Hamstrings
Glute Ham Raise
The Glute Ham Raise is a strength exercise with no equipment for your hamstrings. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus) 42%, hamstrings (biceps femoris) 29% and calves (gastrocnemius) 10%.
Also known as: ghr
How to do it
- Kneel on a thick pad and lock your ankles under a fixed bar or roller behind you.
- Start upright with a straight line from knees to shoulders and arms crossed over the chest.
- Lower your body forward slowly by straightening the knees, keeping the hips extended.
- Catch yourself lightly with the hands at the bottom if you cannot hold the position.
- Pull yourself back up with the hamstrings, pushing off the floor only as much as you need.
Tips
- Squeeze the glutes and brace the stomach so the hips never fold.
- Take three to four seconds on the way down, the lowering is where most of the work happens.
Common mistakes
- Bending at the hips as the body leans forward.
- Pushing hard off the floor so the hamstrings barely work on the way up.
- Kneeling on a hard floor without padding under the knees.
Muscles worked by the Glute Ham Raise
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
The body lowered against the hamstrings; Nordics bias semitendinosus (Bourne 2017). On a GHD the hips extend too. Knee flexion with the thigh fixed isolates the hamstrings, with gastrocnemius assisting; a flexed hip (seated) lengthens the hamstrings and grew them more than lying curls.
Glute Ham Raise alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
Easier
Make it easier
Similar exercises
- Kneeling Leg Curl
- Kneeling Leg Curl (Single Leg)
- Lying Leg Curl
- Lying Leg Curl Single Leg
- Seated Leg Curl
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Glute Ham Raise work?
Mainly the hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus) and hamstrings (biceps femoris). The calves (gastrocnemius) and gluteus maximus assist.
Is the Glute Ham Raise good for beginners?
The Glute Ham Raise is rated advanced. If you are new, learn the Banded Nordic Curl first and build up from there.
What is a good alternative to the Glute Ham Raise?
For example the Glute Ham Developer Raise, Banded Nordic Curl and Natural Leg Curl. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
Sources
- Maeo et al. 2021, MSSE 53(4):825-837 (seated vs prone leg curl)
- Bourne et al. 2017, Br J Sports Med 51(13):1021-1028 (Nordic curl biases semitendinosus)
Log your sets in Zulta
Zulta tracks your sets, weights and muscle load next to your running, riding or Hyrox training. The app opens soon.