Exercise guide · Legs & Glutes

Glute-Ham Raise

The glute-ham raise trains hamstrings and glutes on a GHD (glute-ham developer). Face down with ankles secured under the foot rollers, you lower your torso toward the floor and curl back up using the backs of your legs without swinging.

Targets: Hamstrings
Equipment: Bodyweight
Type: Compound

Step by step

How to do the Glute-Ham Raise

Adjust the GHD so the thigh pad sits at mid-thigh and your ankles are firmly anchored under the foot rollers with toes pointed down or slightly dorsiflexed.
Position yourself on the GHD with hips at the edge of the pad and torso upright, core braced and hands lightly at your chest or temples.
Lower under control by extending at the knees and hips until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor or as far as you can maintain tension without breaking form.
Initiate the return by curling your heels toward your glutes—squeeze hamstrings first—then finish by pulling your torso back to vertical with glutes engaged.
Pause briefly upright without hyperextending the lower back at the top.
Repeat for reps, keeping the movement smooth rather than using a fast drop and bounce.

Form cues

Ankles secured before you start lowering
Hamstrings initiate the curl, not a hip thrust swing
Keep hips on the pad throughout the rep
Controlled descent—don't free-fall to the bottom

Common mistakes

Starting too low on the pad so hips slide off during the rep
Using momentum and jerking up with the lower back
Rounding or collapsing at the bottom instead of maintaining tension
Not anchoring ankles tightly and slipping off the rollers

Muscles worked

Primary

Hamstrings

Secondary

Glutes and Lower back

Safety: Start with a shorter range until you can control the full motion. Ask a partner to help you up if you lose tension at the bottom. Stop if you feel sharp knee or lower back pain.

Alternatives

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