Top 10 Nordic Bench Review (2024) | Best Comparison

This year I really became interested in training my hamstrings and the subject of Nordic Benches came up. Most people consider the Nordic bench the poor man’s GHD when realistically it is a fabulous tool to train and focus on both eccentric and concentric hamstring work.

In doing a bit of research I have found some of the best Glute | Nordic Benches made. Some are quite expensive, so the term poor really isn’t valid when you are spending over $1000 to purchase a commercial-grade bench.

As an avid fitness enthusiast, I am always on the hunt for what I consider top-quality equipment and exercises that produce results. I feel I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to exercise, so I focus on consistency and exercises that have worked over the years.

The Nordic bench really perked my interest and when I first saw one and how the exercise was performed, I knew I wanted one in my arsenal.

NORDIC BENCH CRITERIA

When deciding which Nordic bench was the best overall bench we decided on a few key factors

• Price – Obviously price has to be considered when making any purchase.
• Size – Since we were going to have this in our garage gym we had to decide how much space was to be required.
• Adjustability – Having the ability to really isolate the feet so that they wouldn’t move was important.
• Leveling – Having a bench that could be leveled due to uneven floors is a plus.
• Shipping Costs – This plays into overall cost and we found certain companies had much higher shipping costs.
• Asthetics – Having great looking equipment is certainly welcome.
• Color Options – The ability to choose colors is a plus.

OUR VERDICT

In our research we have looked at quite a lot of different Nordic benches, whether they are called Nordic or Glute or Ham developers and the Atlantis Strength C-322 Poor Man’s Glute & Ham Developer ticks the most boxes for the best overall Glute bench.

The only real negative for the C-322 came down to its price tag. Being over 2 times the amount of many of the other competitors, this may be a dealbreaker for those who are money conscious and are looking to get a better deal.

If Price is a main deciding factor, the Rogue Floor Glute bench is hard to beat. While it might still be a bit steep for some, the fact that Rogue products have such high resale value means you can always recoup much of the money spent if you decide to sell it.

Reasons To Buy A Nordic Bench

* Note some companies listed below really focus on selling to large corporations, universities, and gym chains rather than deal with the smaller home gym or garage gym market. As such their pricing structure and shipping rates are often much higher than companies like Rogue Fitness which often cater to the home, garage gym, and CrossFit athlete.

Atlantis Strength | C-322 Poor Man’s Glute & Ham Developer

Atlantis Strength is our editor’s choice for the best overall Nordic Bench. It is the only bench in the lineup that has 2 sets of rollers providing a better and tighter fit for isolating the ankles while performing the hamstring curl. The bench also features adjustable feet providing leveling on any floor surface.

The overall look of the C-322 is fabulous with both great lines and character. The padding is easy on the knees and the dual rollers really do help lock the feet in place.

Key Features

• Dual Pads – Only one in the line up
• Adjustable Feet
• Many Color Options
• Lasered Adjustment Numbering
• Commercial Grade frame and padding

Specifications

• Width 24″ (61cm)
• Height 18″ (46 cm)
• Length 48″ (122 cm)
• Weight – 78 lbs (36 kg)
• Price – $1,315.00 + tax and shipping

The only downside to the bench is the cost and shipping charges as the company isn’t like Rogue Fitness, which offer better shipping rates

BLK BOX | FLOOR GLUTE HAM DEVELOPER (GHD)

BLK Box has a really solid Nordic bench. While it doesn’t have leveling adjustability if your floor isn’t level, it does have something the other benches don’t offer, which is a taller backplate. BLK BOX says the taller plate allows the user to ground their feet more effectively.

The athletes at BLK BOX seem to really know there stuff as demonstrated from the video above. Where the BLK BOX Floor Glute Ham falls a bit short of some of the competitors is the lack of leveling adjustment. Otherwise, it is a solid piece of equipment and you really can’t go wrong if you decide to purchase it.

One aspect of the Glute Bench that I like is since there are no feet, you will not find yourself jamming your toes accidentally on the machine. Something others have complained about with the Rogue Floor Glute Bench.

I would like to compare the BLK BOX Floor Glute Bench in a head to head with the Rogue one. They both look really solid.

Key Features

• Commercial grade construction
• Taller foot plate
• Smaller width, which saves space

Specifications

• Width 22.32″
• Height 17.83″
• Length 47.44″
• Weight
• Price £416.66

ESP Hami Bench

The ESP Hami Bench is a little different than the other benches in the lineup due to the lack of a footplate. It also comes with side handle rails to support the eccentric movements. I am waiting to hear back from the company to get more statistics on the bench.

While the handles are probably great for beginners, it would be nice to have the ability to remove them.

Key Features

• Built-In Hand Rails
• Adjustable Roller Pad Height
• Wheels At The Front For Easy Moving

Specifications

• Price £897 + tax and shipping

Sorinex | P3 Poor Man™️ GHD

The P3 by Sorinex came in as an outstanding value. At half the cost of some of the commercial-grade nordic benches, Sorinex allows for color options and a commercial-grade frame and pad.

The P3 Poor Man™️ GHD is perfect for those facilities and individuals looking for a big impact glute-ham solution in a small footprint.

Key Features

• Double Stitched Premium Naugahyde
• Adjustable Roller Pad Height
• Built-In Single-Leg Squat
• Urethane Wheels w/ ABEC 5 Bearing
• Many Color Options
• Commercial Grade frame and padding

Specifications

• Width 22″
• Height 19.5″
• Length 58″
• Weight 86 lbs
• Price $650 + tax and shipping

Power Lift | Leg Curl

The Power Lift Leg Curl is by far the biggest and heaviest Nordic Bench made. It’s oozing commercial-grade characteristics. Weighing in at 170 lbs it dwarfs the competition. The Leg Curl is also the most expensive Nordic Bench we have reviewed with a price tag of $1,649. In addition, the shipping cost ($350.00) is 3 times as much as Rogue’s Floor Glute bench.

We love the beefiness of the Leg Curl, but the overall length and weight might prohibit the bench from being a good choice for a garage or home gym.

One unique feature of the Leg Curl is a roller handle that helps make roller adjustments a bit easier.

Key Features

• Less likely to move due to weight
• Adjustable Roller Pad Height
• Handle to help with pad adjustment
• Able to adapt to larger individual
• Many Color Options
• Commercial Grade frame and padding

Specifications

• Width: 23″
• Height: 24 21/32″
• Length: 68 25/32″
• Weight 170 lbs
• Price $1,649

ROGUE Fitness | FLOOR GLUTE

For those looking for one of the best deals in pricing and shipping, the Rogue Floor Glute bench is hard to beat. While it is a bit long for some, Rogue offers excellent value compared to others in the same category.

While I think the design is ok, the fact that the Nordic bench can’t be adjusted for uneven floors will be a problem for some.

As with many of Rogue’s products, the Floor Glute is built like a tank, so don’t expect this thing to fail on you. Another reason to purchase a Rogue product is its resale value. Buying Rogue means if you decide to sell you will always have someone else who will want to buy it. I can’t say that will be the case with some of the more expensive Glute benches.

Key Features

• Good resale value
• Adjustable Roller Pad Height
• Heavy duty padding and rollers
• Able to adapt to larger individual
• One color option (Black)
• Commercial Grade frame and padding

Specifications

• Width 24″
• Height 15″ – 20″
• Length 62″
• Weight 108 lbs
• Price $600

Watson | Economy Glute Ham Raise

Watson is known for their high-quality steel exercise equipment and the Watson Economy Glute Ham Raise bench is a solid piece. While other Nordic Benches are longer and wider, the Watson bench is a space saver coming in with the smallest dimensions of the ones we reviewed.

While the Glute Ham Raise bench is nice, it lacks the ability to adjust on uneven floors. Also, the shorter Knee pad doesn’t provide much room for the body to rest on the downward movement.

Key Features

• Good resale value
• Adjustable Roller Pad Height
• Multiple color options
• Commercial Grade frame and padding

Specifications

• Width 19.69
• Length 39.37″
• Price $615.08