Are you an experienced lifter that wants to try a novel exercise that will torch your hamstrings? Let me introduce you to the Nordic Deadlift (ND). I would consider the ND to be a close relative to the gold standard of hamstring strength, The Nordic Hamstring Curl (NHC). I recently broke my ankle and I stumbled upon this exercise as I was looking for a way to effectively load my posterior chain without using my ankle. All I can say is holy hamstrings! I like to think I have a stronger than average posterior chain, but the ND lit up my hamstrings in a way I’d never experienced before. The ND is essentially a weighted hamstring hip hinge (HHH), but I would consider the ND to be closer to a NHC, as that’s the only other exercise where I’ve experienced a similar level of near maximal hamstring engagement. The main reason I love the ND, is that you can easily adjust the level of difficulty by simply increasing/decreasing the weight on the bar. My  first time trying the exercise, I was only able to use 30kg total, but after hitting it for 4 consecutive weeks, I’ve already worked up to 65kg for a set of 5 solid deadstop NDs.

Before you try the ND, make sure you possess the requisite strength to competently perform Glute Ham Raises and HHH’s at bodyweight. There’s a bit of set-up required to perform the ND, if you do not have the foot attachment (as seen in the video) you can always use a lat-pulldown machine where you kneel on the seat backwards and use the knee pads to secure your legs down. Another alternative would be to use a bench and smith machine; place a bar pad on the smith machine bar to secure down your legs (make sure to first load adequate weight on the smith machine bar to where it will not move when performing the ND)

To effectively strengthen your hamstrings and posterior chain, I would always recommend you stick the basics ie. deadlifts, romanian deadlifts, glute ham raises etc..as I do not feel it necessary to try and reinvent the wheel. However, if you’re strong, enjoy trying new exercises, and/or have a foot/ankle injury like myself, the ND is an incredibly “high value for time” exercise that will bulletproof your hamstrings and strengthen your posterior chain.