How to do a Glute Ham Raise
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Glute Ham Raise
Glute Ham Raise Bench
Workouts with Glute Ham Raise
Target muscles worked
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.
- 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.
- Fold your arms across your chest and brace your core to keep your spine neutral.
- Raise your shoulders by extending your hips through the pads until you reach a straight alignment from your heels to your shoulders.
- Exhale to return to the starting position.
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Alternative Exercises to Glute Ham Raise
1. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 5,645 TIMESSeated 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
2. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 4,341 TIMESLying 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
3. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 2,584 TIMESThis 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
4. Kettlebell Swing
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 1,707 TIMESKettlebell 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
5. Kettlebell Sumo Squat
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 1,685 TIMESKettlebell 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
6. Good Morning
90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 1,473 TIMESGood 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
- Squat Rack
7. Romanian Deadlift
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,373 TIMESRomanian 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
8. Deadlift
98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 1,207 TIMESDeadlift 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
9. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,119 TIMESSingle 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.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
10. Standing Leg Curl
58.7 mSCORESWAPPED 983 TIMESStanding 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine