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Fundamentals

Reverse Nordic

Kneel tall, bend the knees and lean the whole body back in one straight line from the knees to the head, slowly, with the front of the thighs controlling it, then come back up. It is a different movement from the Nordic curl: the body goes back, not forward.

One repetition, three positions: kneeling tall, halfway, as far back as drawn. From the knee to the head the body stays one straight line, the hip does not fold, and the knee, the shin and the foot stay where they are; nothing holds the ankle. How far back the figure goes is a drawing choice, not a target: no source gives an angle, the main source's photograph of its lowest position shows the trunk still well above the floor, and one coaching article says full range is the upper back touching the floor, which this picture does not show (the sources disagree, see What it is). The hands are folded at the chest here; the arms-overhead step changes only the arms. A pad under the knees, which sources advise, is not drawn.
Difficulty
Intermediate
editorial estimate
Steps to it
3 steps
Beginner → Advanced
Usually done on
Floor
Start with the first stepHow it is done

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 6 sources

The road at a glance

A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.

Helps to have first

A starting point: no other movement in the Atlas is needed first.

This skill

Reverse Nordic

Leads towards

No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.

01

What it is

The reverse Nordic starts kneeling tall with the hips fully open. From there the knees bend and the thighs and the trunk, kept in one straight line, tip back and down about the knees while the shins stay on the floor. It is a one-joint movement (the knee), done under control and mostly a slow lowering; the way up is the same line again. The muscle that does most of the work is the quadriceps, the front of the thigh, working while you lower and again while you straighten the knees. This follows a 2025 peer-reviewed review by Weldon and colleagues, and two coaching articles for the path of the movement.135

It is not a variant of the Nordic curl. The Nordic curl, described on its own page here, is done with the ankles held: the body falls forward, the hamstrings brake it and the hands catch it. In the reverse Nordic the body leans back, the front of the thigh brakes it, there is no catch (in the review the hands are beside the body or at the chest, and the harder version has the arms overhead), and the review's photographs show nothing holding the ankles. The names are similar and both start kneeling and tip as one line, but the direction, the working muscle and the setup differ, so this Atlas keeps them apart. The title of a 2019 trial, and of a 2021 study in the review's reference list, calls the exercise 'reverse Nordic hamstring exercise', a confusing name (this page's own remark), because the exercise loads the quadriceps; the text of the review says only 'reverse Nordic'. The local-language name on this page is the English name, a proposal: no established term was found.12

The sources disagree on how far back counts as full range. The review says to go down to the point of maximum knee bend or the depth you want, or to where the knee bend can no longer be controlled, and its photograph of the lowest position shows the trunk still well above the floor. Stronger by Science says full range is the upper back touching the floor, and describes reaching it with the hips open; it offers a more bent hip only as an easier way to get there, which the review and BoxRox list as a mistake. This page does not resolve that and does not define a depth: it says as far as you can control.145

How hard it is depends on the lever. The review says it is easier with the hands by the sides or at the chest and harder with the arms stretched overhead, and Stronger by Science also puts arms overhead as a late step; the range grows gradually. The review adds that taller and heavier athletes can find it harder, because of longer thigh and torso segments or a larger gravitational moment. No source gives a level or a prerequisite skill, and the review says no prerequisite proficiencies are established, so the difficulty and the three steps below are this page's own.14

The evidence is thin. One trial of 26 participants (eight weeks of training, then four weeks without) measured the structure of the rectus femoris, a muscle at the front of the thigh, with ultrasound: the measures rose after training and fell after the break. It did not measure injuries. E3 Rehab says that no direct study has tested whether the exercise prevents or rehabilitates injuries, and BoxRox says there is limited direct research on the exercise itself and that it should not be presented as a guaranteed fix for knee pain. The review says its effect on the flexibility of the quadriceps has not been tested directly; it suggests that the changes in muscle structure could theoretically help reduce injury risk, which is reasoning, not a tested result. This page therefore makes no claim about injuries or knee health.1235

Lean back in one straight line from the knees, slowly, and only as far as you can control it.

02

How it is done

  1. Kneel on a soft surface

    Kneel on a pad or a folded towel with the knees about hip-width apart, or wider, and the shins and the tops of the feet on the floor. One coaching article says to point the feet backward.135

  2. Stand tall on the knees

    Kneel upright with the hips fully open, the glutes and the stomach braced and the head neutral. Hold the hands by the sides or at the chest; the picture has them folded at the chest.13

    CueTall posture, hips forward, brace the core.1

  3. Lean back in one line

    Bend the knees and let the whole line from the knees to the head tip back about the knees. The hips stay open, the shins and the feet stay where they are and the shoulder blades move towards the floor. Go slowly.1356

    CueLong and tall: one line from the knees to the head.1

  4. Stop where you still control it

    Go back only as far as you can control, not as far as someone else goes. The sources do not agree on a depth, and the lowest position in the picture is where the drawing stops, not a target. One coaching article says that a small lean is enough to begin.1356

    CueGo back only as far as you can control.1

  5. Come back up on the same line

    Straighten the knees and bring the body forward along the same line to kneeling tall, without bouncing out of the bottom. The repetition in the picture returns the same way.15

03

Progressions

These steps let you record the version you do now. They are this page's own grouping, not compulsory unlocks or a repetition programme.

What to have first

  • No other skill is required

    The review names no established prerequisite skill, and related skills on the map are optional. It suggests first checking whether you have an injury or a condition that the exercise could make worse.1

  • Kneeling comfortably

    Check that you can sit back on your heels and kneel upright. E3 Rehab adds a full knee bend without pain and taking weight on the tops of the feet, says nobody has to do this exercise, and says to choose another one if it hurts or worries you.13

  • A soft surface under the knees

    The sources kneel on a pad, a cushion or a folded towel. This page does not name any other surface as suitable.135

  1. Step 1Beginner

    Short range

    Lean back only a small distance from kneeling tall and come back up, keeping the line from the knees to the head. A support behind you can limit the range.

    Technical note: The review says beginners start with the easier versions, such as a smaller range or some help. No source gives an angle (BoxRox says 'a few inches'), so this step is this page's own wording; the picture shows kneeling tall and a small lean.135

  2. Step 2Intermediate

    Controlled range

    Lean back through the range you can control and return, with the hands by the sides or at the chest.

    Technical note: Full describes the movement, not a depth, a count or a speed. The sources disagree on how far full is (see What it is), and the picture's lean is a drawing choice.145

  3. Step 3AdvancedGoal

    Arms overhead

    The same movement with the arms stretched overhead, which makes the lever longer.

    Technical note: The review and Stronger by Science both say arms overhead make it harder; the review's table says 'arms extended' and adds that the spine should stay neutral and not arch back too far. In the picture only the arms change, and they are drawn straight in line with the trunk, a drawing choice.14

04

Community

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Tips from the community

Tips are personal experience, not medical advice or a training plan.

There are no tips for this movement yet.

05

Common mistakes

  • Folding at the hips

    Bending at the hips instead of leaning from the knees breaks the line from the knees to the head. BoxRox says it reduces the demand on the front of the thigh and makes the movement closer to a back bend, and Stronger by Science explains that a more bent hip moves the centre of mass closer to the knee. Stronger by Science still offers a more bent hip as an easier version, while the review and BoxRox list it as a mistake; this page does not use it as a step.145

  • Sitting back towards the heels

    Pushing the backside towards the heels. BoxRox says to keep the hips extended instead of sitting back towards the heels.5

  • Dropping or going deeper than you control

    Lowering fast, or leaning further than you can control, loses the slow lowering that the movement is about. The review lists uncontrolled lowering as a mistake, and E3 Rehab and BoxRox warn against adding range at the cost of form.135

  • Bouncing out of the bottom

    Rebounding from the lowest position instead of straightening the knees under control. The review says there should be no bounce, and BoxRox lists it as a mistake.15

  • Leaning on the band

    With a band, relying on it too much. E3 Rehab says not to rely on it too much, because you should still do most of the work yourself.3

  • Arching with the arms overhead

    With the arms overhead, throwing the spine back instead of keeping it neutral. The review asks for a neutral spine without too much arching in this version.1

06

Variations and related skills

  • Short range with a support behind

    Range

    The review uses a smaller range with a Swiss ball or a bench behind you, to help control the range. BoxRox has you touch a bench, a box or a large ball behind you as a stopping point, and E3 Rehab names a bench, a box or pads as a safety net or a measure of progress. The review's photographs are taken in gyms. No source tested public or park equipment, so this page does not say that a park bench, a wall or any other apparatus works. This page's own caution: use only something that cannot slide or tip.135

  • Band-assisted

    Equipment

    The review lists a band anchored to stable equipment at an angle, to take part of the load. E3 Rehab and BoxRox also name a band, and E3 Rehab warns against leaning on it too much. This page's own caution: use only an anchor that is fixed and cannot slip or release.135

  • Lowering only

    Range

    The thighs control only the lowering. The review lists negatives (eccentric only) as a progression, done with a weight plate or a dumbbell and a spotter, which is not the bodyweight version. E3 Rehab describes a bodyweight version in which you complete only the lowering phase and reset after each repetition. Neither says how to get back up, and this page does not either.13

  • Weighted versions

    Load

    The review lists versions with a weight plate or a dumbbell (in its photographs, dumbbells held in the hands); BoxRox calls a light weight at the chest advanced, and Stronger by Science says extra load will not be needed by the vast majority of people who can already do the full range with the arms overhead. These are not bodyweight versions, and this page names them but does not teach them or give loads.145

Related skillsNordic CurlBodyweight SquatLunge

On Calisthenics Balkan

07

Sources

6 sources

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below

  1. Exercise Technique: The Reverse NordicWeldon A, Dos'Santos T, Bright TE, Sapstead GW, Beato M, Lincoln MA · Strength & Conditioning Journal 47(3):364-379, 2025 · a peer-reviewed narrative review; the link is an institutional repository record of the accepted manuscript, which may differ from the printed version; read in full on 23 Oct 2026 with its photographs; its table of sets and repetitions is not used and one progression it lists (labelled 'standing') is not explained, so it is not used either (research dossier reverse-nordic, N5A-A1)
  2. Changes in rectus femoris architecture induced by the reverse nordic hamstring exercisesAlonso-Fernandez D, Fernandez-Rodriguez R, Abalo-Nunez R · J Sports Med Phys Fitness 59(4):640-647, 2019 (DOI 10.23736/S0022-4707.18.08873-4) · a trial with 26 participants; only the abstract was read (through the Europe PMC service, 23 Oct 2026), so the protocol and the description of the exercise were not seen; it measured muscle structure by ultrasound and no injuries (research dossier reverse-nordic, N5A-A2)
  3. How to set up, perform and program reverse nordicsMarc, E3 Rehab (a commercial rehab-program brand) · posted 14 May 2023 · a practitioner blog, not research; its clinical remarks are anecdotal, and it says openly that no study shows that the exercise prevents or treats an injury; read 23 Oct 2026 (research dossier reverse-nordic, N5A-A3)
  4. Reverse Nordic Curls: How to Perform and Progress this Bodyweight Exercise for Quad Strength and HypertrophyCameron Gill (CSCS), Stronger by Science · no date shown · a coaching article with a bibliography, not research; it defines full range as the upper back touching the floor and offers a more bent hip as an easier version, which other sources contradict; read 23 Oct 2026 (research dossier reverse-nordic, N5A-A4)
  5. The Reverse Nordic Looks Easy, Until You Actually Try It (Why You Must)Robbie Wild Hudson, BoxRox (a fitness magazine) · 17 Aug 2026 · a brand blog, not research; its health statements are hedged and not tied to inline citations (a reference list is given at the end), and its programming numbers are not used; read 23 Oct 2026 (research dossier reverse-nordic, N5A-A5)
  6. How to Do Reverse Nordic: Muscles Worked & Proper FormStrengthlog · no author or date shown · a short brand exercise page, used only as a cross-check of the cues; read 23 Oct 2026 (research dossier reverse-nordic, N5A-A6)

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