Glute-Ham Raise

The glute-ham raise is a bodyweight strength exercise done on a glute-ham developer (GHD) machine. It trains your hamstrings and glutes, while your lower back and calves help keep you stable.

Set the GHD so your knees sit just behind the pad and your feet are anchored firmly under the back rollers. Your thighs rest on the main pad, your shins press against the vertical rollers, and your body forms a straight line from head to knees.

Start tall with your hips extended. Squeeze your glutes, then slowly lower your torso forward under control until you are near parallel to the floor or slightly below. Pull yourself back up by bending your knees and contracting your hamstrings, finishing by squeezing your glutes at the top.

Breathe in and brace your core before you lower, then exhale as you rise. To make it easier, loop a band around your chest and anchor it behind the machine, or shorten your range of motion. To make it harder, hold a weight at your chest or slow down the lowering phase even more.

Fault: You fold at the hips and drop your chest toward the floor. Fix: Keep your hips extended and your body in one straight line from head to knees throughout the entire rep.

Fault: You drop quickly toward the bottom and bounce back up. Fix: Control the lowering phase by taking a few seconds to descend, letting your hamstrings resist the fall rather than using momentum.

Fault: You cut the rep short at the top and miss the full contraction. Fix: Finish each rep tall by squeezing your glutes at the top before starting the next descent.