What is a good Nordic Hamstring Curl?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Nordic Hamstring Curl is about 11 reps. Advanced starts around 24 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.
Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.
A solid (Intermediate) Nordic Hamstring Curl for a 180 lb male is about 11 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Nordic Hamstring Curl into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 24 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Nordic Hamstring Curl? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Nordic Hamstring Curl Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 11 Nordic Hamstring Curl in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 24+, and an elite lifter reaches 39 or more.
Nordic Hamstring Curl rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 11 Nordic Hamstring Curl at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 15.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 11 Nordic Hamstring Curl, dropping to about 7 by age 50. See the By Age tab for every band.
What counts as a good number? Anything at or above the Intermediate target puts you past the beginner and novice bands for your bodyweight. Beginners often start with fewer than one and build up; clearing the Advanced number is a strong target for trained gym lifters.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with gym and competition datasets labeled separately
How Strong Is Your Nordic Hamstring Curl?
That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.
Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your rep count falls, not a measured frequency count.
Reader Data Is Still Building
We do not have enough reader-submitted Nordic Hamstring Curl entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:
Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.
How Much Should You Nordic Hamstring Curl?
Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| BW (lbs) | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 28 | 49 |
| 120 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 28 | 47 |
| 130 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 28 | 46 |
| 140 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 44 |
| 150 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 26 | 43 |
| 160 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 26 | 42 |
| 170 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 25 | 40 |
| 180 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 24 | 39 |
| 190 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 24 | 38 |
| 200 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 23 | 37 |
| 210 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 22 | 36 |
| 220 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 21 | 35 |
| 230 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 21 | 34 |
| 240 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 20 | 33 |
| 250 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 20 | 32 |
| 260 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 19 | 31 |
| 270 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 18 | 30 |
| 280 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 18 | 29 |
| 290 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 17 | 28 |
| 300 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 17 | 27 |
| 310 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 16 | 26 |
| 90 | < 1 | 2 | 16 | 34 | 54 |
| 100 | < 1 | 3 | 16 | 33 | 52 |
| 110 | < 1 | 4 | 16 | 32 | 50 |
| 120 | < 1 | 4 | 16 | 31 | 48 |
| 130 | < 1 | 4 | 16 | 30 | 46 |
| 140 | < 1 | 4 | 15 | 29 | 45 |
| 150 | < 1 | 4 | 15 | 28 | 43 |
| 160 | < 1 | 4 | 14 | 27 | 41 |
| 170 | < 1 | 4 | 14 | 26 | 40 |
| 180 | < 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 | 38 |
| 190 | < 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 | 37 |
| 200 | < 1 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 36 |
| 210 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 34 |
| 220 | < 1 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 33 |
| 230 | < 1 | 3 | 11 | 21 | 32 |
| 240 | < 1 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 31 |
| 250 | < 1 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| 260 | < 1 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 29 |
Is Your Nordic Hamstring Curl Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Nordic Hamstring Curl at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Nordic Hamstring Curl is about 11 reps. Advanced lifters hit 24 reps, and Elite is 39 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Nordic Hamstring Curl is about 15 reps. Advanced lifters hit 29 reps, and Elite is 45 reps.
Nordic Hamstring Curl Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 11 reps at an Intermediate level.
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 15 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 11 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 10 reps at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.
By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male does about 11 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 7 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Nordic Hamstring Curl Strength?
How Nordic Hamstring Curl standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 18 | 33 |
| 20 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 25 | 42 |
| 25 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 44 |
| 30 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 44 |
| 35 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 44 |
| 40 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 44 |
| 45 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 24 | 40 |
| 50 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 20 | 36 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 17 | 31 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 13 | 26 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 21 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 15 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
| 15 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 22 | 37 |
| 20 | < 1 | 2 | 14 | 30 | 47 |
| 25 | < 1 | 3 | 15 | 32 | 49 |
| 30 | < 1 | 3 | 15 | 32 | 49 |
| 35 | < 1 | 3 | 15 | 32 | 49 |
| 40 | < 1 | 3 | 15 | 32 | 49 |
| 45 | < 1 | 1 | 13 | 28 | 45 |
| 50 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 25 | 41 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 21 | 35 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 16 | 30 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 12 | 24 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 18 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 13 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 |
What Do Nordic Hamstring Curl Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Nordic Hamstring Curl, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Nordic Hamstring Curl with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Nordic Hamstring Curl is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Nordic Hamstring Curl through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Nordic Hamstring Curl strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.
How to Progress Your Nordic Hamstring Curl
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Nordic Hamstring Curl to the next level.
- Train the Nordic Hamstring Curl 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
- Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
- Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
- Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
- Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Nordic Hamstring Curl.
- Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
- Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
- Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
- Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Nordic Hamstring Curl plateaus.
- Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
- Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
- Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
- Maximize Nordic Hamstring Curl strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
- Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
- Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
- Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
How to Perform Nordic Hamstring Curl
- Kneel on a padded surface with your legs secured under a fixed object or by a partner holding your ankles.
- Keep your body straight from head to knees and engage your core.
- Slowly lower your torso towards the ground by extending your knees, keeping your back straight and hips in line with your body.
- Once you can no longer control the descent, let your hands catch you lightly on the floor.
- Push off the ground slightly to assist in returning to the starting position or use your hamstrings to pull your body back up.
Tips for Nordic Hamstring Curl
- Maintain a straight body line from head to knees throughout the movement.
- Focus on controlling the descent to maximize the eccentric load on the hamstrings.
- Avoid bending at the hips; the movement should come from the knees.
- If you're a beginner, use your hands to lightly push off the ground to assist in returning to the start position.
Where Do These Nordic Hamstring Curl Standards Come From?
FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.
Standards data last refreshed: March 28, 2026
Is Your Nordic Hamstring Curl Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Nordic Hamstring Curl against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:
- Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
- Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
- Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
- Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.
If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can Nordic Hamstring Curl 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.
The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
