How to do a Good Morning

Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology

About Good Morning

Sets Logged
1,384,096
Popularity Rank
139th
Difficulty
Intermediate
Hamstrings Strength
96 mSCORE 9th
Equipment Required

Target muscles worked

Primary Muscles
Hamstrings
Secondary Muscles
Lower Back, Glutes, Abs

Instructions for Proper Form

Good 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.

  1. Set the barbell just below shoulder height and grab ahold the barbell outside shoulder-width.
  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and brace your core.
  3. Quarter squat underneath the barbell to place it on the base of your neck before lifting and stepping back and planting your feet shoulder-width apart.
  4. Keeping your heels planted firmly on the ground, descend the barbell by hinging your hips backward allowing your knees to flex, but remain stationary.
  5. Keep your spine straight and lower your torso by bending forward at the hips. Once your torso is 'near parallel' to the floor, extend to return to the starting position.

Tips & FAQs

  • Why do they call this exercise "Good Morning"?

    Barbell good mornings are named for their resemblance to the motion of bowing or bending forward to greet someone in the morning. The exercise involves bending at the hips with a barbell on your shoulders, similar to the way one might bow when saying "good morning."

  • Which muscles do Good Mornings work?

    Standing good mornings primarily work the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles (erector spinae). They also engage the core muscles for stabilization and the upper back and shoulders to maintain proper posture during the movement.

Common Form Mistakes

  • Rounding Your Back

    Rounding your back will allow you to reach closer to the floor, but also increases your risk of injury, and reduces the effectiveness of this exercise. Focus on keeping your shoulders back, and your lower back braced to support your spine. Hamstring flexibility is the deciding factor in how low you can go.

Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator

Average Good Morning standards by male, female, weight, age and height

Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.

  • beginner
    8
    reps
    40
    lbs
    1 Rep Max
    50
    lbs
  • intermediate
    8
    reps
    45
    lbs
    55
    lbs
  • advanced
    8
    reps
    55
    lbs
    70
    lbs

Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight

How is this calculated?

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