Good Mornings: Form, Benefits, Muscles Worked, and Variations

How to do good mornings?

The good morning is a foundational strength exercise that effectively targets the posterior chain, primarily the hamstrings, glutes, and erector spinae, by emphasizing hip hinge mechanics and spinal stability under load.

What Are Good Mornings?

The good morning is a resistance exercise performed by hinging at the hips, allowing the torso to lean forward while maintaining a neutral spine, and then returning to an upright position. Typically performed with a barbell across the upper back, similar to a back squat, it derives its name from the motion resembling a bowing or "good morning" gesture. This movement is critical for developing strength, flexibility, and motor control in the muscles responsible for hip extension and spinal stability, making it a valuable accessory lift for squats, deadlifts, and overall athletic performance.

Muscles Worked

The good morning is a highly effective compound exercise that primarily targets the muscles of the posterior chain:

• Hamstrings: (Biceps femoris, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus) These muscles are heavily engaged as hip extensors and play a crucial role in controlling the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement.
• Glutes: (Gluteus maximus, medius, minimus) The glutes are powerful hip extensors, working synergistically with the hamstrings to drive the body back to the upright position.
• Erector Spinae: (Iliocostalis, Longissimus, Spinalis) These muscles run along the spine and are intensely activated isometrically to maintain a neutral, stable spinal position throughout the exercise, resisting spinal flexion.
• Adductor Magnus: This inner thigh muscle assists in hip extension.
• Core Stabilizers: (Transverse abdominis, Obliques, Rectus abdominis) These muscles work to brace the trunk and prevent unwanted movement, supporting spinal integrity.

Benefits of Good Mornings

Incorporating good mornings into your training regimen offers several significant benefits:

• Posterior Chain Strength: Excellent for building strength and endurance in the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, which are vital for power and stability.
• Improved Hip Hinge Mechanics: Reinforces the fundamental hip hinge pattern, crucial for exercises like deadlifts, squats, and Olympic lifts, as well as everyday movements.
• Enhanced Spinal Stability: Develops isometric strength in the erector spinae, contributing to a more resilient and injury-resistant lower back.
• Increased Athletic Performance: A strong posterior chain translates to better jumping, sprinting, and overall athletic power.
• Injury Prevention: By strengthening the muscles that support the spine and hips, good mornings can help prevent lower back and hamstring injuries.
• Accessory for Compound Lifts: Serves as an effective accessory exercise to improve strength and technique in main lifts like deadlifts and squats.

How to Perform the Good Morning

Proper form is paramount to maximize the benefits and minimize the risk of injury when performing good mornings.

Setup:

1. Barbell Placement: Set a barbell in a squat rack at a height just below your shoulders. Step under the bar and place it across your upper back, resting on your traps, similar to a high-bar squat. Your hands should grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Foot Stance: Unrack the bar and take one or two steps back. Stand with your feet hip-to-shoulder width apart, toes pointing slightly outward (or straight forward, depending on comfort). Your knees should be softly bent, not locked out.
3. Brace: Take a deep breath into your diaphragm, brace your core tightly as if preparing for a punch, and ensure your spine is neutral (no excessive arching or rounding). Your chest should be up, and shoulders pulled back and down.

Execution:

1. Initiate the Hinge: Keeping your core braced and spine neutral, slowly initiate the movement by pushing your hips straight back. Imagine trying to touch a wall behind you with your glutes.
2. Torso Forward: As your hips move back, allow your torso to tilt forward at the hips. Maintain a slight bend in your knees throughout the movement, but ensure the primary movement comes from the hips, not the knees (they should not bend significantly more).
3. Controlled Descent: Continue lowering your torso until your hamstrings feel a significant stretch, or until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor (or as far as your hamstring flexibility and ability to maintain a neutral spine allow). Do not round your lower back. Your gaze should remain neutral, typically a few feet in front of you on the floor.

Return:

1. Drive Up: From the bottom position, powerfully drive your hips forward, squeezing your glutes and hamstrings to return to the upright starting position.
2. Full Extension: Extend fully at the hips and knees, but avoid hyperextending your lower back at the top. Maintain core tension throughout.

Key Form Cues:

• "Push your hips back, not down."
• "Keep your chest up and shoulders back."
• "Maintain a neutral spine throughout."
• "Control the eccentric (lowering) phase."
• "Feel the stretch in your hamstrings."
• "Brace your core tightly."
• "Slight bend in the knees, but don't squat."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Rounding the Back: The most critical mistake. This places excessive shear stress on the lumbar spine and can lead to serious injury. Always prioritize a neutral spine.
• Squatting the Movement: Bending too much at the knees converts the exercise into a partial squat rather than a hip hinge, reducing hamstring and glute activation.
• Hyperextending the Back at the Top: Arching the lower back excessively at the top of the movement can create unnecessary spinal compression.
• Using Too Much Weight: Good mornings are best performed with lighter to moderate loads to allow for strict form and maximal muscle engagement without compromising spinal integrity.
• Lack of Core Bracing: Failure to brace the core properly compromises spinal stability and increases injury risk.
• Jerking or Rushing the Movement: The exercise should be performed slowly and controlled, especially during the eccentric phase, to maximize muscle tension and safely execute the movement.

Good Morning Variations and Progressions

Good mornings can be adapted to suit various skill levels and training goals:

• Bodyweight Good Morning: Excellent for beginners to master the hip hinge pattern without external load.
• Dumbbell Good Morning: Holding a dumbbell vertically against the chest or two dumbbells at the sides can be a progression from bodyweight.
• Kettlebell Good Morning: Similar to dumbbell, often held goblet-style.
• Barbell Good Morning (High Bar/Low Bar): Standard variation, as described above.
• Banded Good Morning: Using a resistance band looped under the feet and over the neck/shoulders provides accommodating resistance, increasing tension at the top.
• Seated Good Morning: Performed from a seated position, this variation isolates the hip hinge even further by removing knee involvement, placing more emphasis on the hamstrings and lower back.
• Good Morning with Chains/Bands: For advanced lifters, adding accommodating resistance can challenge the top portion of the lift.
• Pin Good Morning: Performing the exercise from pins in a power rack can help overload specific ranges of motion or train explosiveness from a dead stop.

Who Should Do Good Mornings?

Good mornings are a highly beneficial exercise for:

• Athletes: Especially those involved in sports requiring powerful hip extension (e.g., sprinters, jumpers, weightlifters, powerlifters).
• Powerlifters and Weightlifters: Excellent accessory work for improving deadlifts, squats, and cleans/jerks by strengthening the posterior chain and improving hip hinge mechanics.
• Fitness Enthusiasts: Those looking to build a strong, resilient lower back, improve posture, and develop well-rounded posterior chain strength.
• Individuals with Good Movement Control: It is crucial to have a solid understanding of the hip hinge and the ability to maintain a neutral spine before adding significant load.

Individuals with pre-existing lower back pain or spinal issues should consult with a healthcare professional or physical therapist before attempting good mornings.

Programming Good Mornings

Good mornings are typically used as an accessory exercise, not a primary lift due to the direct spinal loading.

• Rep Ranges: Generally performed for moderate to higher repetitions (e.g., 8-15 repetitions) with lighter to moderate loads to focus on form, muscle activation, and endurance. Lower reps (e.g., 5-8) can be used with more experienced lifters and careful load selection for strength.
• Sets: 2-4 sets are common.
• Placement: Integrate good mornings into your leg day or pull day, often after your primary compound lifts (squats, deadlifts) or as part of a dedicated posterior chain training session.

Safety Considerations

• Spinal Health: The good morning places direct compressive and shear forces on the spine. Prioritize perfect form over heavy weight. If you cannot maintain a neutral spine, reduce the load or choose a different exercise.
• Flexibility: Adequate hamstring flexibility is crucial. If your hamstrings are very tight, you may struggle to achieve a full range of motion without rounding your back. Incorporate hamstring stretches into your routine.
• Warm-up: Always perform a thorough warm-up, including dynamic stretches and light sets of the good morning, before attempting working sets.
• Listen to Your Body: Any sharp pain in your lower back or hamstrings is a sign to stop the exercise immediately.

Conclusion

The good morning is a powerful and effective exercise for building a robust posterior chain, enhancing hip hinge mechanics, and improving overall athletic performance. While highly beneficial, its direct spinal loading demands strict adherence to proper form and a gradual progression of weight. By mastering the fundamental hip hinge and prioritizing spinal integrity, you can safely and effectively incorporate good mornings into your training to unlock new levels of strength, stability, and resilience.