Upper legs

Good Morning

A hip hinge with the bar on your back: it strengthens hamstrings and lower back and teaches you to bend from the hips.

Also known as: barbell good morning, good mornings

Level: Intermediate
Equipment: Barbell
Type: Compound

Movement

Muscles worked

Good Morning muscle map: lower back, glutes and hamstrings highlighted on the front and back of the body

How to do it

Set the bar across your upper back as for a squat.
With your feet hip-width apart, soften your knees.
Push your hips back and tip your torso forward with a flat back until it's nearly parallel or you feel the stretch.
Return by driving your hips forward.

Form cues

Knees nearly fixed; the movement is all hips.
Neutral spine at all times.
Start very light; the lever is long.

Common mistakes

Rounding your back on the way down: stop where you can still keep it flat.
Bending your knees too much: it turns into an awkward squat.
Going heavy: it's not a max-strength lift.

Sets and reps

3 sets of 8-12 reps with moderate weight and 90 seconds of rest.

Variations

Same movement, different equipment. Pick based on what you have and what you want from good mornings.

Bodyweight good morning
Hands behind your head to learn the hinge.
Bodyweight · Beginner
How to do it
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands behind your head.
2. Keep a slight bend in your knees and brace your core.
3. Hinge at the hips and lower your torso toward parallel.
4. Drive your hips forward to return to standing.
Primary
Lower Back, Hamstrings
Secondary
Glutes
Banded good morning
Band under your feet and over your neck: light, progressive loading.
Loop Band · Beginner
How to do it
1. Stand on a loop band with both feet and pass it over the back of your neck.
2. Set feet hip-width with a soft bend in the knees.
3. Hinge at the hips, pushing them back with a flat back.
4. Lower until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings.
5. Drive the hips forward to return to standing.
Primary
Glutes, Hamstrings
Secondary
Lower Back
Smith machine good morning
The guided bar adds stability while you learn.
Smith Machine · Beginner
How to do it
1. Set the bar at upper-back height, step under it and settle it across your traps, then unrack it with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Soften your knees slightly and keep them there -- this is a hinge, not a squat.
3. Push your hips straight back and let your torso tip forward, keeping your back flat and your head in line with your spine.
4. Stop when you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, with your torso somewhere near parallel to the floor.
5. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing the glutes at the top, and repeat for the desired reps.
Primary
Lower Back, Hamstrings
Secondary
Glutes
Jefferson curl
A slow, controlled spinal curl with light weight; mobility work, not strength work.
Dumbbell · Intermediate
How to do it
1. Stand tall holding a light dumbbell with straight arms, feet roughly hip-width.
2. Tuck your chin and begin rounding the spine from the top, one vertebra at a time.
3. Curl down slowly, letting the weight hang and keeping the legs mostly straight.
4. Reach the bottom with the back fully rounded and a stretch through the hamstrings.
5. Reverse it, restacking the spine from the bottom up back to standing.
Primary
Lower Back, Hamstrings
Secondary
Glutes