Floor Glute-Ham Raise
The Floor Glute-Ham Raise kneels you on a padded floor with your ankles anchored, then has you lower your torso forward under control before pulling yourself back upright using your hamstrings and glutes. It trains the hamstrings through a full range that few other exercises hit, working them both as knee flexors and hip extensors in the same rep. Anyone who wants stronger, more resilient hamstrings without a glute-ham machine can use this version.
Why it works
Most hamstring exercises isolate just one of their two jobs, a leg curl bends the knee, a deadlift extends the hip. The glute-ham raise asks the hamstrings to do both at once: as you lower your torso forward from kneeling, the hamstrings work eccentrically to control your knees straightening under your bodyweight, then as you pull back upright, they work together with the glutes to flex the knees and extend the hips again. That combined demand is closer to what the hamstrings do while sprinting or decelerating than an isolated curl, which is part of why the movement shows up in hamstring injury prevention work.
Set up
- Kneel on a pad with your ankles anchored under something solid or held firmly by a partner.
- Keep your knees roughly hip-width apart and your torso upright, in a straight line from knees to head.
- Cross your arms over your chest or keep your hands loose in front, ready to catch yourself if needed.
- Brace your core and squeeze your glutes before you start moving.
How to do it
- Keeping your hips extended and your body in a straight line, slowly let your torso tip forward from the knees.
- Resist the fall the entire way, using your hamstrings to control the descent as long as you can.
- Once you can no longer control the lean, catch yourself with your hands and lower the rest of the way to the floor.
- Push off the floor and use your hamstrings and glutes to pull your torso back to the upright kneeling position.
- Keep your hips extended throughout the pull, don't let them pike backward.
- Reset at the top and repeat for the set.
Form cues
- Straight line from knees to shoulders, no piking at the hips.
- Resist the fall, don't just drop.
- Push through the floor to start the pull back up.
- Glutes squeezed at the top of every rep.
Breathing: Inhale as you lower under control, exhale as you drive back up to kneeling.
Common mistakes
Letting the hips pike backward during the lowering phase.
Fix: Keep a straight line from knees to head by actively squeezing the glutes as you lean forward.
Dropping fast instead of resisting the lean.
Fix: Slow the descent as much as your hamstrings allow before catching yourself with your hands.
Trying to pull back up from the floor with the arms doing most of the work.
Fix: Use your hands only to push off the floor, then let the hamstrings and glutes finish the pull.
Anchoring the feet under something that can slip or lift.
Fix: Have a partner hold your ankles firmly, or wedge them under a fixed, heavy object.
How to program it
- Start with 2 to 3 sets of 4 to 6 controlled reps; the eccentric demand is high even without added weight.
- Once a week is enough for most people early on, since the deep hamstring load can leave you sore for several days.
- Program it early in a lower body session, before your legs are fatigued from squats or deadlifts.
- Progress by increasing how far you lower before catching yourself, rather than adding reps too quickly.
Safety notes
- Stop the descent and catch yourself with your hands the moment your hamstrings can no longer control the lean.
- Use a well padded surface for your knees, and stop if you feel any hamstring strain rather than pushing through it.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many reps of floor glute-ham raise should a beginner do?
Start with 2 to 3 sets of 4 to 6 reps, catching yourself with your hands partway down. The eccentric control is demanding even at low reps, and quality matters more than quantity here.
Can I do a glute-ham raise without a partner or a machine?
Yes, you can anchor your ankles under a heavy piece of furniture, a loaded barbell resting on the floor, or a sturdy fixed bar instead of using a partner or a glute-ham developer machine.
Floor glute-ham raise vs Nordic curl, are they the same?
They're close cousins. A Nordic curl usually stays purely at the knee with the hips locked, while the glute-ham raise lets the hips extend too, adding the glutes into the pull back up.
Why can't I pull myself back up from the floor?
That's normal at first, the concentric pull is one of the hardest parts of the movement. Keep lowering under as much control as you can and use your hands to help on the way back until your hamstrings and glutes catch up in strength.