For hamstring growth

Good Morning vs Nordic Curl

For hamstring growth, the two are close. Good morning rates slightly higher: 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)

Research score

Target tension

Strong

Excellent

Loaded stretch

Excellent

Strong

Progression

Strong

Fair

Low cost

Fair

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 good morning

You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want more load on the hamstrings while they’re stretched
You want to train more muscles at once

Good reasons to choose Nordic curl

You have no equipment
You want the hamstrings to do the work, not other muscles
You want something easier on your joints

Good Morning

Nordic Curl

You need

Barbell, squat rack

Nothing but the floor

Skill

Takes some practice

Type

Compound

Isolation

Why they rank where they do

Good Morning. A big hamstring stretch, but the bar on your back makes it demanding on the lower back.

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, good morning or Nordic curl?

For hamstring growth, the two are close. Good morning rates slightly higher: 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.

Is good morning or Nordic curl easier to learn?

About the same: both take some practice.

Can you do good morning or Nordic curl at home?

Good morning needs a barbell and a squat rack, 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, good morning or Nordic curl?

Nordic curl: it rates Good for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Fair for good morning.

More comparisons

Good Morning Nordic Curl All hamstrings exercises

Good Morning vs Nordic Curl

For hamstring growth, the two are close. Good morning rates slightly higher: easier to progress, more stretch.

Nordic curl keeps more of the work on the hamstrings.

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 good morning

You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want more load on the hamstrings while they’re stretched
You want to train more muscles at once

Good reasons to choose Nordic curl

You have no equipment
You want the hamstrings to do the work, not other muscles
You want something easier on your joints

Good Morning

Nordic Curl

You need

Barbell, squat rack

Nothing but the floor

Skill

Takes some practice

Type

Compound

Isolation

Why they rank where they do

Good Morning. A big hamstring stretch, but the bar on your back makes it demanding on the lower back.

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, good morning or Nordic curl?

Is good morning or Nordic curl easier to learn?

About the same: both take some practice.

Can you do good morning or Nordic curl at home?

Good morning needs a barbell and a squat rack, 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, good morning or Nordic curl?

Nordic curl: it rates Good for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Fair for good morning.