The Glute Ham Developer…Glute Ham Development Machine…GHD Machine…or something…
Whatever you want to call it, I seriously doubt that this is one of the first pieces of equipment that comes to mind when you are kitting out your home or garage gym…
…but it should be.
Heck, consider that, like, ~30 minutes of the CrossFit Level 1 Seminar discusses the GHD and GHD workouts and movements, specifically.
Mr. Heppner also makes some pretty good arguments, discussing the sheer number of legit exercises you can execute with one.
I admit, I clicked because of the dog…sue me.
Regardless of how you really feel about it, you did put in the effort to click on an article discussing the top GHD workouts so you must have some interest in the subject matter. So without further ado, we present to you….
Table of Contents
The 9 Best GHD Workouts
Before we get started, I want to warn you that there is roughly a 1.2 percent chance that you’re ever gonna see a GHD movement in the CrossFit Open. If your goal with these workouts was to prep for the Open…well…I’m sorry to dissapoint.
Don’t shoot the messenger…
Mr. Joshua
To be honest, if you’re halfway adept at GHD sit-ups, this one could be a grindy, but overall accessible workout…
…those deadlifts, though…125 at 250 pounds…
Those are gonna be tough in any context, but bracing for those big sets after the 30th, 60th, 90th, 120th, and 150th GHD sit-up? Good luck!
Jorge
“Ladders” are pretty much never fun, but if you have to choose a variation, the descending ladder is undoubtedly the way to go (if you feel differently…well…you’re wrong). Thankfully, Jorge falls into the “better” ladder type.
Like Mr. Joshua above, if you have some GHD sit-up experience, you could conceivably go unbroken on these and rep out (relatively) fast singles on your squat cleans.
The best part? After the 15th sit-up in the round of 24 and the 8th clean in the round of 12, you’re already halfway through!
Hansen
There seems to be a running theme with GHD sit-up reps in these workouts; what’s the deal with sets of 30? Is this the magic number that is “achievable” to hit for experienced athletes, but not so ridiculous that it scares the rest of us off?
Regardless, depending on how you feel about 30 burpees (not so bad, right?) and 30 heavy kettlebell swings (…help) each round, you may get really excited about getting back to the GHD when the time comes…
2021 CrossFit Games Quarterfinals WOD 2
One of the few entries on this list where we have “times to beat” (albeit by CrossFit Games athletes…you’re welcome!) also ramps up the intensity a bit (well, at least for those capable of really getting after that much work) and the overall difficulty (for everyone).
Man…these dorks got A LOT more views when they were affiliated with CrossFit…interesting…
Between 140 total GHD sit-ups and a high number of higher-skilled movements (14 rope climbs and 140 pistols), core endurance alone won’t be enough to make it through this one.
Michael
.Michael is a class Hero WOD and is the first time that using the GHD for back extensions make the list.
(Quick note, I was too lazy/stupid to write “GHD back extensions” “GHD sit-ups” on the workout above…sorry for the tease!)
It’s an interesting workout because 1.5 miles of running, and 150 of the GHD movements seems like a little too much, but three quarters of a mile and 75 of each of the GHD movements (if you only went 400 meters and 25 of each movement each round…which seems more appropriate) is probably too easy…so…you get the “too much” version.
Enjoy!
World Fitness Project Tour Stop 2 – Pro 3
This is arguably (actually, not arguably) the second hardest of the best GHD workouts on this list. Now, whether it is because the deadlifts are really heavy or because you have weighted GHD sit-ups (which are a lot harder than you might imagine…no matter how hard you’re imagining they would be).
You know you’re in for it when 40 Ski Erg cals, 40 Echo bike cals, and 30 T2B are the easy parts.
Of course, if you watched this event live, you know what the real hardest part was…just ask Austin Hatfield!
Sentinel Training – September 23, 2025
Another one of those running, GHD sit-ups and GHD back extensions workouts, but with this one, you get to play with a little sand.
I did this one a few weeks before posting this and…it was pretty awful. Something about how the sandbag hits after the GHD (and messes with you for the next one) makes everything that much harder.
Some would call if a “simple” chipper…but “simple” and “easy” ain’t the same thing…
Awful Annie
I think these were actually supposed to be heavy double-under reps so, once again, the 150 GHD reps are the easy parts.
I mean, 150 heavy double-under reps and 15 heavy cleans…yeah, I’m definitely crazy about getting back to that GHD every round!
Mat Fraser’s Hardest WOD
If Mat Fraser says something is the hardest workout ever, that might be all that it takes to officially label it as the hardest workout ever.
Luckily for all of us today, it happens to be one of the best GHD workouts, too!
Have you used your GHD today…?
Again, not the sexiest movement, but there are a lot of benefits to knocking out a GHD workout (or 9).
You don’t gotta knock out Mat Fraser’s Hardest WOD above, but you should be doing GHD workouts.
…because GHD sit-up aren’t in the Open…but toes-to-bars are…think about it…
As we finish up, we invite you to check out my review of Sentinel Training’s 200+ Machine Conditioning Workouts. If you need a few more workouts that are intentionally designed to maximize aerobic capacity for CrossFit, check ’em out.
