Good Morning
The hinge with the bar on your back — humbling weights, enormous posterior payoff.
Setup
- Bar on upper traps like a squat, feet hip-width.
- Soft knees, big brace — this lift punishes casual setups.
How To Do It
- Push hips straight back, torso tipping toward parallel.
- Stop when hamstrings say stop — no spine rounding, ever.
- Drive hips forward to stand tall.
Breathing
Brace at the top, exhale coming up.
Common Mistakes
- Going heavy early — start embarrassingly light; this isn't a squat.
- Bending the knees more as you tip — that's a squat morning; keep the hinge.
Programming It
Three sets of 8-12. Light. The lever does the work.
Why This Exercise Works
A good morning loads the hamstrings and spinal erectors with the bar on your back, so the lever arm is long and the weight needed is small. That ratio is the value and the warning: it builds hinge strength efficiently and punishes a loose position immediately.
Where You Should Feel It
Hamstrings stretching hard, with the lower back holding position throughout. It feels heavy at very light weights because the bar is far from the hips. Any rounding and the back takes it.
Where It Fits in a Program
The hinge with the bar on your back — humbling weights, enormous posterior payoff. This is main-lift work. Put it first, when your technique is still honest.
Progressing and Regressing It
To progress the good morning: add small increments only while the back stays flat. To regress it: reduce the range, or move to a cable pull-through.
Who It's For
Anyone with a solid hinge who wants to strengthen it. It is not a beginner exercise and it does not need much weight — the lever does the work.
Equipment and Substitutions
As written here it uses a barbell. If there is no bar free, the dumbbell and machine versions below are honest substitutes — the bar mainly buys you load, not a different stimulus.
Related Exercises
- Deficit Deadlift — Hamstrings, Glutes, Back
- Band Good Morning — Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back
- Romanian Deadlift (RDL) — Hamstrings, Glutes, Back
- Glute Ham Raise — Hamstrings, Glutes
- Jefferson Curl — Hamstrings, Spine
- Band Deadlift — Hamstrings, Glutes, Back
- Single-Leg RDL — Hamstrings, Glutes, Balance
- Nordic Curl (Assisted) — Hamstrings
Common Questions
What muscles does the good morning work?
The good morning primarily trains the hamstrings, glutes, lower back.
How many sets and reps should I do?
Three sets of 8-12. Light. The lever does the work.
What are the most common good morning mistakes?
Most often: going heavy early; bending the knees more as you tip.
Do I need a barbell to do this?
This version uses a barbell, and it trains the hamstrings, glutes, lower back. If there is no bar free, the dumbbell and machine versions below are honest substitutes — the bar mainly buys you load, not a different stimulus.
Is this safe if I have an existing injury?
Hips and lower back carry the good morning, so an existing back issue is the one to respect. Reproducing your familiar pain is the signal to stop; normal training fatigue is not. Not medical advice.