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Strength Training · Bodybuilding · Functional Fitness

GHD Sit-Up

The GHD sit-up is a long-range sit-up performed with your feet secured on a glute-ham developer. It trains your abs and hip flexors while requiring control as your torso lowers behind the pad.

Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.

  • Advanced
  • Compound
  • Higher injury risk
  • Rest 1 min 30 sec
Video by Grant Lofthouse on YouTube

How to do it

  1. Adjust the footplate so your buttocks rest on the pad's edge away from the footplate, leaving your hips free to hinge.
  2. Secure your feet between the ankle rollers.
  3. Sit upright with your knees slightly bent and your arms crossed over your chest.
  4. Lower your torso backward to a depth you can control.
  5. Straighten your knees to initiate the return.
  6. Bring your torso back to an upright seated position.

Form cues

  • Brace before you lower.
  • Let your neck follow your torso.
  • Breathe out as you rise.

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing out of the bottomSlow the descent enough to reverse direction smoothly rather than relying on a rebound.
  • Snapping the knees straightUse a firm, coordinated leg drive without forcefully locking your knees.
  • Throwing the arms for momentumKeep your arms in the same position throughout each repetition.

Safety

Losing foot restraint can cause a fall from the elevated pad, while uncontrolled backward extension can strain your lower back or hip flexors. Large amounts of unfamiliar GHD sit-ups can also cause severe abdominal muscle damage.

  • Check that the adjustment pins are fully engaged and the ankle restraints fit securely before starting.
  • Begin with your torso stopping above horizontal; increase depth gradually across sessions.
  • Keep your first sessions low-volume rather than using this exercise in a high-repetition workout.
  • Use the machine's handles for support when dismounting.

Choose a floor sit-up or seek guidance from a physiotherapist first if backward bending causes back pain or you have a recent abdominal or hip injury.

Muscles worked

Front

Primary muscles

  • Abs
  • Hip Flexors

Secondary muscles

  • Quadriceps

Equipment

  • Glute-Ham Developer

Sets and reps

Sets
2
Target
5–8 reps
Rest
1 min 30 sec

Finish each set with several controlled repetitions still possible rather than working to failure.

Variations

Easier