Glute-ham raise

The glute-ham raise takes the standard hip extension one step further, raising the torso up into a nearly vertical position until the knee is flexed to almost a full ninety degrees. This requires intense contraction of essentially everything on the posterior side of the body--spine, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. It also exercises the hamstrings in both their proximal function (hip extension) and distal function (knee flexion) at once.