New Exercises for Strong Glutes & Hamstrings

How to make your backside stronger

These challenging, but not necessarily strange-looking exercises will help you build a strong athletic body and strong hamstrings.

The Glute and Hamstring Exercises You’re Missing

Here’s a new way to perform back extensions for meatier hamstrings and stronger glutes. Train at home or in a gym that doesn’t have a back extension or GHR bench? These exercises are great for working around.

1. Bent Knee Glute Extension

It’s worth taking a few minutes to get this set up. In a commercial setting, a Smith machine might be better.

These are like 45-degree back extensions. You can set a bench at an incline (30-45 degrees is the best), and then place a pad on one end to support your hips. With this version, you’ll lock yourself in position with your feet against an immovable bar.

Everything about this position shouts glutes. Your hips should be externally rotated and your toes should be turned inwards. This frog-like position puts more emphasis on your glutes as external rotators. (And it’s not as ball-crushing as you might think.)

Your knees will remain bent at a 90 degree angle, unlike a traditional back extension that has straighter knees. This will reduce the effectiveness of your hip extensors and hamstrings. It’s one of the reasons why Glute bridges Hip thrusts They are also very effective.

Place your hips on the bench edge, and then lock yourself in. Drive your hips into a pad. You should keep your chin down and a slight curve in your thoracic spine. To add weight, your arms can be crossed or you can keep a dumbbell or plate on your chest. A few sets of 15-25 reps should suffice.

2. Hamstring Destroyer for Rack

Eugene Teo popularized this exercise. Personally, I have no issues doing more than just squats in a power rack, but doing all your assistance work in there might grind some gears, so I’d suggest using a Smith machine.

You can think of it as a horizontal back extension, with slightly bent knees. Unlike the previous setup, though, you’ll need to be further from the bar so there’s a greater angle at your knees. This will reduce slack in your hips and create more tension in your hamstrings.

With these, you’re looking to maximally load your hamstrings in their mid to shortened position, which is made possible by the combined bent knee and extended hip (your hamstrings do both). Your body alignment and foot position can also make these more efficient. This one is all about the details.

The bar should be parallel to your feet and closer to your toes than the previous version. While you want to feel secure, placing the bar closer towards your forefoot will increase your gastrocnemius’ recruitment. The co-activation will cause your calf muscles to be activated, which will also make your hamstrings work harder.

You will need to lock yourself in by placing your forefoot on the bar, and your hips on the edge. You can pull by using your hamstrings. Keep your back straight. Press your toes down throughout like you’re trying to calf-raise the bar up (you won’t). Try not to squirm, as your hamstrings or calves will want to cramp.

They are not easy, but they can be deceivingly difficult. They are very easy to perform if you do it correctly. You can intensify the effects by performing isometric holds in the top spot before you add weight.

3. Glute Destroyer

Take the hamstring destroyer, change a few body angles and the way you initiate the exercise, and now you’ve got an effective way to pump some blood into your glutes.

Toes should be turned outward. Set your knee angle at 90 degrees (remember this will slacken your hamstrings), and then round your thoracic spine a bit. Finally, tuck your chin.

Start by clenching the corners of your mouth and pushing your hips towards the bench. Imagine someone trying your last dollar between your butt cheeks at the top.

Your glutes are going to be working hard in the shortened position, as they will act as both hip extensors AND external rotators. Do 2-3 sets of 15-25 reps and add weight if necessary.

Looks brutal, love it. This could be achieved with different settings on the GHD.

haha nevermind you qualified this for gyms that don’t have GHD… gotcha