Back Extensions / GHR

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

At every gym I’ve been to in the last 5 years, all I can find in terms of a back extension bench is the 45 degree variety. My instincts tell me this is a poor substitute for a regular back extension machine where you begin parallel to the floor.

Last week, I was showing another guy at my gym static back extensions. Doing these on the 45 degree bench are too easy, so we went over to the stretch table and tried to mimic the regular extension bench. He held my legs down, and I positioned myself so that my body above my hips was hanging off the front. What a different feeling! This lit my hamstrings up.

Then I showed him what a Natural Glute Ham Raise is supposed to look like. Neither of us could do one.

2 questions for the Nation:

-Has anybody been able to mimic a regular back extension without a partner?

-Has anybody been able to make any progress on GHRs?

Please discuss. Thanks.

2

I don’t know if this has been done before, but here’s something I came up with for the GHR.

My gym does not have a GHR. So, I do them on the lat pulldown station by kneeling on the seat backwards. This I know has been done already. Then, I hook up the belt that you would normally use to hang a weight off your hips(like for weighted dips, etc.) to the pulldown cable and put it around my chest. So, whatever weight you choose on the stack will assisting your GHR. This way, I don’t have to just do negatives until I can perform one full GHR.

I just started this recently, so I don’t have much progress to report, but they are getting better.

I hope Dave Tate doesn’t read this, I’m afraid he’ll come down my chimney dressed as Santa and kill me in my sleep for not doing GHR’s correctly. Sorry Mr. Tate.