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Glute Ham Raise being performed with proper form
Glute Ham Raise demonstration video — proper form for the full movement.

How to do a Glute Ham Raise

Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology

About this exercise

Sets Logged
255,369
Popularity Rank
387th
Difficulty
Advanced
Hamstrings Strength
71 mSCORE 72nd
Equipment Required
  • Photo of Glute Ham Raise Bench
    Glute Ham Raise Bench

Workouts with Glute Ham Raise

    Target muscles worked

    Primary Muscles
    Hamstrings
    Secondary Muscles
    Glutes, Calves

    Instructions for Proper Form

    Glute Ham Raise is a compound exercise that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on a Glute Ham Developer (GHD) allows for a controlled movement that isolates these muscles effectively. The fixed position of the machine adds stability, which lets you focus more on exertion rather than balancing. This exercise is excellent for building strength and muscle mass in the posterior chain.

    1. Position yourself onto a hyperextension bench so that the top of your hips are just over the pads and your feet are firmly pressed underneath the foot pads.
    2. Fold your arms across your chest and brace your core to keep your spine neutral.
    3. Raise your shoulders by extending your hips through the pads until you reach a straight alignment from your heels to your shoulders.
    4. Exhale to return to the starting position.

    Sets & Reps Calculator

    Average Glute Ham Raise standards by male, female, gender, weight, age and height

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      3
      sets
      8
      reps
      1 Set Max
      9
      reps
    • intermediate
      4
      sets
      8
      reps
      10
      reps
    • advanced
      4
      sets
      9
      reps
      11
      reps

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    Alternatives & Variations to Glute Ham Raise

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    1. 1. Seated Leg Curl

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      98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 5,656 TIMES

      Seated Leg Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. Because a vast majority of lower body exercises tend to be compound movements, this exercise is a great way to isolate the hamstrings for building muscle mass, and developing strength. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability, allowing you to focus on exertion more than stabilizing the movement.

    2. 2. Lying Hamstrings Curl

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      95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 4,305 TIMES

      Lying Hamstring Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.

    3. 3. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

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      97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 2,605 TIMES

      This exercise is a variation on Romanian Deadlifts. Like other Romanian Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings and glutes. The use of dumbbells can help with some limitations in mobility, and is a great starting point for anyone working towards performing Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts with a barbell.

    4. 4. Kettlebell Swing

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      87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 1,604 TIMES

      Kettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.

    5. 5. Kettlebell Sumo Squat

      Photo of Kettlebell Sumo Squat being performed
      87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 1,591 TIMES

      Kettlebell Sumo Squat is a squat variation. Like other squat variations, this exercise is a compound movement that targets the hamstrings, glutes and quads. Positioning your feet wider than you would for a standard squat helps to recruit the inner thigh, as well as help individuals with mobility limitations.

    6. 6. Good Morning

      Photo of Good Morning being performed
      90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 1,477 TIMES

      Good Morning’s are a compound exercise that primarily target muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), but especially the hamstrings, and lower back. While this can be an effective exercise, there is some risk to performing this exercise with a loaded barbell on your back. If you’re unfamiliar with this exercise, try starting with a dumbbell variation as you learn the movement.

    7. 7. Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Romanian Deadlift being performed
      98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,363 TIMES

      Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the standard Deadlift, this variation focuses mostly on driving your hips forward to raise the weight, and restricts movement in your knees. This is a great exercise for building strength, and can translate well to other exercises that utilize a hip hinge.

    8. 8. Deadlift

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      98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 1,210 TIMES

      Deadlift is one of the three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and is great for developing strength in these muscles. It’s a staple in most programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking strength.

    9. 9. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Single Leg Romanian Deadlift being performed
      80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,056 TIMES

      Single Leg Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on one leg, is a great way to identify, and help address, discrepancies in mobility, strength, and stability between sides. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to perform a large number of other compound lower body movements like Squats, Lunges, or even Olympic lifts.

    10. 10. Standing Leg Curl

      Photo of Standing Leg Curl being performed
      58.7 mSCORESWAPPED 967 TIMES

      Standing Leg Curl is an isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. By performing this exercise with one leg at a time, you prevent the risk of compensating for strength discrepancies between sides. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.