Exercise of the Week – The Glute-Ham Raise

It has been awhile since I have done an “exercise of the week” post.  Maybe I should re-name it the exercise of the quarter.   What’s that?  Not funny?  Well, forget you then!

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.  If we can still be friends, let’s get to the exercise…

Glute-Ham Raise

The glute-ham raise (G-HR) is a great exercise because it works the hamstrings in both of its functions – knee flexion AND hip extension.  When you perform a leg curl, the hamstrings are only flexing the knee (but NOT extending the hip).  And when you perform exercises such as RDLs, the hams are only being working as hip extensors (but not knee flexors).  That’s not to say that leg curls and RDLs shouldn’t be a part of your overall plan.  It just shows how great of an exercise the G-HR is.

When performing the G-HR, try not to let your hips flex (butt goes backwards) or your low back to extend.  Brace your abs and try to keep a straight line from your knees, to your hips, to your shoulders.  Below are a few videos of the “Natural” G-HR.

This one is me performing the Natural G-HR in a seated calf machine.  Just turn yourself around and lock your feet into the pads where you usually put your quads.  Notice that I have a bunch of weight stacked even know I am not using the machine to work my calves.  This is done so the machine doesn’t tip over and I don’t break my nose on the way towards the floor.  Call me crazy, but I’ve never been a fan of broken noses.

 

Another option is to have a partner (that you trust:) ) hold your feet/calves in place…

Or, you could use the pad of a lat pulldown machine and just turn yourself around…

Notice how we each of us give a push off of the ground (or box) to help out on the concentric portion (the way up).  There are a few bad assess out there that don’t need any help from the floor on the way up… that is tough!!!  If you look at the videos, it is obvious that Tony (video 3) and “volleyball chick” use a bigger push off of the floor than I do.  Just playin’! (but not really)

Finally, a great piece of equipment is the G-HR machine.  Rather than explain how to use this machine and all of the options, I’ll let Bret Contreras take it from here…

Basically, if you have some nice hamstrings, you are a stud/studette.  The Glute-Ham Raise will definitely help you get there!