7 Glute Ham Raise Alternatives (Best Substitutes Discussed)

What Exactly Are Glute Ham Raises? 

The glute ham raise, also called the glute ham developer (GHD), is a hypertrophy and posterior chain strength exercise. In other words, the movement will burn almost every muscle on the back of your body, including your lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. 

How To Do Glute Ham Raises

Glute ham raises help to develop serious muscle mass and improve your full body strength, stability, and overall back health. Glute ham raises work the knee flexion and hip extension, which exercise your hamstrings while building strength in your upper legs and lower body at the same time.

If you lift, then you will definitely want to reap the benefits of glute ham raises because having a strong posterior chain will help you to lift heavy weights and improve your squat and deadlift. 

The main reason why people tend to avoid glute ham raises is because the GHR machine is an expensive and large piece of equipment, or they might not be able to make it to the gym as much as they would like. However, glute ham raise alternatives will also allow you to: 

Why You Should Work the Glutes & Hamstrings 

Glutes 

The glutes and butt muscles are comprised of three sets of muscles — the gluteus minimus, medius, and maximus. The maximus is the largest and strongest muscle in the human body — it allows you to extend your hips and move your thighs, along with the added benefit of filling out your jeans. 

The medius is known for rotating the thigh and moving the leg away from the center of the body. The minimus works with the medius and brings stability to the pelvis when you run or walk. 

The glutes, abs, obliques, and lower back make up the core of your body, and they are the power behind explosive movements such as jumping and sprinting, along with assisting you in standing, sitting, and walking.

If you have strong glutes, then you will be able to lift heavy weights and experience a reduction in back pain. Glutes that are weak will put stress on your lower body joints, knees, calves, and hamstrings. 

A good machine you can use to build the glutes up is the leg press machine.  

Hamstrings 

The hamstrings are a set of muscles and tendons that are on the back of your legs. They work to extend the hip and flex the knee joint. The muscles start moving when you walk, run, jump and move up the stairs. 

The hamstrings work opposite the quads. It is vital that you balance quad workouts with exercises that help to develop strength in the hamstrings. It is also worth noting that the hamstrings are vulnerable to injury when it comes to sports that mix running with sudden starts and stops, such as soccer, tennis, basketball, or football.

The most common injuries for athletes and people who are new at the gym are hamstring pulls and strains. If you work on strengthening your hamstrings, it will help you to avoid sustaining hamstring and knee injuries. The glutes and hamstrings create the posterior chain, along with the calves and back, which are the most powerful groups of muscles in the human body. 

You will want a strong posterior chain, regardless of whether you are a bodybuilder, weightlifter, football player, sprinter, or anyone who likes to work out. 

An excellent way to build the strength of your hamstrings is the leg extension machine. 

7 Best Glute Ham Raise Alternatives (Substitute Exercises)

1. Good Mornings  

The good morning is an excellent alternative to the glute ham raise because they work all of the same muscles in a reversed range of motion. It is important that you maintain good form because bad form can lead to injury. 

2. Romanian Deadlift 

The Romanian deadlift is an intense and effective posterior chain exercise that bulks out your back, glutes, and hamstrings at the same time as training hip extension.

If you want to do fewer repetitions, then you can use heavier weights (instead of using lighter weights and doing more repetitions) to reveal greater gains in a shorter period of time. However, remember to maintain good form throughout the exercise. 

3. Nordic Hamstring Curl 

If you want to grow your hamstrings, then you should definitely try the Nordic hamstring curl. The Nordic hamstring curl is a versatile and effective bodyweight exercise, and they are an excellent glute ham raise alternative in the sense that they will strengthen your hamstrings and avoid potential injuries. They will also build mass in your arms, chest, and shoulders. 

The Nordic hamstring curl is the perfect variation for when you are working out in the park or your garage gym at home. The exercise will really work your hamstrings, so you should expect to perform a lower number of repetitions.

You will require a soft surface for your knees to rest (like a cushion or mat) and a stable item for you to secure your feet. In this case, you can use a doorway pull-up bar, a weighted barbell, a lat pull down machine, a partner, or even your sofa to help keep your feet in place. 

4. Kettlebell Swing 

The kettlebell swing is one of the classic glute ham raise alternative exercises. It is a powerful exercise that will seriously work your glutes and hamstrings. You will definitely see an improvement in your hip extension, glutes, and movement. 

5. Hip Thrusts 

The barbell hip thrust is an excellent weight training move that will activate the posterior chain. It will help you to build muscle and strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, as well as your hip adductors and core.

If you add a barbell or a high tension exercise band to the standard hip thrust, it will seriously increase the difficulty of the move, and you should expect to feel sore the following day after performing the hip thrusts.  

6. Cable Pull Throughs 

It is worth noting that the cable pull through will definitely make your lower body ache. However, if you pull through the pain, then you will develop amazing glute and hamstring strength. You can also use a resistance band if you do not have access to a cable machine. 

7. Reverse Hyperextension 

The reverse hyperextension is one of the best glute ham alternative exercises due to the fact that it works all of the same muscles. It is excellent for working on glute and hamstring hypertrophy and developing power and strength in the posterior chain.

You will require a stable surface that is high enough to grant you a long range of motion (such as a flat bench). 

People Also Ask (FAQs)

What can I do instead of glute ham raises? 

You can try bodyweight movements, resistance machines, and free weights instead of performing the glute ham raise. If you do not own much equipment, then bodyweight exercises, such as the Nordic curl and the reverse hyper, are excellent movements. 

The exercises that we have listed above, such as the Good Morning, can help you to build the glutes and hamstrings, but they require good form and technique.  

What can I do instead of hip thrusts? 

Glute ham raises and hip thrusts target many of the same muscles in the movement. The good news is that the glute ham raise alternative exercises that we have already listed above also target the glutes and hamstrings in the same way that a hip thrust does. 

Conclusion

It is essential that you maintain a varied and challenging workout routine that targets all of the muscles and areas you are looking to build. The list of exercises that we have shared with you will work best when added to a varied strength and cardio routine.

If you spend the whole week performing only hamstring exercises, then it will lead to pain and no gain in the end. We have laid out all of the secrets to developing mass and strength in your posterior chain. Try mixing in a few of these glute ham raise alternative exercises into your workout routine and prepare for serious results.