Legs · Bodyweight
Glute Ham Twist
How to do the glute ham twist, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set up on a glute-ham developer with your ankles secured and thighs on the pad. Lower your torso forward by extending your knees, then pull yourself back up with your hamstrings, adding a twist of your torso to one side at the top. Alternate the twist direction each rep.
- 1Feel your hamstrings and glutes pull your body back up to the top
- 2Brace your core and rotate from your obliques as you twist at the top
- 3Keep your body in a straight line from knees to shoulders through the raise
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 force the twist; rotate only as far as you control
Muscles worked
The glute ham twist mainly works the hamstrings and glutes, with the lower back, obliques, lower abs, and calves assisting.
- HamstringsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the glute ham twist for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hamstrings exercises
- How to do the deficit rdl
- How to do the leg curl
- How to do the dumbbell rdl
- How to do the glute ham raise
- How to do the jefferson curl
- How to do the leg swings
Last reviewed June 2026.