Nordic Hamstring Curls are a great exercise for building posterior chain strength. They have been traditionally done with no equipment and a partner holding down the feet, the athlete performing the Nordic resists the eccentric as much as they can before dropping and catching themselves with their arms in a push up fashion and push back up. They can also be done with a more specific setup such as our Nordic Plate Attachment or an Inverse Curl Machine.. These can be effective for building hamstring strength when you do not have any equipment but do not allow not as developed athletes to perform the full ROM. By not doing the hardest part of the movement with their hamstrings and by pushing off with their hands they are not getting the same strength benefits they would on a full ROM Nordic Hamstring Curl.
To help assist athletes we have created the Nordic Plate Attachment, this attachment can be paired with our Cable Column, Lat Pull Down or Belt Squat unit to add assistance to athletes for Nordic Hamstring Curls. You can also use this plate on a rack without a cable machine attachment and a use a band for assistance, we recommend a Purple or Green Stray Dog Strength Band.
Assisted Nordics at A Rack Station

Pictured above an athlete is using a Purple SDS Band and the Nordic Plate for Band Assisted Nordics at the Rack station. The Alpha Bench is conveniently available and padded making this a comfortable movement for the athlete.
Shown below the Nordic Plate Attachment is being used with our Decline Bench which has a longer and wider pad than the Alpha Bench allowing you to use it long ways and have something to touch the chest off of. This time a thicker Green Band is being used for more assistance, you could also add a red and purple band together for athletes who need a level of assistance between bands.

Cable Assisted Nordic Hamstring Curls

Pictured above our Nordic Plate Attachment has been added to an ATR Cable Column Machine, this allows athetles to have easily adjustable assistance for Nordic Curls. This can also be done on a Lat Pull Down which is shown below but requires a chain to extend the ROM of the cable.
You do not need the Nordic Plate Attachment to perform these, you can also use a Dual Utility Roller but there is nothing to lock the feet into. There are various ways you can attach the cable to the athlete for Nordic Hamstring Curls, the best options is a Spud INC Belt Squat Adjustable Belt but a tricep Rope can also be used which is shown below in the ATR Lat Pull Down Assisted Nordic Curl YouTube Video.
Difference Between a Nordic Curl and Glute Ham Raise

The Nordic hamstring curl and the glute ham raise are both essential exercises for posterior chain development, but they differ significantly in execution and muscle activation. The key difference in setup between these two movements lies in the rounded pad of the GHD. This pad positions the knees higher than the hips, altering the movement angle to emphasize the glutes and lower back more, thereby reducing the direct strain on the hamstrings.
The Nordic hamstring curl is a bodyweight exercise that emphasizes eccentric control, focusing almost exclusively on the hamstrings as the athlete lowers their body from a kneeling position with feet secured. This exercise is particularly effective for hamstring injury prevention.
On the other hand, the glute ham raise (GHR), performed on a glute-ham developer (GHD) machine, engages both the hamstrings and glutes through a combination of hip extension and knee flexion, allowing for both concentric and eccentric contractions. The Alpha GHD’s adjustability makes the glute ham raise more versatile for different strength levels, providing a comprehensive posterior chain workout.
Conclusion
The Nordic Hamstring Curl is an effective exercise for building Posterior Chain Strength particularly hamstring strength. The 5 main benefits of the Nordic Curl are, Injury prevention of hamstring strains and knee injuries, Eccentric strength Development, Athletic performance is enhanced when hamstrings are strong, scalable to the equipment available/athletes level and builds core strength as well.
Nordic Hamstring Curls are most effective through a full ROM going from the upright kneeling position to touching the chest to the ground and back up. Most athletes cannot perform full ROM Nordics or can only perform a few, to best enhance and progress hamstring strength use assistance to perform them through a full ROM.