Legs · Glute Ham Raise Bench
Glute Ham Raise
How to do the glute ham raise, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Glute Ham Raise Bench
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
See it in motion
How to do it
Kneel on a glute-ham developer with your ankles secured under the foot pads and your thighs resting on the pad. Cross your arms over your chest or hold them at your sides. Keeping your torso straight, hinge at the knees and lower your body forward until your torso is roughly horizontal. Engage your hamstrings and glutes to pull your body back up until your torso is upright. You can also perform by curling up from full extension.
- 1Secure your feet and lower your torso forward by extending your knees, feeling your hamstrings lengthen under tension
- 2Pull yourself back up by contracting your hamstrings and glutes without hinging at the hips
- 3Keep your body in a straight line from knees to shoulders throughout the movement
Common mistakes
- Don't bend at the waist or let your hips break the straight line
- Avoid dropping too quickly or losing tension at the bottom
- Don't hyperextend your back when returning to the top; stop when your body is straight
Muscles worked
The glute ham raise mainly works the hamstrings and glutes, with the lower back and calves assisting.
- HamstringsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the glute ham raise for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hamstrings exercises
- How to do the leg curl
- How to do the dumbbell romanian deadlift
- How to do the lying leg curl
- How to do the nordic curl
- How to do the romanian deadlift
- How to do the seated leg curl
Last reviewed April 2026.