Lower body · Hamstrings
Barbell good morning
How to do the barbell good morning: hip hinge, knee bend, how low to go, common mistakes and precautions for the lower back.
| Focus | Hamstrings · glutes, lower back |
| Movement | Hip hinge |
| Equipment | Barbell |
| Suggested sets | 3 × 10 |
| Estimated time | ≈ 8 min |
| Joints loaded |
The good morning is done with a barbell on your upper back, as in a squat, but instead of squatting you lean your torso forward by pushing your hips back, like a bow. It is a hip hinge that strongly builds the hamstrings and lower back, and it is often used as an accessory for the squat and deadlift.
Muscles worked
The hamstrings stretch and contract under load. The glutes extend the hips and the spinal erectors work statically to keep the back straight.
How to do it
- Place the bar on your traps, as in a squat, with light weight.
- Feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Push your hips back and lean forward with a straight back, as if taking a bow.
- Go down until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, usually with your torso at about 45° or a bit lower.
- Come back up by driving your hips forward.
Common mistakes
- Rounding your back. This is the most important mistake: with the bar on your back, it greatly increases lower-back load.
- Too much weight. This exercise is done with moderate loads.
- Bending your knees a lot, which turns it into a squat.
- Going deeper than your flexibility allows.
Variations and progression
The Romanian deadlift trains the same thing with the load in your hands and is usually easier to control. You can also use a resistance band to learn the pattern. Work in the 8–12 slow reps range.
Precautions
It loads the hip, lower back and ankle. It is not recommended with a herniated disc or active lower-back pain. In those cases, the leg curl trains the hamstrings without loading the back.
Alternatives with less joint load
They train the same muscle group. Highlighted joints are also loaded by the exercise on this page.
- Leg curl (seated or lying) · Knee flexion
- Nordic hamstring curl · Knee flexion
Log your sets for this exercise and see your progress month by month.
Start for freeIf you have an injury, pain or a medical condition, check with a professional before doing this exercise.