Research

Mixed

Hamstring hypertrophy plays a minimal role in strength transfer between the Nordic hamstring exercise and the stiff-leg deadlift in resistance-untrained individuals.

If you want to improve strength in both Nordic curls and deadlifts, doing only one will not automatically make you strong at the other, even if you build muscle. To maximize strength across both movements, you should train both exercises within the same training block, as neural adaptations specific to each movement pattern are likely more important than muscle size for transferring strength.

GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
We conclude that hamstring hypertrophy has a minimal role in strength transfer in resistance-untrained individuals.
Titouan Morin et al. · medRxiv · 2024

Why this rating

Blinded randomized controlled trial with adequate sample size (n=36) and rigorous measurement (3DUS, 1RM), though preprint status and short duration (9 weeks) limit generalizability.

Source

Minimal Role of Hamstring Hypertrophy in Strength Transfer Between Nordic Hamstring and Stiff-Leg Deadlift: A Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Titouan Morin et al. · medRxiv · 2024

DOI 10.1101/2024.12.17.24319207

preprint · n=36Cited 1×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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