How to do a Dumbbell Good Morning
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Dumbbell Good Morning
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
The Dumbbell Good Morning is a strength exercise that focuses on the posterior chain, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Holding a dumbbell at chest level or placing two dumbbells on the shoulders, you hinge at the hips and lean forward with a straight back, then return to the starting position. This movement emphasizes hip mobility and back strength, improving posture and stability. It's a versatile exercise suitable for all fitness levels, offering a low-impact alternative to enhance lower back and hamstring flexibility and strength.
- Grasp a dumbbell in both hands by its heads and hold it across your chest.
- Roll your shoulders back and down.
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly.
- Engage your core and keep your back straight to maintain proper posture throughout the exercise.
- Hinge your hips back and let your knees bend as much as they need to to keep your back straight as you lean your torso forward.
- Drive your hips forward and raise your torso back towards the starting position by engaging your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
Tips & FAQs
Dumbbell Good Morning is also known as:
- DB Good Morning
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
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Alternative Exercises to Dumbbell Good Morning
1. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,151 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on Romanian Deadlifts. Like other Romanian Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings and glutes. The use of dumbbells can help with some limitations in mobility, and is a great starting point for anyone working towards performing Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts with a barbell.
- Beginner
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2. Good Morning
90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 707 TIMESGood Morning’s are a compound exercise that primarily target muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), but especially the hamstrings, and lower back. While this can be an effective exercise, there is some risk to performing this exercise with a loaded barbell on your back. If you’re unfamiliar with this exercise, try starting with a dumbbell variation as you learn the movement.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
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3. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 490 TIMESSeated Leg Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. Because a vast majority of lower body exercises tend to be compound movements, this exercise is a great way to isolate the hamstrings for building muscle mass, and developing strength. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability, allowing you to focus on exertion more than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
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4. Dumbbell Clean
88.6 mSCORESWAPPED 369 TIMESDumbbell Clean is a variation on the more standard Clean. Like other Clean variations, this is a compound, explosive movement that targets a wide range of muscle groups. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise much more accessible to anyone unfamiliar with Cleans in general as you can use lighter weight. In addition dumbbells can help more advanced lifters build stability, as well as identify and address imbalances between sides.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
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5. Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
89.2 mSCORESWAPPED 313 TIMESDumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. The use of dumbbells allows for a bit less stability than a barbell variation, while also giving you more freedom in your range of motion. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve or work towards Romanian Deadlifts.
- Beginner
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6. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift to Bent Over Row
67.9 mSCORESWAPPED 308 TIMESThe Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift to Bent Over Row is a compound exercise that effectively targets the posterior chain, including the hamstrings and glutes, followed by the upper back and lats during the rowing component. Beginning with a dumbbell in each hand, you hinge at the hips to lower the dumbbells towards the ground, keeping your back flat. Once in the bent-over position, you perform a row by pulling the dumbbells towards your torso, then return to the standing position. This combination exercise enhances lower body strength and flexibility while simultaneously improving upper body muscle definition and back strength, making it a comprehensive and efficient workout option.
- Beginner
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7. Kettlebell Good Morning
58.1 mSCORESWAPPED 303 TIMESA functional exercise targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This exercise strengthens the posterior chain, improves hip mobility, and enhances spinal stability.
- Intermediate
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8. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift to Shrug
68.5 mSCORESWAPPED 262 TIMESThe Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift to Shrug combines the hamstring and glute focus of the RDL with upper back strengthening via a shrug. Executing a hip hinge with dumbbells, followed by a shoulder shrug at the top, this exercise effectively targets the posterior chain and traps. It's an efficient way to enhance lower body strength and upper back muscle definition in one movement.
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9. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift to Calf Raise
63.1 mSCORESWAPPED 260 TIMESThe Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift to Calf Raise is a compound exercise that effectively combines the hamstring and glute activation of the Romanian Deadlift (RDL) with the calf-strengthening benefits of a calf raise. Holding dumbbells, the movement starts with an RDL, hinging at the hips to lower the weights while keeping the back straight, then transitions into a calf raise by lifting onto the toes at the stand-up phase. This exercise not only targets the posterior chain but also improves lower leg strength and balance, making it ideal for those looking to enhance lower body power and stability in a single, efficient movement.
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10. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 243 TIMESSingle Leg Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on one leg, is a great way to identify, and help address, discrepancies in mobility, strength, and stability between sides. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to perform a large number of other compound lower body movements like Squats, Lunges, or even Olympic lifts.
- Intermediate
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