The point I was trying to make here was not that I buy from them because I like them. I do like them and do support them. I buy from them because they make the best equipment! You said u have not used the elitefts GH, I have and it is superior. I have used elites, PL and many other versions. The one I have now is an old piece of sh#t. All I am saying is that they make the best and have the best customer service. On top of that they give me and many others free help, advice, knowledge and I support them.
If somebody could please post a correct way in doing the GHR it may kill this debate to some degree! I don’t know what other athletes goals are in the wt. room but I do no that mines is to lift the most amount of wt possible! So that means within the next 4 years if do GHR as a regular exercise I plan to lift 300lbs on a barbell on my back and I guarantee you that the only GHR I would even consider using at that point would be the powerlift one!
If you don’t think you’ll be lifting over 135lbs then I suppose the other models might suffice your current training needs. As always buy what you can afford but I would rather wait and save money to have the best then to buy an inferior product!
So all I can say to elitefts GHR supporters is that lets agree to disagree bc I respect your opinions as I am sure you do respect mine!
This is directly from the elitefts site…
This is a special exercise that strengthens the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius all with the same movement. This exercise was developed in Russia and is one of the best exercises for increasing speed and power in the posterior chain. You begin the movement with the use of a special Glute Ham Raise bench by using your glutes to raise the body. At this point, the hamstrings take over, then the gastrocnemius finishes the movement. During the movement it is important to push your toes against the toe plate. It is also important to control the eccentric part of the movement.
Glute Ham Raises with a real GHR bench! The reason I say “real bench” is that I’m in the equipment business, so I see the junk that’s out there and it frustrates the hell out of me. First off, a so-called “natural” glute ham raise (where you kneel on the floor and someone holds your heals as you fall forward) is not a glute ham raise; it’s a manual hamstring curl.
Second, to the beginner, a GHR should be hard to do. If you get on a bench and can knock out 10 to 15 reps the first time you do it, then the machine isn’t built correctly. The toe plate should be long enough to push your toes into it. The pad should have an angle on it to keep your body in the correct position so you don’t fall off at the top. I can go on and on with this, but the fact is that too many companies build equipment designed by people who’ve never lifted a real weight in their lives!
To do a GHR, you’ll start with your body in a horizontal position on the bench with your toes pushed into the toe plate. Your knees will be set two inches behind the pad and your back will be rounded with your chin tucked. You then push your toes into the pad and curl your body up with your hamstrings while keeping your back rounded. As you approach the top position, squeeze your glutes to finish in a vertical position.
The sets and rep scheme for the GHR depends on the strength of the lifter. I find most athletes and lifters to be very bad at these as the hamstring strength of most people is downright terrible. For those who fall into this category, I’d have them do two to three sets of GHR as part of their warm-up for every workout of the week. I suggest they strive to get 3 sets of 10 reps. This will mean for most that they’ll be doing three sets to failure, failing around 3 to 5 reps each set. Over time this will improve.
Once they get better, I’d have them keep the GHR as a warm-up movement and drop the sets and reps to 3 sets of 8 reps. At this time in the program, they’d now add the GHR as a main movement as part of the main session at least one time per week. Yes, they’ll be doing GHR’s five times per week!
For the main session there are several suggestions to follow for the highest success. While doing the GHR as the main movement, it’s “bust ass” time. The reps and sets will fall into several categories and should be rotated every few weeks. Examples of these programs would include:
Three sets to failure
• One hundred total reps (using as many sets as needed)
• Three heavy sets of 5 to 6 reps while holding weight across chest
• Three heavy sets of 5 to 6 reps while holding weight behind head
• Three heavy sets of 5 to 6 reps with the back of machine inclined up 4 to 30 inches.
• Dynamic GHR sets — Here you get to the top position and drop fast and rebound out of the bottom with as much force as you can. You can use a heavy medicine ball or weight to lower faster and drop the weight at the bottom.
• Static-Dynamic GHR — Start at the horizontal position and have a training partner place his hands on your back for a three to five-second count. While doing this, drive into your partner’s hands as hard as you can. After the five seconds, your partner will pull away and you should fire up as fast as you can to finish the rep. This is best preformed with 5 to 6 sets of 3 reps.
• Yielding GHR — For this version you’ll break the movement into three holding positions, each for 5 to 10 seconds. Start at the horizontal position and hold for 10 seconds, raise halfway and hold for another 10 seconds, then rise to the top and hold for 10 more.
• Timed GHR — In this version you’ll give yourself a set time and do as many reps as you can. For example, you use five minutes and end up with 70 reps the first time you do it. The next time you’d use the same time and try to beat the 70 reps.
• GHR with bands — This is a movement for the more advanced lifter. Strap each of the bands around the bottom of the GHR and place the other end around your upper traps. The bands will add heavy resistance at the top.
• Forced GHR with heavy eccentric — This is a good version for those who aren’t strong enough to get one rep. With this version the training partner will help the lifter get to the top and then he’d lower the rep on his own. Only enough assistance should be applied to help the lifter get one rep. Sets of 3 to 5 reps are best with this style of the GHR.
GHR or GHG.
GHR = Glute Ham Raise.
GHG = Glute Ham Gastroc
Same exercise, but different names!
It is important to observe that the individual in this picture is performing a back-glute-ham raise
The GHR lift is performed with the erectors statically contracted
This is the way I do them!
Charlie any thoughts? Should this exercise be included for the elite sprinter?
Why not do it this way? First you work your back then your glutes then your hamstrings and finally your calves, THE EXACT CHAIN OF EVENTS IN MUSCLE RECRUITMENT DURING SPRINTING!
the elitefts ghr is the better of the two and is prob the best out there, i personally have one in my garage. althought the excercise can be done on both benches roughly the same way, the elitefts bench is built to properly train the posterior chain in the proper fashion. on the best stimulates hip extension and knee flexion. notice the slight angle of the elitefts bench pad. small differences like that place the body in a prime kinesiological position for strenghthing the intended muscle movement. it is more osulndly built than the powerlift and is made for serious gym use. supervenom… the elitefts bench is built stronger than most of the equipment i see in commercial gyms and if i were to try to do ghr with 300 pounds on my back then i would use the elitefts bench. even though as a sprinter i have no desire to be able to do ghr with 300 lbs on my back because time would be better spent doing altitude drops explosive isometrics and plyometric type drills on the bench to better facillitate RFD improving my performance on the track and not on a single apparatus.
From,
http://www.charlespoliquin.net/exercisemonth.cfm
Exercise Of The Month
December 2004 Exercise of the Month
How To Do Glute Hamstroc Raises Properly
Featuring Fletcher Brooks
When To Do Glute Hamstroc Raises
Soviet athletes, particularly their track and weightlifting stars such as David Rigert, have always been known in athletic circles to have erector spinae development parallel to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biceps development. One of their secrets to huge erector spinae development had to be the Glute Hamstroc Raise.
It was originally done in the Soviet Union with no more equipment than a set of of Swedish bars and pommel horse with a few mats thrown over it. In North America, we are fortunate to have more comfortable and easily adjustable Glute-Hamstroc raises benches. The best ones on the market are the ones made by Wynmor and Atlantis.
The design of the glute-ham bench allows an athlete to strengthen the erectors especially in the middle range of the movement which, in most sports, is where the body is exposed to high forces.Another plus for the glute-ham raise is that it is one of the most important exercises for preventing back and knee injuries, especially the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The spine is exposed to great compressive forces in many sports, I have found that athletes who are weak in thehamstrings, glutes and lower back not only are more likely to injure their lower back, but are especially prone to tearing the ACL. Because theglute-ham exercise increases muscle mass and strength in the back, glutes and hamstrings, those athletes who include this exercise in their program are better able to withstand the compressive loads on the spine and those that occur with sports such as football and Alpine skiing.
I would advise only after having a base of good morning work, at least six weeks of it. As in for example, 3 weeks of seated good mornings followed by 3 weeks of standing good mornings.
Glute-Ham Raise
The glute-ham raise is an excellent exercise for the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. Also, if the bench you perform it on has a footplate, the exercise will also work the calves (and thus be called a glute-ham-gastroc raise).
Starting/Finish Ready Position:
Lie facedown on a back extension bench and place your ankles under the ankle pads. Adjust your hips on the hip pad so that when you bend forward your back is perpendicular to the floor, but not rounded.
Start/Finish Ready Position
Action:
Keeping your head in alignment with your spine and retracting your chin, lift your torso until your back is parallel to the floor. Continue the movement at this point by bending the knees (and pushing the balls of your feet against the footplate, if available) until your torso is almost perpendicular to the floor. Reverse the technique to return to the start.
Action #1
Action #2
Breathing:
Hold your breath, raise your torso, then exhale halfway down or at the finish.
Tips:
When the exercise becomes easier, hold a weight plate across your chest to increase the resistance. When this becomes easy place a barbell across your upper back, holding the bar as you would when performing a squat. Do not, however, place weight plates on your head as this could result in injury.
i want to do these lifts so bad, but there is no glute ham raise machine. So i grab mats and go to a latt pulldown machine and use that to plant myself to do the lift, start at the top and go down and back up with erect back head alignment the whole works. Now everybody is telling me its just a poor man ghr or manual leg curl. Damn i hate it how this machine is so rare its no where in my city.
Is there not one at SFU?
i can’t go there i live in north vancouver, wasting to much time doing that
i live in scotland and have been tryin to get eh machine somewhere in the uk ut can find anywhere that sells it…
anyone know of anywhere…
At the beginning of this thread there are numerous suppliers some that may ship overseas?
yep but good luck paying for the shipping… would be astronomical… spenat hours looking today and all i can find is roman chairs but sure on the hamstring faze you would just fall off…
right now edging to do them like this…
http://www.bsu.edu/webapps/strengthlab/exdetails.asp?exid=177
If you have CFTS and you are a sprinter then you can do an exercise that is hip dominant and works the pushoff phase by doing a reverse leg press as shown in CFTS. Also the Russians initially did this exercise with a bunch of poles attached horizontally to the wall and this is where they would hook their legs into and then would use a pommel horse to rest their hips and knees on. I believe this is shown is the GPP DVD. So the user would use this pommel horses to do the GHR’s and they would also put a couple of mats underneith the pommel horse to save their knees!. You can try to make this at home. Alternatively you can use bands and swiss balls for BW exercises. This exercise is in one of GHR threads.
What would Glute Ham Raise Tosses work? This exercises are performed by Having one or two people toss you up as hard as they can from the bottom or flat position on a GHR machine,or you could hook a jumpstretch band up to something above you and do a Reverse band GHR…I was just curious if anyone has any experience with this or if they have any idea as to what aspect of sprinting/running/jumping it may have impotance upon!!! Thanks