reverse nordic curls aka natural leg extensions the exercise you didn't know you needed get ready
for strength at length and bigger legs when done correctly this video will cover the most important
techniques for safe effective form if this looks impossible don't quit just yet everyone can level
up with the right progression and patience be sure to watch the entire video to avoid silly mistakes
people usually make let's go hey everyone daniel vadnal australian physiotherapist
and also calisthenics bro i'm here to cover the reverse nordic curl why should you do
this exercise well here are a few of the major takeaways strength and mobility are the major
incentives for working hard if you're someone struggling with forever tight quads or hip flexors
get to work reverse nordics simultaneously stretch and strengthen this is a winning combination this
specific movement is ideal for targeting the biaticular rectus femoris muscle this crosses
both the knee and the hip joints tight quads are often a sign of weakness purely passive stretching
isn't going to fix the cause reverse nordics will key benefit number two is quad hypertrophy gains
bodyweight leg day options are limited non gimmicky isolation exercises are hard to
come by when taken close to if not momentary muscular failure body weight isolation is a
hypertrophy blessing fitness faq is here to cure calisthenics chicken legs one reverse nordic curl
at a time here's how setting up correctly is key do this by kneeling shoulder width
or slightly further apart we need a decent width to make it possible to lower between our legs
when done right the fires will have enough space between the calves to sink nice and deep the most
important cue is pelvic tilt and core squeeze the glutes throughout the exercise and keep the abs
forcefully braced this technique genuinely challenges the rectus femoris and quads
at large doing so is a non-negotiable form standard you'll notice that i'm tucking the chin
it might look exaggerated and that's intentional for whatever scientific reason the chin tuck
promotes ab and glute engagement apply and see for yourself range of motion is highly individual
based on strength and mobility go as low as you can while keeping the body alignment strict this
might be half or even full range whatever it is be patient and do what you can i've been grinding
away at this one for over a year and i've still got room to improve ideally the knees should stay
on the ground do you notice that mine are lifting up towards the bottom this is an indicator that
i'm working at the limit of my capacity this is okay but you just need to be careful and stay safe
all right that's cool and all but where do i start chill don't worry i've got you covered having
passive capacity is a requirement for building strength at length with reverse nordics welcome
to the effective and equally disgusting couch stretch our goal is to increase passive quad and
hip flexor flexibility with this one try and get the torso upright and flush against the wall the
real challenge is keeping the back glute tight and engaged keep a vertical torso for genuine range
avoid reaching backwards by arching beginners this will only be possible with the knee about a fist
from the wall doing so makes actually getting into the stretch and benefiting possible over time work
towards getting the knee flush against the wall this is your goal some people find the toes on
the wall comfortable other people prefer a plantar flexed foot go with what feels right and helps you
tolerate the quad stretch best the only other stretch you need is the hip extended variation
both are useful for complementing reverse nordic training working on both positions comprehensively
stretches all quad and hip flexor muscles at both the origin and insertions how long to hold each
stretch two to three sets of around 60 seconds is going to be universally effective for most people
moving on to the best method for everyone banded reverse nordics difficulty can be adjusted for all
levels that's what makes this setup shine the most challenging part is the bottom range when
the quads are stretched and mechanically weaker guess what the band gives assistance as we sink
deeper and deeper this subtle helping hand allows us to push the limits of our ability
given sound technique and tempo are applied only two setup constraints need changing focus on
increasing the range of motion and or decreasing the band assistance apply this advice diligently
over the weeks and months and your body has no choice but to transform lastly to bridge the gap
between bands and becoming neo from the matrix try eccentrics control the lowering phase maximally
right until you're about to fail then catch yourself and repeat this for reps seeing incorrect
form helps learning avoid these mistakes arching is fake flexibility for our reverse nordic goals
this anterior pelvic tilt and lumbar extension doesn't optimally stretch rectus femoris moving on
setting up too narrow is another rookie mistake this doesn't allow room to sink deep it limits
range and it feels awkward don't do it another exercise pet peeve is uncontrolled fast reps using
momentum and the stretch reflex isn't productive for reverse nordics this is silly and unsafe
another mistake is chasing reps instead of quality form some people love to pump out shallow reps
we want to lengthen the quads and expand our usable range quarter reps improve quarter reps
if struggling with quarter reps please opt for the band instead bands allow greater depth and provide
significantly more benefits stepping back to step forward is wise the last mistake
is returning vertical each rep this offloads tension and it reduces the hypertrophy response
instead make sure that you're leaning backwards at the top of each rep this keeps your quads
on tension they're going to be burning and fatiguing and this is a good indicator that
you're doing things right kudos thanks for paying attention and watching all the way until the end
you should now be a reverse nordic curl connoisseur do us a favor and click thumbs
up support fitness faqs and we'll keep posting our best content to help that's it for this one
legends go to fitnessfaqs.com for the number one calisthenics programs and i'll train with you soon