Tired of doing sit-ups? Why not combine it with GHD sit-ups, a more intense variation on the well-known sit-ups? GHD Sit-Ups stands for Glute Ham Developer, and as the name suggests, GHD focuses on the muscles of the lower body. Nonetheless, it’s actually gym equipment that allows you to do sit-ups. To find out more, I challenged him to do 15 GHD sit-ups every day for a week. There are other exercises you can do with GHD, but for the purposes of this experiment I focused on just the abs.
Yes, it may seem a little strange, but GHD sit-ups are great for core stability and hip mobility as well as core strength. Essentially, the GHD sit-up requires a full range of motion as you lean fully on the machine before actually engaging your core muscles and pulling your body back up. Plus, it activates your hip flexors (which are incredibly tight in my case) to help bring your torso back into a sitting motion without moving your lower body. From my PT perspective, hip mobility is essential for avoiding back pain, and also helps with general movements, from walking and running to strong exercises at the gym.
And if you’re looking for a stronger core, when done right, GHD sit-ups are a great addition to your core training. Almost every muscle in the trunk is activated. From avoiding back and lower body injuries to supporting daily movements and postures, core strength is essential.
How to do GHD sit-ups
The GHD sit-up position may feel a little strange. So here’s how to do it right:
- Sit on the pad, place your feet between the rollers, and point your toes upwards to get the correct posture.
- With your buttocks just outside the side of the pad furthest from your feet, bend your knees slightly and look toward your feet.
- Slide the pad back to lower your body back and place your arms overhead. Breasts should hang from her GHD.
- Next, work your core and straighten your legs to bring your body into an upright position on the GHD. That’s one rep.
It is very important to keep your legs straight during the exercise. This keeps your legs from being overworked and instead lets your core muscles and hip flexors do most of the work. If you feel pain in your back, stop exercising as it may make the pain worse. The same is true if you are dealing with or recovering from a back injury.
I did 15 GHD sit-ups every day for a week – here’s what happened
GHD sit-ups are not easy
I thought 15 GHD sit-ups would be the end of it. Think again. I train my core a lot and this sit-up was definitely challenging for me. There is very little input from the lower body (basically your feet are sandwiched between the rollers) and a lot of force is required to return the body to the sitting position.my core really had to work Really This exercise was very hard and it didn’t take long for me to feel a deep pain in my midsection.
I really felt my back
After a few repetitions, my back started to burn as I pushed my body upwards. I found that it was my hips that were active, and I had to be conscious of what my core and hip flexors were doing to prevent back strain.
GHD sit-ups worked on the buttocks
Interestingly, I noticed that when I started doing sit-ups, my glutes were also activating. Your glutes (the largest muscles in your body) work in conjunction with your lower back muscles, so it’s no surprise that your glutes work during GHD sit-ups. Anything that strengthens the buttocks is a winner in my opinion. Every movement requires strong glutes.
the fear is real
You put a lot of trust in your GHD when you do these sit-ups. The entire body is held by two rollers that tighten the legs. So when I leaned back, I was afraid that the rollers would break or my feet would slip off and I would fall backwards out of the machine. Overcoming this simply required changing my mindset and realizing that GHD was made to keep me safe. Yet I still felt my heart pounding!
stretching is amazing
You don’t actually lean back and stretch your back often, but the GHD sit-ups let you do it. In fact, leaning back on the padded seat and stretching my arms overhead on the floor was very relaxing and really helped open my chest and back. If you spend a lot of time sitting behind a desk, this is a good stretch to try.
I did 15 GHD sit-ups every day for a week – here’s my verdict
Do you keep GHD sit-ups in your sit-ups? Probably not. Purely back didn’t seem to enjoy working out and there is another way to work your abs. I am wary of back pain and will do anything that might cause damage. I could only keep a few repetitions of these going before my back started doing most of the work, so I don’t think these are for me.
Conversely, the GHD sit-ups are excellent for testing and improving mobility, plus the back stretch is second to none. Try it next time you go to the gym.
