7 of the Best Non-Conventional Posterior Chain Exercises That Will Grow Your Glutes & Hamstrings
Strengthening the posterior chain is key to maintaining both balanced functionality and a symmetrical look for the lower body. Many people are asymmetrically front side dominate, resulting in their quads taking over during lower body exercises such as the squat. Performing posterior chain exercises is the best way to counteract this unequal distribution of strength and size in the lower body.
However, recycling the same old posterior chain exercises over and over again can get old pretty quickly. So that’s why we’ve compiled a list of the 7 best non- conventional posterior chain exercises that will kickstart the growth of those glutes and hamstrings! So, without wasting any time, let’s get right into it.
Banded Glute-Ham Raise
We all know just how brutal the glute-ham raise (GHR) can be for the glutes and hamstrings. However, if you’ve progressed to a point where you’ve simply gotten bored with holding a plate to your chest, it’s understandable why you may try to avoid this exercise next time a lower body day comes around.
Accommodating Resistance
That’s why you should try the banded variation of the GHR. Utilizing a resistance band during this exercise is able to add what’s called accommodating resistance, which is simply changing when during the exercise the movement becomes either easier or more difficult to perform.
An example of this is illustrated with a typical barbell squat. The closer you get towards the bottom of the movement and into “the hole” (or as some may refer to it as “ass to grass”), the more difficult the movement becomes. On the other hand, the closer one gets towards the top of the movement at the lockout position, the easier the movement becomes.
The most difficult portion of the squat, known as “the hole”
Now, in order to make an exercise increasingly easier or more difficult, an accommodating resistance must be placed within a key location of the exercise. During the barbell squat, it would be placed on both ends of the barbell. You’ll see
accommodating resistance most commonly in the form of bands but sometimes chains will be used in place of bands.
Going back to the GHR, only one band or chain would be needed in order to perform the movement. It’s highly recommended that you use a band rather than a chain while performing this variation of the GHR, as the accommodating resistance must be placed onto the back of the neck. Alternatively, the band can simply be held at the base of the back of the neck in order to avoid any potential discomfort that may occur from placing the band directly onto the neck.
The easiest portion of the squat, known as the “lockout” portion
Here’s how to perform the banded GHR:
Loop the end of the band to a stationary post. o You have 2 options for this:
If you’ll be performing this exercise holding the band at the back of your neck, hook the other end of the band at the base of the post where your feet are.
If you’ll be performing this exercise with the band wrapped around the back of your neck, then hook the other end of the band towards the base of the GHR contraption (often referred to as the GHD, which stands for the “glute-ham developer”).
Set yourself up in the GHD by bending at the knees, keeping your hips extended, and your torso upright.
Next, begin to straighten your legs while still keeping your hips extended.
Continue to straighten your legs until your body is parallel to the floor.
Next, pull your body back up into the starting position, focusing on using your
hamstrings to accomplish this task.
Prone Hamstring Curl w/ Dumbbell
Most people choose to perform this movement while lying down on their stomach (prone) on a machine.
A hamstring curl performed on a standard prone hamstring curl machine.
However, performing this exercise using a dumbbell to act as the load really adds a significant amount of challenge to this typical hamstring isolation exercise.
It’s best to perform this exercise on a decline bench. It’s difficult to know exactly what weight you should start with if you’ve never performed this exercise before. I’d recommend starting with a weight you think would be “too light”. Many people overestimate how much weight they’ll actually be able to handle with this exercise.
This is because performing this exercise on a machine doesn’t require you to use your stabilizer muscles. The machine only has you worry about performing the exercise in one plane of motion, that being the sagittal plane. This plane of motion primarily deals with movements involving flexion and extension. During this exercise, the hamstrings are fully extended at the bottom of the movement and flexed at the top of the movement.
The challenge that performing this exercise with a dumbbell presents is that it forces you to not only control the weight in the sagittal plane, but also the frontal and transverse planes.
The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right halves.
The frontal plane (sometimes
referred to as the “coronal” plane) divides the body into front and back halves.
The transverse plane divides the body into top and bottom halves.
These 3 planes of motion constitute the 3-dimensional (3-D) nature of free weight movements. While it’s important to note that performing machine-based exercises isn’t “bad”, performing more free-weight exercises such as these will help to strengthen and further develop any imbalances that may occur as a result of weak stabilizer muscles.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is a great exercise for developing the glutes and hamstrings. While it’s common practice to do this exercise bilaterally (working both legs simultaneously), performing this exercise unilaterally (working one leg at a time) is a great way to work on any imbalances. Just as everyone is either left or right- handed, this also applies to the lower body, with one leg being more dominant (and bigger/stronger as a result) than the other.
This exercise can be performed holding either a dumbbell or a kettlebell. Furthermore, you can either decide to hold one or two weights. Using two weights (e.g., two dumbbells) will make the exercise easier, while using only one will make it more difficult. You can switch it up even further by changing between holding the single weight on the same side where your foot is planted or on the opposite side. Each one brings about its own unique challenges.
Start off the exercise by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart with a slight bend at the knees.
Begin the movement by bending at the hips and lowering your body until it is almost parallel to the floor.
Remember to consciously squeeze your glutes throughout the entire movement, especially once you reach the bottom-most portion of the exercise.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
TRX Running Man
I’m sure many of you have seen somebody perform this exercise at some point:
While there’s no denying that this is a good exercise for the posterior chain, the supine variation of the TRX running man (meaning that this exercise is performed facing the ceiling rather than the ground) provides an entirely new and refreshing stimulus that your glutes and hamstrings have been waiting for.
Loop both of your feet through the TRX straps
Get into position by holding your body up with your arms, maintaining a flat torso throughout the entirety of the movement.
Begin the movement by bringing the right knee as close to your chest as possible, remembering to consciously contract the glutes and hamstrings once you reach the end of the movement.
Return the right leg to the starting position and repeat the same thing with the left leg.
Repeat simultaneously for each leg for the desired number of repetitions.
Razor Curls (Modified Nordic Curls)
Another variation of the GHR, this exercise is for those who aren’t fully ready for something as intense as the GHR, particularly the banded variation of the GHR.
The difference between this exercise and the GHR is that the knees remain bent, and the hips remain flexed. Researchers have examined electromyography (EMG) data indicating that razor curls were able to significantly activate the muscles of the hamstrings while reducing the risk of ACL injuries in athletes[ CITATION Oli09 \l 1033 ]. This is due to the flexed position of the hips during the movement, which is perceived to be more “functional” than performing other types of isolated hamstring exercises.
This exercise resembles more of a “pushing outward” type of movement, as opposed to the “up-and-down” type of motion that’s associated with the GHR. Other than these differences, key elements such as the set-up and the squeezing of the hamstrings and glutes remain the same between these two movements.
Low-Bar Back Squat
While it may not seem like much of a difference to some people, switching from a standard high-bar squat to a low-bar squat can make a significant difference in your posterior chain development. In fact, EMG analysis has shown that there is significantly more muscle activation of the posterior chain during the low-bar squat compared to the high-bar squat during the eccentric (lowering) portion of the movement [ CITATION Mur20 \l 1033 ].
The difference in positioning here is that the bar should be placed on the rear delts as opposed to the top of the shoulders. Because of this difference in positioning, immediately starting with a slight bend at the hips will help you to remain balanced and maintain a relatively straight bar path. This will most likely cause you to have a noticeable forward lean. Don’t worry, as this is completely normal and is to be expected in order to execute the movement properly.
Unilateral Glute Bridge
Most people don’t perform this variation of the glute bridge. This is a shame, as performing the glute bridge in this manner really helps to strengthen not only the primary glute muscle (gluteus maximus) and hamstrings, but also helps to strengthen and develop the stabilizer muscles associated with the glutes and hamstrings. These include the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and the piriformis.
repetitions, repeat on the other side.
References
CITATION Oli09 \l 1033 : , (Oliver & Dougherty, 2009),
CITATION Mur20 \l 1033 : , (Murawa, et al., 2020),
Perform this exercise by lying down on your back in the supine position, with your arms by your side and palms facing down. Extend the right leg until your extended leg represents a straight line relative to your back. Remember to consciously squeeze the glute at the top of the movement. After performing for the prescribed number of
