Nordic Hamstring Lower
The most-evidenced hamstring exercise there is, done as a slow lower into a hold rather than a fall
How to do it well
These are the cues the app shows on the exercise card, written for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
- Resist the whole way — do not drop
- Pause and hold as low as you can control
- Hands ready to catch
- Tempo
- 6s to lower
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFL | Lower Power | 2 × 4 lowers + 10s hold | BW (ankles held) |
| Rugby League | Max Strength (Lower) | 2 × 4 lowers + 10s hold | BW (ankles held) |
| Soccer | Lower Strength + Plyo | 2 × 4 lowers + 10s hold | BW (ankles held) |
| Hockey | Lower Strength + Posterior | 2 × 4 lowers + 10s hold | BW (ankles held) |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Muscles worked
- Hamstrings
- Region
- Lower body
- Classified as
- Mobility
- Prescribed in
- AFL · rugby league · soccer · hockey · bodyweight training
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Nordic Curl | Eccentric hamstring — top injury-prevention |
| Nordic Drop (slow descent) | Take as long as possible to lower — max-effort eccentric hamstring |
| Adductor Slider | Slide one leg out laterally — eccentric adductor loading |
| Lying Leg Curl Machine | Machine: direct hamstring loading, easy to scale |
| Seated Leg Curl Machine | Machine: hamstring isolation through full range |
| Standing Single-Leg Curl Machine | Machine: unilateral hamstring isolation |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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