Glute Ham Raise without equipment?

Is there a way to do a GHR without any equipment? Or an alternative exercise to it?

Floor Glute Ham or Natural Leg Curl.

Hook your ankles underneath something. Sometimes a couch can work, the lowest bars of a set of stall/swedish bars, etc.

It's pretty easy. You can also have someone hold your ankles or stand on the soles of your feet.

To make it more comfortable if your not on a padded/sprung floor, put a blanket or two under your knees.

it's actually much harder to do this way than on a machine.

Yeah, I forgot about padding for your knees. I had meant to write that in the above comment but apparently forgot.

This becomes critical as your body size is bigger, such as in adults. Especially if you are one of those 6' 225+ kind of guys.

If you have access to rings on certain days:

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These can also be done one legged and are a decent challenge.

Also try the slider method @1:40 but use a towel on a slidy floor like wood/laminate:

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Blairbob said:

Floor Glute Ham or Natural Leg Curl.

Hook your ankles underneath something. Sometimes a couch can work, the lowest bars of a set of stall/swedish bars, etc.

i think the glute ham raise machines are easier because of the curved padding and the gap between the padding and the foot hold changes the point of leverage(fulcrum) throughout the exercise. does that sound right? im unsure and looking for confirmation =D

GHR on a machine is much easier than Coach Sommer's NGHR or NLC.

Cole Dano said:

GHR on a machine is much easier than Coach Sommer's NGHR or NLC.

Do you know the reason why it's easier?

Having your thighs on the padded support of a GHR machine gives you much more leverage than with nothing supporting them as done in the 'naturals'.

I have used my couch in the past but I had to stack both parents on it to keep it from flipping over, when they werent home I use a bunch of weight plates The carpet on the floor was plenty of padding for me.

Cole Dano said:

Having your thighs on the padded support of a GHR machine gives you much more leverage than with nothing supporting them as done in the 'naturals'.

Oh I see now, thanks. So the machine GHR still has the same muscle stimulation and activation as the NGHR, but just more leverage right?

B1214N said:

Cole Dano said:

Having your thighs on the padded support of a GHR machine gives you much more leverage than with nothing supporting them as done in the 'naturals'.

Oh I see now, thanks. So the machine GHR still has the same muscle stimulation and activation as the NGHR, but just more leverage right?

I'm not sure they really are exactly the same. You can push against the thigh support with a machine which certainly means it's a somewhat different activation pattern.

Also depending on how you set it up there is much more calf and foot stimulation with the Naturals in fact calf cramping is very common doing them whereas I can't recall it happening on a machine.

Hi all:

Sorry, but I am not understanding the comparisons here. The natural GHR can certainly be done by hooking your legs under something, but the GHR itself cannot, since you must be elevated, and the GHR is waay harder. Has anyone found a way to do the GHR shown on the website without the apparatus shown and a partner?