I Just Don't Like The Reverse Nordic Curl
Takeaway Points:
The reverse nordic curl and the nordic curl have become especially popular recently becaue of the ongoing COVID pandemic and the fact that these are bodyweight exercises that can be done at home.
Both of these exercises are tough and can be especially hard on the knees, and I’m not always a fan of their use.
The best thing you can do is listen to your body! If you don’t like an exercise or if it doesn’t feel right, there are plenty of alternatives out there.
I just don’t like the reverse nordic curl.
Maybe this says a lot more about me than anybody else, but it’s an exercise that I’d basically never heard of before this year, and which now everyone seems to be talking about.
I’m a huge fan of the nordic hamstring curl, and I’ve written previously about how it’s the closest thing we have to a magic bullet which prevents lower body injury. In this exercise, the exerciser anchors their ankles behind them (or has a partner hold onto their ankles) and then descends towards the floor with their torso while controlling the movement as much as possible with the hamstrings. This is a brutally tough exercise that can place a lot of stress on the knees, but also has a ton of benefits.
It’s also an exercise that’s had a resurgence in interest due to the ongoing COVID pandemic and the greater emphasis on bodyweight training from home.
Alongside that, I’ve seen a huge surge in interest for the reverse nordic curl, which is a similar exercise which, naturally, moves in reverse, and is even easier to setup at home.
This exercise is a quad exercise instead of a hamstring exercise, and is similarly brutally tough and places a lot of strain on the knees. You can make the exercise easier by anchoring a band on something in front of you and then using band assistance to make the movement easier, or you can simply keep the range of motion a bit shorter.
There’s also been a recent post by Cameron Gill over at Stronger by Science on the merits of the reverse nordic curl, and that post does a much more thorough job of digging through the research than I ever could.
But at the end of the day, I absolutely friggin hate this exercise. Here’s why:
My knees don’t like it.
I’ve always been a crappy squatter due to bad knees, and the reverse nordic absolutely blows my knees up.
Big ol leggies
Much like how Japanese style seiza sitting on your feet can be very uncomfortable, this can also be a super uncomfortable exercise, especially if you have a lot of leg mass to get in the way. My range of motion on this exercise is pretty limited due to not being able to get very deep into it for this reason, and it places a great deal of strain on my ankles when supporting all that weight.
Low range of motion
While the exercise moves the quads through a decent range of motion, it also loads them up the most at the bottom of the movement and decreases the load as you get more upright, making it easier at the top. This means that the actual effective range of motion is relatively low, and concentrated in that range where it’s also harshest on the knees and ankles.
So many other ways to skin the cat
I’m able to get plenty of good quad exercises at home elsewhere (squats, lunges) in a variety of ways that don’t bother my knees nearly so much and don’t have such a low range of motion.
I just don’t like it
Sometimes you’re allowed to hate things, much like how I just hate doing rear foot elevated split squats. Preferences matter!
At the end of the day, the reverse nordic curl is an excellent exercise. However, it’s definitely not for me, and if nothing else, this is a simple reminder that every person’s body is different, and everyone will have different reactions to different exercises. Find exercises that work for you and your needs, and don’t worry about copying anybody else’s programs or methods directly.
If the reverse nordic curl is an exercise you enjoy and get a lot out of, stick with it. In my case, I’ll get back to my other exercises.
About Adam Fisher
Adam is an experienced fitness coach and blogger who's been blogging and coaching since 2012, and lifting since 2006. He's written for numerous major health publications, including Personal Trainer Development Center, T-Nation, Bodybuilding.com, Fitocracy, and Juggernaut Training Systems.
During that time he has coached hundreds of individuals of all levels of fitness, including competitive powerlifters and older exercisers regaining the strength to walk up a flight of stairs. His own training revolves around bodybuilding and powerlifting, in which he’s competed.
Adam writes about fitness, health, science, philosophy, personal finance, self-improvement, productivity, the good life, and everything else that interests him. When he's not writing or lifting, he's usually hanging out with his cats or feeding his video game addiction.
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