For hamstring growth
For hamstring growth, stiff-leg 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
Nordic Curl. A brutal eccentric. Great for resilience; hard to progress for growth.
Stiff-Leg Deadlift. Like the Romanian deadlift with straighter legs: a big hamstring stretch, with similar lower-back fatigue.
For hamstring growth, stiff-leg 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.
About the same: both take some practice.
Nordic curl needs no equipment, so you can do it anywhere. Stiff-leg deadlift needs a barbell, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
About the same: both rate Good for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.