weight.

For more ways to train this exact movement pattern, see our lying leg curl alternatives guide.

5. Seated Leg Curl

When to Perform Seated Leg Curls

The seated position changes your hip angle slightly compared to the lying version, and it’s a lot easier on a lower back that doesn’t love lying face down on a loaded machine. I’ll reach for this after a heavy squat or deadlift session, when getting down onto a lying leg curl bench isn’t appealing, or just as a second hamstring angle later in a leg day. Program it for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

How to Perform Seated Leg Curls

Sit in the machine with your back against the pad and the ankle pad resting against the back of your lower legs, just above your heels.
Adjust the thigh pad so your legs are secured and the machine’s pivot lines up with your knees.
Curl your heels down and back by bending your knees against the resistance.
Extend your legs back out under control to the starting position.

Equipment: seated leg curl machine.

This video from SilverSneakers shows how to perform the seated leg curl.

Beginner's Guide: Seated Leg Curl

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for Seated Leg Curls

Keep your back flat against the pad. Arching to help move the weight takes tension off your hamstrings.
Stop just short of locking your knees out at the top to keep tension on the muscle.
Adjust the seat back angle if your gym’s machine allows it, since a slightly reclined position increases the hip flexion and hamstring stretch.
Use a full range on every rep instead of short, bouncy partials.

Not sure which leg curl machine to pick for your gym day? Our lying leg curl vs seated leg curl comparison breaks down the differences.

6. Romanian Deadlift

When to Perform the Romanian Deadlift

This is the heaviest loading option on the list, and it trains your hamstrings through a hip hinge instead of knee flexion. It builds the same posterior-chain strength the Nordic curl is famous for, just from a completely different joint action, and it’s a strong main lift on a lower body or deadlift day. I’d program 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps if you’re treating it as a main strength lift, or 10 to 12 reps if hamstring size is the goal.

How to Perform the Romanian Deadlift

Stand holding a barbell at hip height with a shoulder-width grip.
Push your hips back while keeping a slight bend in your knees and the bar close to your legs.
Lower the bar until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, usually somewhere around mid-shin.
Drive your hips forward to return to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Equipment: barbell (dumbbells work too).

This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the barbell Romanian deadlift.

How To: Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Romanian Deadlift

Keep the bar dragging close to your legs the entire rep. Letting it drift forward turns it into a stiff-leg good morning.
Stop the descent once your lower back starts to round, since that’s your hamstring flexibility limit for the day.
Push your hips back rather than bending your knees, since that’s what keeps the tension on your hamstrings.
Start conservative with the weight. The stretched position under load is what makes RDLs effective, and it’s also what makes bad form show up fast.

For more posterior chain options in this same hip-hinge pattern, see our Romanian deadlift alternatives guide.

7. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

When to Perform the Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

This is the unilateral version of the hip hinge, and it builds balance and single-leg hamstring strength that carries over well to sprinting and change-of-direction sports. I like it for fixing a side-to-side strength imbalance, and since you’re loading one leg at a time, it’s easier on your lower back than a heavy bilateral RDL. Program 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per leg.

How to Perform the Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Hold a dumbbell in one hand and stand on the opposite leg.
Hinge forward at the hips while letting your free leg extend straight back for counterbalance.
Lower the dumbbell toward the floor until your torso is roughly parallel to it.
Drive back up to standing by pushing your hips forward.

Equipment: one or two dumbbells (bodyweight works fine while you’re learning the balance).

This video from OPEX Fitness shows how to perform the dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift.

Dumbbell Single Leg Romanian Deadlift - OPEX Exercise Library

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Keep your hips square to the floor. Letting them rotate open is the most common fault.
Start with a light dumbbell, or no weight at all, until your balance catches up to your strength.
Keep a soft bend in your standing knee instead of locking it out, since it makes balancing far easier.
Tap your back foot lightly to the floor between reps if your balance is still shaky, then work toward a fully controlled single-leg version.

8. Reverse Hyperextension

When to Perform Reverse Hyperextensions

This is the most lower-back-friendly posterior chain option on the list, since it trains hip extension with almost no spinal loading. I use it as a finisher on leg day or as a lighter option the day after a heavy squat or deadlift session, since the swinging motion decompresses your spine instead of loading it further. Run it for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

How to Perform Reverse Hyperextensions

Lie face down on a reverse hyper machine with your hips at the edge of the pad and your legs hanging free through the roller pad.
Grip the handles in front of you to brace your upper body.
Let the roller pad and your legs swing down under control.
Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to raise your legs back up until your body is roughly straight.

Equipment: reverse hyper machine (a bench and a light dumbbell held between your feet can approximate it if your gym doesn’t have one).

This video from Critical Bench Compound shows how to use the reverse hyperextension machine correctly.

How to Use the Reverse Hyper Extension Machine Correctly!

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for Reverse Hyperextensions

Let momentum do less of the work than you think. A slow, controlled swing trains the posterior chain better than a fast pendulum motion.
Keep your grip on the handles firm to keep your upper body still while your legs move.
Start with just the roller pad’s own weight before adding anything to it.
Save this for the day after a heavy squat or deadlift session, since it works well as active recovery instead of another max-effort lift.

Reasons to Choose the Nordic Curl

The alternatives above are all legitimate hamstring builders. None of them fully replace what a true Nordic curl does, and there are a few honest reasons to keep it in your program instead of swapping it out for good.

You’re a sprinter or field-sport athlete. The eccentric overload right at the top of a sprint’s swing phase is exactly what a Nordic curl trains, and it’s the single most researched exercise for cutting hamstring strain injury rates in athletes who do it consistently.
You already have access to a GHD, Nordic bench, or a training partner. If the equipment problem is solved, there’s little reason to give up the exercise instead of just scaling the difficulty with a band or a shorter range.
You want the hardest eccentric stimulus available. None of the alternatives above load the hamstrings at true bodyweight-plus-lever-arm the way a Nordic curl does at the bottom of the rep.
You’re already comfortable with the glute-ham raise. The GHR is close enough to a Nordic curl that most lifters who can do one can work up to the other with a few weeks of practice.

If none of that applies to you right now, any of the 8 alternatives above will still build real hamstring strength while you work toward it.

Muscles Worked by the Nordic Curl

Your hamstrings are actually three separate muscles on the back of your thigh, and all three cross the knee. Two of them also cross the hip. That’s why the Nordic curl, a pure knee-flexion exercise, and the hip-hinge alternatives on this list like the Romanian deadlift both train the same muscle group, just through completely different joint actions:

Biceps femoris: the outermost hamstring, worked hardest by knee-flexion exercises like the Nordic curl, glute-ham raise, and both leg curl variations. It’s also the hamstring most involved in slowing your leg down during a sprint, which is part of why the Nordic curl gets studied so heavily for injury prevention.
Semitendinosus: handles both knee flexion and hip extension, so it gets worked by the whole list, from the leg curl machines to the Romanian deadlift.
Semimembranosus: a similar dual role to the semitendinosus, and it’s especially active during the deep hip-hinge position of an RDL or single-leg RDL.
Gluteus maximus: heavily involved in every hip-hinge exercise on this list, plus the top portion of the glute-ham raise and the reverse hyperextension.
Gastrocnemius: the upper calf muscle crosses the knee too, so it assists on every knee-flexion exercise here, though it’s a minor player compared to the hamstrings themselves.
Erector spinae: works isometrically to keep your spine stable during the Romanian deadlift and single-leg RDL, and it’s a big reason those two options build more total posterior-chain strength than an isolated leg curl.

For more hamstring-specific isolation work, see our isolation hamstring exercises guide. If your hamstrings are lagging behind the rest of your legs, our guide to growing underdeveloped hamstrings covers the training side in more depth.

FAQs

What’s the closest alternative to a Nordic curl?

The glute-ham raise. It trains your hamstrings through the same eccentric knee-flexion pattern a Nordic curl does, but you can scale the difficulty with a band or a shorter range instead of committing to a full unassisted rep right away.

Can I do Nordic curls without a partner or GHD?

Not a true Nordic curl, since it needs your ankles anchored under real load. That’s exactly where the alternatives above become useful. The slider leg curl trains a similar eccentric pattern at home with just a towel or a pair of sliders, and it’s a realistic option if you don’t have a partner or a GHD footplate.

Why are Nordic curls so hard?

Because your hamstrings are working eccentrically as the prime mover against your full bodyweight as the lever arm. Most exercises never ask a muscle to control a load that heavy on the way down alone, which is why even strong lifters often can’t do a single clean rep the first time they try one.

What’s the best Nordic curl alternative for beginners?

The slider leg curl or the Swiss ball leg curl. Both use a bodyweight bridge-and-curl pattern that’s far more forgiving than a true Nordic curl, and they build the coordination and hamstring strength you’ll need before trying a glute-ham raise or Nordic curl for real.

Do leg curl machines build the same strength as Nordic curls?

Partially. Lying and seated leg curls train the same knee-flexion muscles, but a machine controls the weight for you, so you never get the raw eccentric overload a Nordic curl provides. They’re excellent for building hamstring size and general strength, just not a full swap for the injury-prevention benefit Nordic curls are known for.

How many hamstring exercises should I do per workout?

One knee-flexion exercise and one hip-hinge exercise covers your hamstrings well on most leg days, especially if squats or lunges are already loading them indirectly. On a dedicated posterior-chain day, 2 to 3 exercises pulling from both categories, like a leg curl, a Romanian deadlift, and a reverse hyperextension, will train the whole muscle group without piling on junk volume.

Key Takeaways

If you can get your hands on a GHD or a training partner, work toward the glute-ham raise first, since it’s the closest thing to a true Nordic curl without needing a Nordic-specific bench. Training at home with nothing but a smooth floor, the slider leg curl will still build real eccentric hamstring strength over months of consistent work. If you’re chasing raw posterior-chain strength instead of the exact eccentric stimulus, the Romanian deadlift and single-leg Romanian deadlift will get you there faster than any knee-flexion exercise on its own. Whatever you pick, don’t skip the eccentric portion. Lower yourself slowly and under control on every rep, since that’s where the hamstring-strengthening and injury-prevention benefit actually comes from.

Other Alternative Exercises

If you enjoyed this post, check out our other roundups of the best alternatives for other exercises.

About Kyle Risley

Kyle Risley founded Lift Vault in 2016 to make finding great powerlifting programs easier. Since then, the site has grown to include hundreds of programs for strength, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and more. He currently lives in Massachusetts and continues to compete in powerlifting.