Relationship between Peak Eccentric Force during the Nordic Hamstring Exercise and One Repetition Maximum Deadlift Performance.
Satoru Nishida, Wataru Ito, Taisuke Ohishi and 3 others
PMID 39371192WHAT IT FOUND
Peak eccentric force during the Nordic Hamstring Exercise showed only a weak correlation with deadlift strength.
This suggests that strong hip and trunk extensors do not necessarily predict performance on the Nordic exercise, so deadlift proficiency may not be a reliable prerequisite for starting Nordic training.
Key findings
01A weak but significant correlation was found between deadlift 1RM and peak eccentric force during the Nordic Hamstring Exercise for the right leg, left leg, and both legs combined.
02The authors suggest that lower-extremity muscle strength may not be a crucial factor in determining Nordic Hamstring Exercise performance, as the correlation with deadlift strength was similar to previous correlations with isolated knee flexor strength.
03The weak correlation implies that the similarity between the two exercises in peak force may play only a limited role in supporting the idea that the deadlift is an appropriate exercise to perform before progressing to the Nordic Hamstring Exercise.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used a standard deadlift, where form variations between individuals can affect which muscles are engaged. A stiff-leg deadlift might have been more specific to hip extension. The Nordic exercise involves eccentric muscle contraction, while the 1RM deadlift test primarily reflects concentric strength. This difference in contraction mode may explain the weak correlation. The 1RM deadlift is not a pure measure of hip and trunk extensor strength, as it involves multiple joints and muscle groups. The sample consisted of young rugby players who habitually performed resistance training, so results may not generalize to other populations or those with less training experience.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the weak correlation as evidence that the deadlift is useless for hamstring injury prevention or rehab. The study only examined the relationship between peak force in two specific exercises. It does not prove that deadlift training does not improve hamstring resilience or reduce injury risk, only that it does not strongly predict Nordic exercise force output.