For hamstring growth

Nordic Curl vs Standing Leg Curl

For hamstring growth, standing leg curl rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints.

Nordic curl gives more stretch.

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

Good

Progression

Fair

Excellent

Low cost

Good

Excellent

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 Nordic curl

You have no equipment
You want more load on the hamstrings while they’re stretched

Good reasons to choose standing leg curl

You want something easy to learn
You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want something easier on your joints

Nordic Curl

Standing Leg Curl

You need

Nothing but the floor

Machine

Skill

Takes some practice

Easy to learn

Type

Isolation

One side at a time

Yes

Why they rank where they do

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

Standing Leg Curl. Isolates the hamstrings one leg at a time. The hips stay straight, so the stretch is smaller than in a seated curl.

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, Nordic curl or standing leg curl?

For hamstring growth, standing leg curl rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints. Nordic curl gives more stretch. 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 Nordic curl or standing leg curl easier to learn?

Standing leg curl is easier: it’s easy to learn, while Nordic curl takes some practice.

Can you do Nordic curl or standing leg curl at home?

Nordic curl needs no equipment, so you can do it anywhere. Standing leg curl needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.

Which is easier on the joints, Nordic curl or standing leg curl?

Standing leg curl: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Good for Nordic curl.

More comparisons

Nordic Curl Standing Leg Curl All hamstrings exercises

Nordic Curl vs Standing Leg Curl

For hamstring growth, standing leg curl rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints.

Nordic curl gives more stretch.

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 Nordic curl

You have no equipment
You want more load on the hamstrings while they’re stretched

Good reasons to choose standing leg curl

You want something easy to learn
You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want something easier on your joints

Nordic Curl

Standing Leg Curl

You need

Nothing but the floor

Machine

Skill

Takes some practice

Easy to learn

Type

Isolation

One side at a time

Yes

Why they rank where they do

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

Standing Leg Curl. Isolates the hamstrings one leg at a time. The hips stay straight, so the stretch is smaller than in a seated curl.

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, Nordic curl or standing leg curl?

Is Nordic curl or standing leg curl easier to learn?

Standing leg curl is easier: it’s easy to learn, while Nordic curl takes some practice.

Can you do Nordic curl or standing leg curl at home?

Nordic curl needs no equipment, so you can do it anywhere. Standing leg curl needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.

Which is easier on the joints, Nordic curl or standing leg curl?

Standing leg curl: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Good for Nordic curl.