The Topic is Glute Ham Raises

[aleeboy]

I have been looking at alternative exercises that don't engage my lower back, due to an injury, to shore up my hamstrings. The GHR is now the main exercise I use. They are hard, and after a couple of months, I still am yet to complete one full rep. That is, all the way down, no hands, and back all the way up.

My question is for those who are in the know. How long did it take you to work up to a strength where you can handle your BW?

Discuss.

 

[crazyquik]

I could do a few the first time I tried, but that was after probably 6 months + of training.

They are an awesome strength exercise though, and you hardly ever see people doing them.

 

[aleeboy]

Did your training include alot of hamstring exercises such as deadlifts, and its variations?

 

[turbozed]

I would totally add them to my routine but it's impossible to find a GHR station anywhere. I suppose you could do it on a barbell with towell wrapped around it, or even at the pulldown machine, but I hear this doesn't really approximate a designed GHR station very well. I fear I might not get that much benefit.

 

[thekunk07]

i do these with my feet under a sorinex landmine.

 

[Francis91]

I just searched for a video of this exercise on youtube. Holy **** that looks difficult!

 

[aleeboy]

Originally Posted by turbozed

I would totally add them to my routine but it's impossible to find a GHR station anywhere. I suppose you could do it on a barbell with towell wrapped around it, or even at the pulldown machine, but I hear this doesn't really approximate a designed GHR station very well. I fear I might not get that much benefit.

My gym is very limited in equipment available, so I used to do the ones on a mat while someone braces my feet down.

I then switched to using the pull-down machine. Works like a charm. Right now, I can resist to about 45 degrees in a controlled manner, when I switch back to the mat. The pull-down will allow you to have assistance so your muscle is under tension of a long time.


Oh yeah... these hurt. It feels really good though. Jamming your heel into the bar and slowly, but surely, ascending from the pits... talk about BURN.

 

[delightindisorder]

I'm a huge fan of body weight exercises. Try box-pistols to build your strength and work your way up to full pistols.

 

[kever]

It took me about a year or so of training, and about 3 months of glute ham raises to be able to do 2 reps. I put my feet under a leg press machine to do them, and it works great.

 

[crazyquik]

Originally Posted by aleeboy

Did your training include alot of hamstring exercises such as deadlifts, and its variations?

Yes. I was doing a lot of sit-back box squats, stiff-leg deadlifts, hack squats (we called them Romanian Deadlifts but I think in retrospect that was wrong), regular deadlifts, etc.

One place we lifted at had a GHR machine. The other place we had a particular type of decline bench we could use, and it worked really well. I would say as good, or better, than a GHR station.

Here's some random pics I found online. I've done it with someone holding your ankles but never any of the other ways. The very bottom pic looks like a good way to try.

 

[why]

That's a dumb way of doing them. That pulls from the knee instead of the hip which basically makes it a weird way of doing leg curls.

I wouldn't even call those glute-ham raises. Hell, the glutes aren't even used.

 

[Philosoph]

What you guys are describing is a Hamstring Raise: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...ringRaise.html This is a Glute-Ham Raise: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...eHamRaise.html

 

[unjung]

Have never seen this exercise. Learned something today.