For hamstring growth
For hamstring growth, dumbbell Romanian deadlift rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, more stretch.
Nordic curl keeps more of the work on the hamstrings.
Both are good choices, and they train the hamstrings differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift. The same deep hamstring stretch with dumbbells: less tiring than the barbell version, though the weight jumps are bigger.
Nordic Curl. A brutal eccentric. Great for resilience; hard to progress for growth.
For hamstring growth, dumbbell Romanian deadlift rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, more stretch. Nordic curl keeps more of the work on the hamstrings. Both are good choices, and they train the hamstrings differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift is easier: it’s easy to learn, while Nordic curl takes some practice.
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift needs dumbbells, so a home gym covers it. Nordic curl needs no equipment, so you can do it anywhere.
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift: it rates Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Good for Nordic curl.