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When progressive overload does not involve more weight, sets or reps alone.
The glute ham raise is a staple in our gym. The current program has clients perform the move (or a regression such as razor nordics or back extension isos) twice a week.
As part of making progress on the pattern, we nudge clients to increase range of motion on the pattern. Not with every repetition in a set. But for at least a rep or two in a set of 5.
This is harder than it looks. The feedback is constant and excruciating. You really feel that eccentric contraction in the hamstrings as you perform the glute ham.
And it’s not an easy move to quantify progress with.
There’s execution. You could make it more ‘back’ dominant by letting your pelvis tip forward (APT). We use the cue of trying to drive your groin or hip towards the floor while pushing your knees into the pad. This keeps the hamstrings involved rather actively in the pattern.
In the absence of being able to measure load or force, execution, ROM and feedback are crucial. And of course we can see how capacity in this pattern spills over into deadlifts, squats and other patterns.