10 alternative workouts to increase the glute ham raise
Below are ten glute ham raise alternatives that athletes and coaches can use to improve hamstring strength and hypertrophy.
1. Romanian Deadlift
The deadlift is an important strength exercise that offers a number of benefits. It builds core strength that helps establish safe motor patterns, stabilize the core, and improve your mobility and coordination. This makes Romanian deadlifts a popular choice among athletes and bodybuilders looking to improve their performance.
Both traditional and Romanian deadlifts are also common among individuals who wish to facilitate their daily activities. These workouts increase range of motion in the knees and hips, improve joint stability, and support body density and health. They are also adaptable and versatile exercises that allow you to customize your exercise routine to suit your goals and needs.
So what makes the Romanian deadlift worthy of adding to your leg workout routine? First of all, it is one of the most effective workouts to train the posterior chain and strengthen the back muscles. It's also great for improving grip strength, which is a key indicator of your health. Deadlifts are also an excellent fat burner, and if you're a runner you'll notice a definite boost in strength in your strides.
Compared to the glute ham developer, the Romanian deadlift targets your back muscles, core, trapezius, hip adductors, and quads when performed correctly. Plus, it pays extra attention to your hamstrings, forearm flexors, and glutes. You can try many variations, including single-leg Romanian deadlifts, dumbbell split-legs, and stiff-legged deadlifts. This makes it a great alternative exercise to lifting the glute ham raise.
How it goes
· Hold a bar at striking height with an overhand grip.
· While maintaining your neutral spine, pull your shoulders back.
· Gently push your hips back as you slowly lower the bar toward your feet.
· Push your hips forward as you return to a standing position with the bar in front of your thighs.
2. Good morning
"Good morning" can be a sweet text sent by a loved one while they're away, an email greeting from a colleague, or TBH, a morning that doesn't start with an alarm clock. However, good mornings are also a hypertrophy exercise that you should do. They are one of the excellent glute ham raise alternatives as they target the same muscles as ham raises but in a reverse motion. Perfect form is recommended to prevent injury during exercise.
Good Morning primarily strengthens your hamstrings, glutes, and other strong posterior chain muscle groups like your calves, lats, and upper back. These exercises also hit the core muscles, including the pelvic floor muscles, obliques, and transverse abdominals. If you prefer a good morning with weights, in addition to the previously mentioned muscles, you can further strengthen your biceps, triceps, trapezius muscles and shoulders.
All variations of the good morning exercise involve the same movement pattern. However, when adding weights to the movement, where you position or hold the weight and whether you stay in a standing position is important. This affects the difficulty and degree to which this workout targets your hamstrings and core muscle groups.
Some of the common variations of good morning training are the classic good morning, backloaded good morning, frontloaded good morning, banded good morning, and seated good morning.
How it goes
· Start standing, feet shoulder-width or hip-width apart.
· With your shoulder blades tight, hold a barbell across your shoulders and upper back.
· Keep your knees slightly bent throughout the exercise.
· While keeping your spine neutral, lean forward from your hips and your torso is parallel to the floor.
· Keep your glutes and hamstrings tight to gently pull yourself to your starting position.
· Repeat as desired.
3. Kettlebell swings
Kettlebell swings target your core, hips, hamstrings, and glutes, as well as the stabilizing muscles of your back and shoulders. Although done carefully, you will experience some benefits for your quads and deltoidsKettlebell swing exercisetargets the entire posterior chain - the muscles at the back of your body. This makes it one of the great alternative exercises for lifting the glute ham raise.
You use the posterior chain muscle groups in various movements, such as B. bending or stabilizing your body while lifting something. Also, these muscles support various movements during physical activities that rely on your lower body strength, such as running. B. Walking, kicking and running. Such exercises that hit the back muscles of your body can helpCorrect muscle imbalances.
Swinging a kettlebell is also a great way to generate strength and power during a workout. It can also increase your heart rate. The result is fast, confident movements that add plenty of momentum to your workout time, making this glute ham raise alternative an excellent exercise for people intent on maximizing workout efficiency.
You can easily customize the standard kettlebell swing to meet your fitness goals. Top variations include a hip joint forward with a broomstick, a one-arm kettlebell swing, and an American kettlebell swing. During these swings, maintain control of the kettlebell and lift with your arms.
How it goes
· Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
· Lay the kettlebell on the floor in front of you.
· Keep your knees slightly bent and your shoulders rolled back while keeping your core engaged.
· Press your hips back, tilt your upper body forward and grab the kettlebell.
· Keep your back straight and do not squat.
· Grasp the kettlebell with both hands and in one powerful motion, squeeze your hamstrings and glutes as you raise yourself to a standing position.
· Swing the kettlebell back toward the floor while pushing your hip muscles back.
· Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
4. Nordic Leg Curl
Also known as the Nordic ham curl or inverse leg curl, the Nordic hamstring curl is a bodyweight exercise that activates the hamstrings. It improves muscle hypertrophy on the back of your legs and targets the muscle groups within your hamstrings. These include semimembranosus, biceps femoris, and semitendinosus muscles.
Nordic hamstring curl can also reduce the risk of injury. By activating the squat muscles, this workout strengthens your hamstring muscle groups, which helps prevent injury. It can also improve mobility around the knee joint and reduce stress on the hamstrings. In fact, Nordic Hamstring Curl is one of the best glute ham raise alternatives that can improve performance during other workouts.
Although Nordic hamstring curls and glute ham raises strengthen your hamstrings, there are differences between these exercises. For example, Nordic hamstring curls don't require any equipment, which means they're ideal for training at home. On the other hand, glute ham raise workouts require a glute ham raise machine that has an elevated knee pad.
How it goes
· Carefully hook your feet under a stall and kneel on a soft surface or cushioned floor.
· As you kneel, tighten your core and hip muscles and maintain a straight line from your head to your knees.
· Gently lower yourself forward and open your knee joint until you reach a head-toe-straight position.
· While keeping your hips open, try to lock your knee joint and squeeze your hamstrings as you pull yourself up to your starting position.
5. Cable glands
The cable pull through is a common movement for hamstring and hip development, improves gluteal hypertrophy and endurance, and repeats proper hip flexion and extension. Due to the isolated nature of the cable from movement, it can be performed at a higher volume without the risk of straining your lower back or causing neurological fatigue.
Cable pull-throughs can also be used to teach or reinforce proper hip flexion and joint pattern needed for advanced movements such as pulls and deadlifts. The extra tension in the eccentric phase provides neurological and motor pattern feedback that might help you understand how different positions should feel.
In fact, these isolated glute and hamstring exercises can increase muscle activation of your glutes by increasing time under tension and your ability to actively activate your muscles under load in a controlled environment. Note that cable pulley training targets different muscles, such as:
How it goes
· Position the cable machine station rope in the lowest setting.
· Take a few steps forward to create or increase tension on the cable.
· Bend your hips forward while keeping your knees shoulder-width apart and slightly bending.
· Maintain a flat back position when performing a cable pull.
· Tighten your core and buttocks, take a deep breath and bring the pulley to the starting position as you bend forward.
· Repeat for four to five preparations.
6. Reverse-Hack-Squat-RDL
Performing RDLs on hack squats may seem unconventional, but it's effective when it comes to targeting the posterior chain and hamstrings. In fact, it's a different twist on an RDL, as the loading process takes place in front of your body. This means you can lift heavier weights, which is beneficial for posterior chain and hamstring stress. This makes it an excellent glute ham raise replacement workout.
When performing the reverse hack squat RDL, you may want to vary foot placement and find the stance that works best for working your hamstrings. For some people, a narrow stance engages the hamstrings more effectively, while for others, a wide stance may be more effective.
How it goes
· Stand upright facing the back pad, feet hip-width apart.
· Create excitement by driving the traps over the neck pad.
· Push your hips back into an RDL.
Then bring your hips forward to return to your starting position.
7. Stability Ball Leg Curls
If your regular leg day consists of a few general exercises split between the glute ham machine and the squat rack, you're probably leaving potential gains on your gym floor. A great lower body workout must include specific exercises designed to give attention to specific muscle groups. Remember that your hamstrings are essential for powerful movements, and ball leg curls can provide the attention needed.
Stability ball leg curls target knee flexion function of the hamstring muscles, unlike some variations of the deadlift, which target hip flexion. Most lifters prefer the ball leg curl exercise if they don't have access to a glute ham raise machine or leging leg curl machine. This exercise builds strength and muscle mass in your hamstrings and glutes.
The key to performing ball leg curls is making sure you keep your back straight throughout the workout. You may be tempted to cheat if you let the ball come your way. Unfortunately, this can hurt your back and not give your core muscle groups much exercise. Remember, contracting your core will ensure you don't cheat during stability ball leg curls.
For more challenging alternatives, you can do single-leg stability ball curls. To do this, you need to raise one leg in the air to move the ball one leg at a time.
How it goes
· Lie on the floor and place your feet on the exercise ball.
· Make sure the ball is in the correct position so that when you straighten your legs, your ankles are still on the ball. This is your starting position.
· Now raise your hips while keeping your weight on your feet and shoulder blades.
· Bend your knees while pulling the exercise ball as close to you as possible. This means you need to tighten your hamstring muscles.
· After a short pause, return to your starting position.
8. Hip thrusts with feet forward
If you want to build strength and size in your butt, feet forward hip thrusts need to be part of your workout routine. This is one of the excellent glute ham raise alternatives that focuses on glute and hamstring activation. Other muscle groups that might benefit from this hip thrust exercise include hip adductors, quads, and the core muscles.
Feet forward hip thrusts build the size and strength of your glutes in a way glute ham raises can't. Experts also agree that hip thrust training benefits most people, from young athletes to the elderly over 65. Remember, strong glutes are essential for stabilizing your pelvis, core, and overall lower body are. They also support athletic skills like sprinting, jumping, and changing direction.
You can play with different stance widths and foot positions to find which hip thrust position works best for you. Remember that feet-forward hip thrusts allow for greater range of motion for better lower-body muscle activation. You can also try barbell hip thrusts.
How it goes
· Gently lie down under a weighted barbell with an Airex pad or squat pad underneath.
· Dig your trap on the bench sides and keep your chest upright to create tension.
· Carefully position your feet under your knees with a slight bend in your knees.
· Use your hips to raise the bar 90 degrees to maintain the starting position.
· While tightening your hamstrings and glutes, drive your hips up into full hip extension.
· Return to the starting position by bending your hips back 90 degrees.
9. Glute Bridge Walkouts
Glute bridge walkouts are one of the best isolation workouts for the glutes and hamstrings because they crush the posterior chain muscle groups. Their effect on core muscles and hip stabilizers is similar to glute bridges, but exceptionally more intense. This is because the walkout variant involves a more challenging position. When you go outside, you're likely creating more tension through your strong rear chain due to a longer lever position.
Also, the narrower position often targets more of the glutes, while the extended or strength position targets your lower hamstrings. Over the course of the course, a full set of glute bridge walkouts allows you to emphasize the hamstrings, rather than an isolated area as is common with hamstring-only exercises. Remember, this exercise is a good alternative to the po ham raise as it targets the hamstrings and maintains stability by bringing your knees further into a knee or hip extension.
With each step, try to dig your heels through the ground for better glute and hamstring activation. You can also place a dumbbell on your hips or pause at different stages of the glute bridge walkout exercise.
How it goes
· Lie flat on your back with your hips on the floor and your knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
· Extend your hips to tighten your glutes.
· Take about three steps outside until your legs are fully straight.
· Maintain proper alignment of your knee and hip joints as you gently move into the final position.
· Return feet to original position to complete one rep.
10. Dumbbell Split Stance RDL
The dumbbell split stance RDL allows for minimal spinal stress compared to the regular RDL while targeting your glutes and hamstrings. It also engages your posterior chain muscles, making it one of the best alternatives to the dumbbell glute ham raise.
Note that you may have limited access to fitness equipment, especially if you work out from home. However, an equally effective dumbbell RDL split stance can be performed with a mini resistance band.
How it goes
· Place one leg back about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) to establish and maintain a staggered stance.
· Rest most of your body weight on the planted leg and hold a dumbbell in your hands.
· Hold like a regular RDL while pushing your hips back until the dumbbell in each hand is just below your knees.
· Maintain a vertical shin position and an open chest for this exercise, and emphasize that you lean back with your hips.
· Move hips forward to complete one repetition.