SHOGUN NORD-EX®

Name: SHOGUN NORD-EX®
Brand: Shogun Sports
Rating: 3.78 (3 reviews)

The Shogun NORD-EX combines an adjustable back-extension machine and a Nordic hamstring curl bench in a single compact unit, letting a home gym cover the entire posterior chain – back, glutes, and hamstrings – without needing two separate pieces of equipment. The frame is built from 11-gauge carbon steel with an 8-gauge threaded footplate and 4-gauge side panels, padded with custom molded polyurethane foam, and ships fully assembled. Back-extension angle adjusts across five settings from 35 to 55 degrees, while the Nordic curl bench offers 15, 30, and 45 degree assist angles for progressing toward a full unassisted curl. At 126 lbs and a 41 x 25 inch footprint, it rolls on caster wheels and can be stored upright against a wall, though reviewers note the frame’s modest weight can let the feet lift off the ground during a full Nordic curl rather than staying anchored.

Buying guide

Best GHD for a Home Gym — July 2026

Type	2-in-1 adjustable back extension and Nordic curl bench
Weight	126 lbs (57.15 kg)
Padding	Custom molded polyurethane foam (top pad, hip pad, leg roller)
Assembly	Ships fully assembled
Mobility	Caster wheels; upright storage capable
Footprint	41 x 25 in (104.5 x 64.4 cm); 19 x 26 in stored upright
Manufacturer	Shogun Sports
Frame material	11-gauge carbon steel frame; 8-gauge threaded steel footplate; 4-gauge steel side plates; 13-gauge stainless steel adjustment tubes
User height range	5' to 6'8"
Nordic curl length	34.2 in default; 49 in maximum
Back extension angles	35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°
Back extension length	35.6-42.4 in (90.6-107.7 cm)
Nordic curl assist angles	15°, 30°, 45°

What is a Machine?

What a strength machine is

A strength machine guides the resistance along a fixed path so you can train a movement safely, often without a spotter. The main types: selectorized (pick weight with a pin), plate-loaded (add your own plates for a heavier ceiling and better feel), and functional trainers / cable machines (adjustable pulleys for dozens of exercises).

Machines vs. free weights

Machines shine for isolation, safety, and high-rep hypertrophy, and for training hard alone. Free weights build more stabilizer strength and carry over better to sport. Most well-rounded home gyms use a rack and barbell as the core and add one machine — often a cable/functional trainer or a lat-pulldown/row — to fill the gaps.

The sub-types worth knowing

“Machines” covers several categories that barely compete with each other: GHDs for hamstring and posterior-chain work, belt squats for loading the legs without the bar on your back, leg press / hack squat combos for heavy quad volume, reverse hypers for posterior-chain work and lower-back decompression, cable towers and functional trainers for pulling movements, and row machines. Pick the one that fills a gap in what your rack and barbell already do. Almost nobody needs two.

Space and standalone vs. rack-mounted

Most of these come in a standalone version and a cheaper rack-attachment version. The attachment saves floor space and money, but often gives up stability or range of motion — a tradeoff worth checking on the specific product rather than assuming, since it varies a lot between designs.

A note on ratings

Machine listings frequently show a manufacturer’s own on-site rating, which runs high (4.7–5.0 is typical) and sometimes pools reviews across a whole product family rather than the exact configuration you’re buying. Where we have independent hands-on coverage, our summaries anchor to that instead, and say so on the product page.

How it compares

	SHOGUN NORD-EX®	NordBench Pro	Arsenal Strength Iso Conv Shoulder Press	Arsenal Strength Viking Press
GymRadar rating	3.78/5	3.78/5	3.78/5	3.78/5
Price	$1,279.00	$369.99	$3,700.00	$3,795.00
Type	2-in-1 adjustable back extension and Nordic curl bench
Weight	126 lbs (57.15 kg)
Padding	Custom molded polyurethane foam (top pad, hip pad, leg roller)
Assembly	Ships fully assembled	~10 minutes, 5 parts, no special tools
Mobility	Caster wheels; upright storage capable
Footprint	41 x 25 in (104.5 x 64.4 cm); 19 x 26 in stored upright
Manufacturer	Shogun Sports	NordStick	Arsenal Strength	Arsenal Strength
Frame material	11-gauge carbon steel frame; 8-gauge threaded steel footplate; 4-gauge steel side plates; 13-gauge stainless steel adjustment tubes			Powder-coated steel, made in USA
User height range	5' to 6'8"
Nordic curl length	34.2 in default; 49 in maximum
Back extension angles	35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°
Back extension length	35.6-42.4 in (90.6-107.7 cm)
Nordic curl assist angles	15°, 30°, 45°

3.8/5 · 3 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	3.78/5	3 reviews
Youtube	3.7/5	3 reviews	Luke's Garage Gym is positive overall ("buy once, cry once") with the $1,000 price as the main hesitation. Illuminati Iron is glowing, calling it "one of my all-time favorite pieces" of equipment they own. Strict Vision Athletics is critical, flagging three concrete design flaws from client feedback: uncomfortable dense padding on the hips, a footplate too narrow for many users, and insufficient frame mass to counterbalance a full Nordic curl (feet lift 2-3 inches off the ground mid-rep).

The NORD-EX packs a back-extension machine and a Nordic-curl bench into one commercial-grade frame, and reviewers consistently praise the standout: build quality — 11-gauge steel, molded polyurethane foam, and a fully pre-assembled unit that Garage Gym Lab scored 9.4/10 and called “buy once, cry once.” The weakest dimension is functionality on its signature move: a client-reported flaw has the feet lifting two to three inches off the floor mid-Nordic-curl because the frame isn’t heavy enough to counterbalance the movement, and several reviewers separately flag the dense pad as uncomfortable on the hips. At $999–$1,279 it’s also priced well above simpler combo benches, which shows up as GymRadar’s weakest of its three rated categories (Value 3.33/5 vs. Build Quality and Performance at 4.0/5 each).

+Build quality: 11-gauge steel frame with 8-gauge footplate and 4-gauge side plates, molded polyurethane foam pads that "won't degrade" (Garage Gym Lab, Gray Matter Lifting)
+Versatility: combines back extension (35-55° in 5° steps) and Nordic curl (15/30/45° assist angles) in one unit, plus oblique/core work via the foot pad (Strict Vision Athletics)
+Functionality: compact 41"x25" footprint with caster wheels and upright storage, praised as "a Game Changer" for space-limited gyms (Illuminati Iron)
+Durability: stainless steel hardware and adjustment tubes reported to last "indefinitely" (Gray Matter Lifting)

−Functionality: frame isn't heavy enough to counterbalance a full Nordic curl — feet lift 2-3 inches off the ground mid-rep, undercutting the exercise's purpose (Strict Vision Athletics)
−Build quality: dense, firm pad causes hip/pelvic discomfort for some users, and the footplate is too narrow for wider feet or larger athletes (Strict Vision Athletics, Gray Matter Lifting)
−Value: priced well above simpler 2-in-1 combo benches like the Freak Athlete Nordic Hyper GHD (~$699), and GymRadar's lowest-rated category is Value (3.33/5)
−Versatility: fewer total movements than multi-function competitors (2 vs. up to 6), and Nordic curl progression steps (15°) are coarser than rivals' 5° increments (Garage Gym Lab, Gray Matter Lifting)

$1,279.00

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