How to do a Good Morning
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Good Morning
Squat Rack
Barbells
Workouts with Good Morning
Target muscles worked
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.
- Set the barbell just below shoulder height and grab ahold the barbell outside shoulder-width.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and brace your core.
- 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.
- Keeping your heels planted firmly on the ground, descend the barbell by hinging your hips backward allowing your knees to flex, but remain stationary.
- 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.
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Good Morning is also known as:
- Barbell Good Morning
- BB Good Morning
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.
- beginner8reps40lbs1 Rep Max50lbs
- intermediate8reps45lbs55lbs
- advanced8reps55lbs70lbs
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Alternative Exercises to Good Morning
1. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 10,994 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
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 7,449 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
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
3. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 7,165 TIMESLying Hamstring Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
4. Romanian Deadlift
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 5,704 TIMESRomanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the standard Deadlift, this variation focuses mostly on driving your hips forward to raise the weight, and restricts movement in your knees. This is a great exercise for building strength, and can translate well to other exercises that utilize a hip hinge.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
5. Deadlift
98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 5,022 TIMESDeadlift is one of the three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and is great for developing strength in these muscles. It’s a staple in most programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking strength.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
6. Kettlebell Sumo Squat
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 3,850 TIMESKettlebell Sumo Squat is a squat variation. Like other squat variations, this exercise is a compound movement that targets the hamstrings, glutes and quads. Positioning your feet wider than you would for a standard squat helps to recruit the inner thigh, as well as help individuals with mobility limitations.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
7. Kettlebell Swing
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 3,426 TIMESKettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
8. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 2,917 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
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
9. Dumbbell Good Morning
63.8 mSCORESWAPPED 2,062 TIMESThe 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
10. Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift
84.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,954 TIMESSmith Machine Stiff-Legged 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. The use of a Smith Machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement. This allows you to focus on exertion, or learning the movement rather than focusing on stability.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Smith Machine