The most useful exercise to include in a hamstring-injury prevention program is the Nordic hamstring exercise, but no single move can reliably prevent every reinjury. A better strategy combines progressive eccentric strengthening, functional strength and stability work, and—after a strain—gradual return to running and sprinting. The right progression depends on symptoms, current capacity, and the demands of your sport.
Which exercises help reduce hamstring injury risk?
For athletes who are not recovering from an active strain, the Nordic hamstring exercise has the clearest guideline-backed role in prevention. It should be one part of a broader program, not a stand-alone safeguard. A clinical practice guideline gives Nordic exercise a strong recommendation for prevention, alongside warm-up, stretching, stability work, strengthening, and functional or sport-specific movement (Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy, 2022).
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Nordic hamstring exercise
In a Nordic curl, the lower legs are secured while the athlete kneels and slowly leans forward, resisting the fall with the hamstrings. A partner can hold the ankles, or a foot anchor can secure them. The exercise emphasizes eccentric work: the hamstrings produce force as they lengthen. Use a version and progression you can control; the evidence supports including the exercise in a program, not pushing through pain or treating a strap as necessary equipment.
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Eccentric hamstring strengthening
Controlled lengthening work is relevant both to prevention and rehabilitation after a strain. The specific exercise and loading should match your capacity and symptoms. The clinical practice guideline gives eccentric training a moderate recommendation after injury, but does not establish one universal exercise dose or sequence (2022 clinical practice guideline).
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Functional strength and stability
Include strength, stabilization, agility, trunk work, and movements relevant to your sport rather than focusing only on isolated hamstring exercises. These elements help make the program broader than a single muscle-strengthening drill.
How much does Nordic exercise reduce risk?
A 2020 evidence statement from the Danish Society of Sports Physical Therapy reported that prevention programs including Nordic hamstring exercise were associated with a 45% to 65% lower hamstring injury risk than usual care in the reviewed studies (Danish Society of Sports Physical Therapy evidence statement). The studies largely involved football or soccer players and other athletic groups, so the range should not be read as a guarantee for an individual or as an exact estimate for every sport and age group. The review also noted that adherence can be a practical limitation.
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What should change after a recent hamstring strain?
Rehabilitation after a strain is different from prevention training when you are uninjured. Early on, recovering tissue may need protection from high strain and rapid loading. Progression should reflect symptoms, injury characteristics, strength, and how you responded to earlier loading—not a fixed calendar. A sports physical therapist can help tailor the plan, particularly if pain persists or you need to return to competition.
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As rehabilitation advances, work toward restoring eccentric strength and strength at longer muscle lengths. Do not assume that an exercise is appropriate simply because it appears on a prevention list: Nordic curls or aggressive lengthened-position loading may be unsuitable early after injury.
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Reintroduce running and sprinting
Running, then faster running and sprinting, are important later-stage rehabilitation demands for athletes whose sports require them. Introduce them progressively and monitor symptoms and the response to each increase in load. They are not exercises to begin regardless of pain or injury stage.
The London International Consensus and Delphi study on hamstring rehabilitation supports individualized progression and sport-specific running and sprinting. It did not establish a universal strength threshold or flexibility benchmark for return to sport, nor agreement on the best strength-measurement methods (London International Consensus, part 3, 2023).
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How to choose and progress your exercises
- If you are uninjured: include Nordic exercise in a consistent prevention program that also covers warm-up, strength, stability, and sport-specific movement.
- If you have a recent or painful strain: get individualized guidance before attempting demanding eccentric or long-muscle-length work.
- As you recover: progress loading in response to symptoms and prior-session response, then build toward the running and sprinting your sport requires.
- Before returning to sport: consider injury history, rehabilitation quality, strength, symptoms, and sport-specific readiness together rather than relying on one test or a universal timeline.
A previous hamstring strain is a risk factor for another injury. That history is a reason to take prevention and rehabilitation progression seriously, not a reason to assume one exercise can eliminate the risk.
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