How to do a Kettlebell Good Morning
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About 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.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Kettlebell Good Morning standards by male, female, weight, age and height
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- beginner8reps22.5lbs1 Rep Max30lbs
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Alternative Exercises to Kettlebell Good Morning
1. Dumbbell Good Morning
63.8 mSCORESWAPPED 404 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 300 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 Sumo Squat
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 236 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
4. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 205 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
5. Kettlebell Swing
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 192 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
6. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 143 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 104 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 86 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. Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
89.2 mSCORESWAPPED 70 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
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
10. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 69 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