For hamstring growth

Glute-Ham Raise vs Nordic Curl

For hamstring growth, glute-ham raise rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints.

Both are good choices that train the hamstrings the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

Research score

Target tension

Excellent

Loaded stretch

Strong

Progression

Good

Fair

Low cost

Strong

Good

See the full hamstrings ranking

What these mean

Target tension.: Whether the muscle you’re training is what gives out first, not your grip, balance or other muscles.
Loaded stretch.: How hard the muscle works while stretched. Training it there is linked to more growth.
Progression.: How easily you can keep adding weight in small steps over months and years.
Low cost.: How easy it is on your joints and recovery, and how quickly you can learn it.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose glute-ham raise

You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want something easier on your joints
You want to train more muscles at once

Good reasons to choose Nordic curl

You have no equipment
You want to train the hamstrings on their own

Glute-Ham Raise

Nordic Curl

You need

GHD / back-extension bench

Nothing but the floor

Skill

Takes some practice

Type

Compound

Isolation

Why they rank where they do

Glute-Ham Raise. Trains the hamstrings at the knee and hip together, but bodyweight is a lot to start with and hard to add to.

Nordic Curl. A brutal eccentric. Great for resilience; hard to progress for growth.

From the research

Bourne et al., 2017: Both exercises lengthened the biceps femoris fascicles and grew the semitendinosus; 45° hip extensions grew the biceps femoris long head more than Nordics. (30 recreational male athletes; 10 weeks.)Cited for Nordic curl in hamstrings

Questions

Which is better for hamstring growth, glute-ham raise or Nordic curl?

For hamstring growth, glute-ham raise rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints. Both are good choices that train the hamstrings the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

Is glute-ham raise or Nordic curl easier to learn?

About the same: both take some practice.

Can you do glute-ham raise or Nordic curl at home?

Glute-ham raise needs a GHD or back-extension bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Nordic curl needs no equipment, so you can do it anywhere.

Which is easier on the joints, glute-ham raise or Nordic curl?

Glute-ham raise: it rates Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Good for Nordic curl.

More comparisons

Glute-Ham Raise Nordic Curl All hamstrings exercises

Glute-Ham Raise vs Nordic Curl

For hamstring growth, glute-ham raise rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints.

Both are good choices that train the hamstrings the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

What these mean

Target tension.: Whether the muscle you’re training is what gives out first, not your grip, balance or other muscles.
Loaded stretch.: How hard the muscle works while stretched. Training it there is linked to more growth.
Progression.: How easily you can keep adding weight in small steps over months and years.
Low cost.: How easy it is on your joints and recovery, and how quickly you can learn it.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose glute-ham raise

You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want something easier on your joints
You want to train more muscles at once

Good reasons to choose Nordic curl

You have no equipment
You want to train the hamstrings on their own

Glute-Ham Raise

Nordic Curl

You need

GHD / back-extension bench

Nothing but the floor

Skill

Takes some practice

Type

Compound

Isolation

Why they rank where they do

Glute-Ham Raise. Trains the hamstrings at the knee and hip together, but bodyweight is a lot to start with and hard to add to.

Nordic Curl. A brutal eccentric. Great for resilience; hard to progress for growth.

From the research

Bourne et al., 2017: Both exercises lengthened the biceps femoris fascicles and grew the semitendinosus; 45° hip extensions grew the biceps femoris long head more than Nordics. (30 recreational male athletes; 10 weeks.)Cited for Nordic curl in hamstrings

Questions

Which is better for hamstring growth, glute-ham raise or Nordic curl?

Is glute-ham raise or Nordic curl easier to learn?

About the same: both take some practice.

Can you do glute-ham raise or Nordic curl at home?

Glute-ham raise needs a GHD or back-extension bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Nordic curl needs no equipment, so you can do it anywhere.

Which is easier on the joints, glute-ham raise or Nordic curl?

Glute-ham raise: it rates Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Good for Nordic curl.