What's after GHR?

Hey guys,

First off if I'm posting this in the wrong section or if this has already been asked I do apologize - this is my first post (and first time visiting the forum), so bare with me

My question is this: what other challenging hamstring bodyweight exercises (if any) are there to do after you get used to the GHR? I'm capable of doing around 8 reps with a single leg GHR with each leg, and after consistently following the progressions from Coach Somner's DVD program for over a year, I'm worried about getting too used to the motion. I should also note that I've played around with using a weighted vest as well.

What do advanced gymnasts use after they master the GHR? Is there another hamstring variation I can do? I'd like to find something to alternate with my current leg workouts, the SLS and the Shrimp.

And I'm sure this question has been asked a hundred times, but aside from SLS jumps, how do advanced/professional gymnasts work out their legs? Do they use weights? If you don't want to go into detail and a specific thread comes to mind, I'd be happy enough with a link referral. It seems like the keywords "leg workout" are way too general for the search tool, and I haven't gotten used to it yet.

I'm looking forward to hearing your insights!

I'm capable of doing around 8 reps with a single leg GHR with each leg

:shock: That is pretty impressive!!!! Maybe you have arrived to the top of strength hamstring!!!

Well the easy answer is just add some weight, a plate at the chest or behind neck. At this level of strength i don't think gymnast do anything more than just jump and tumbling.

I don't mean to call bullshit on you, but would we be able to see a video? I wonder if there's form changes you could make to make it harder.

But yeah, weighting the exercise works. You could also move on to weighted work like Good Mornings or RDLs

Well I'll call bullshit for now, but I would love to be proved wrong.

8 single leg GHR is damn impressive but requires a video before any congrats or harder exercises are due.

Single Leg GHRs aren't that hard. It looks crazy but they're really easy after a while. Sendo you can weight them (boring) or you can find an anchor point that is tilted diagonally. Kind of like doing decline situps. It will make the motion harder. Another one I tried is anchoring them by the toes instead of the bottom of the calve.

Thanks for all the replies guys. Interesting feedback so far.

I'm sure a single leg GHR sounds crazy, but if you're training religiously over a long period of time I don't see why that's so hard to believe. I wouldn't ask for an advanced hamstring exercise if I didn't have a need for it. I work out by myself so it's more trouble than it's worth to ask a stranger to record me while I work out, but you're free to believe whatever you want.

PHILIP said:

Single Leg GHRs aren't that hard. It looks crazy but they're really easy after a while. Sendo you can weight them (boring) or you can find an anchor point that is tilted diagonally. Kind of like doing decline situps. It will make the motion harder. Another one I tried is anchoring them by the toes instead of the bottom of the calve.

Hey Philip, great advice - it's exactly what I was looking for. I'm personally not very fond of adding weights as well so I'll play around with a diagonal anchor surface. Do you have any suggestions for a strong anchor point at home? I have a setup in one of our additional rooms and I've been using an old table that doesn't support my body weight very well. If you have any ideas I'd love to hear about it. Thanks man.

Wow, single leg GHR. I didn't even know it's possible. *Bows down*

By GHR do you mean this

or this

Well if you have a GHD machine then just elevate the back of it to get the diagonal angle. I'm not sure what you can do to elevate it for home. Might need someone to help you. In the meantime, you can try keeping your arms overhead near your ears. Your hands will decrease the leverage a bit and make it slightly harder. Otherthan that, it is way easier with an actual glute ham machine.

What is everyone really referring to when they say GHR? Do they mean the natural leg curl (as in BtGB), the glute ham raise with knee flexion, or the glute ham raise with only spinal extension (hope I use the right terms here)? I'm really confused...

GHR, but really NCL:

GHR with knee flexion:

GHR with no knee flexion:

^^^^ But with no knee flexion

I can do about 10 reps of a single leg spinal extension, but I do my GHR on a table and only use back extension in the movement. I guess I've been doing them wrong :|

I love how every time somebody claims to be able to perform extraordinary feats of strength, the person finds an excuse so he does not have to take a video.

You don't need to ask a stranger, you can simply place a camera in the right position and press record.

If you can do 8 single leg natural leg curls with no assistance, perfect form and full range of motion, take a video, upload the video to youtube, post a link to the video here, and leave the video on youtube until I've seen it, I'll transfer 50$ to your bank account.

No joke.

Now you cannot possibly excuse yourself by saying it's not worth it :wink:

Donar said:

Now you cannot possibly excuse yourself by saying it's not worth it :wink:

I think usually it isn't worth it. If people only care because they don't believe you then what is the point. You still have the move at the end of the day. However with 50 dollars at stake, I think someone needs to find a camera with a friend...lol

millhill said:

Wow, single leg GHR. I didn't even know it's possible. *Bows down*

By GHR do you mean this

(GHR at 0:45)

or this

Patrick Smith said:

What is everyone really referring to when they say GHR? Do they mean the natural leg curl (as in BtGB), the glute ham raise with knee flexion, or the glute ham raise with only spinal extension (hope I use the right terms here)? I'm really confused...

GHR, but really NCL:

I can do about 10 reps of a single leg spinal extension, but I do my GHR on a table and only use back extension in the movement. I guess I've been doing them wrong :|

Hey guys, I watched all of your videos and to clarify this is what I'm referring to:

And don't worry Patrick, using just your back is a progression; I did variations of that for at least a year. It takes time, but eventually you'll go all the way down with your legs straight. Thanks for the positive feedback you two - I'm sure if you both keep it at you'll be doing the single leg in no time.

PHILIP said:

Well if you have a GHD machine then just elevate the back of it to get the diagonal angle. I'm not sure what you can do to elevate it for home. Might need someone to help you. In the meantime, you can try keeping your arms overhead near your ears. Your hands will decrease the leverage a bit and make it slightly harder. Otherthan that, it is way easier with an actual glute ham machine.

Thanks again for the help Philip. I can tell by your suggestions you're very knowledgable and strong. And you're right, I'll probably have to use some sort of equipment to get the most out of it. I appreciate the suggestions nonetheless.

PHILIP said:

I think usually it isn't worth it. If people only care because they don't believe you then what is the point. You still have the move at the end of the day.

It could not have been worded any better my friend.

Sled pushing would be a good exercise to add to the mix.

The reason people are calling BS is because of how hard they are. I don't mean to be insulting, I really don't but it is a bit of a case of if you wanna talk the talk you gotta walk the walk.

Coach Sommer noted the best performance he had heard of with NLC (Natural Leg Curls, Harop Curls) was 25 (by an Elite level gymnast). See a video of Ido performing them here

I am almost wondering if certain people find this harder than others since everyone has different attatchment points. I also did my own programming before which included a lot more leg days than the WOD so I did a lot of GHRs. They are my favorite leg exercise so it is easy to understand doing one leg. Maybe Sendo is the same. But at the end of the day, does it really matter if it is BS or not?

Old post I guess but I do have a response.

An easy way to increase the difficulty of the exercise is to simply extend the arms from the sides, assuming you're performing them like the kid in the video. If you fully extend them above your head, you're putting more mass away from the axis of rotation, hence it should be physically harder (just like with the back and front lever progressions). The becomes especially true if you hold dumbbells in those outstretched hands. That would be quite a sight with one leg, and your upper body will get it's share of work as well. :shock:

If you haven't been already then you can always strive to do the movements slow and controlled, as opposed to kind of jerky like in the GB video. If you can already do that, then perhaps work at a lower intensity but go for power - specifically doing the motion as fast as you can, a sort of plyo GHR routine if you will.

A lot of this is just brainstorming on my part. Remember too that at some point the focus comes to dynamic and explosive strength with a surplus of maximal strength. I could be wrong but, based on the progressions in BtGB, I think for legs that point is reached much sooner than with the upper body.

Hope this helps!