How to do a Kettlebell Good Morning
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Kettlebell Good Morning
Workouts with Kettlebell Good Morning
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
A functional exercise targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This exercise strengthens the posterior chain, improves hip mobility, and enhances spinal stability.
- Stand upright with your feet hip width apart while holding onto the kettlebell handle behind your neck. Bend your hips backwards to lower your shoulders to the floor keeping your spine neutral. Return to the starting position and repeat for the allotted repetitions.
Fitbod workout plans
Take the guesswork out of training.
Follow a personalized plan that adapts as you get stronger.
Generate My PlanWeight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Kettlebell 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.
- beginner8reps22.5lbs1 Rep Max30lbs
- intermediate8reps25lbs30lbs
- advanced8reps30lbs40lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Kettlebell Good Morning
1. Dumbbell Good Morning
63.8 mSCORESWAPPED 426 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
2. Good Morning
90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 282 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
- Barbells
- Squat Rack
3. Kettlebell Swing
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 233 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
4. Kettlebell Sumo Squat
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 225 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
5. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 216 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
6. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 157 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
7. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 116 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
8. Single Leg Kettlebell Deadlift
47.3 mSCORESWAPPED 88 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on the more common deadlift. By performing this exercise with a single leg, and hold the weight in one hand, you drastically increase the need to stabilize your torso. Additionally this exercise is great for identifying and addressing imbalances between sides.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
9. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 73 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
10. Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift
84.6 mSCORESWAPPED 60 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