Good Morning
A hip-hinge movement that builds lower back and hamstring strength together, named for the bowing motion it resembles.
Position the bar across your upper back. Similar to a squat bar position, gripped securely, standing with feet shoulder-width apart.
Set a slight bend in your knees. This isn't a squat — the knees stay only slightly bent throughout, not deeply flexed. Hinge forward at the hips. Push your hips back as your torso lowers toward parallel with the floor, keeping your back flat throughout.
Return by driving your hips forward. Reverse the hinge, squeezing your glutes and hamstrings to return to standing.
Rounding the back during the hinge. Same highest-risk error as any hip-hinge movement — a rounded back under load significantly increases injury risk.
Why it matters
The good morning trains the same hip-hinge pattern as a deadlift or Romanian deadlift, but with the bar positioned on your upper back rather than held in your hands. This changes the leverage and balance demands, making it a useful complementary exercise for building posterior chain strength from a different angle.
How to do it
- Position the bar across your upper back. Similar to a squat bar position, gripped securely, standing with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Set a slight bend in your knees. This isn't a squat — the knees stay only slightly bent throughout, not deeply flexed.
- Hinge forward at the hips. Push your hips back as your torso lowers toward parallel with the floor, keeping your back flat throughout.
- Return by driving your hips forward. Reverse the hinge, squeezing your glutes and hamstrings to return to standing.
Common mistakes
- Rounding the back during the hinge. Same highest-risk error as any hip-hinge movement — a rounded back under load significantly increases injury risk.
- Bending the knees too much and turning it into a squat. The good morning is a hip-hinge, not a knee-dominant movement — keep the knee bend minimal and consistent.
- Using too much weight before the pattern is mastered. This exercise rewards strict technique over heavy loading — start light and build up gradually.
- Hinging too far forward for your current flexibility and strength. Range of motion should match what you can control with a flat back, not an arbitrary target.
Sets & reps by level
3 sets of 10–12 reps with just the bar or very light weight, prioritizing the hip-hinge pattern.
3–4 sets of 8–10 reps at a moderate, controlled weight.
4 sets of 6–8 reps, still prioritizing strict form over maximum load given the exercise's technical demands.
Log your next good morning session in seconds.
Track sets, reps, and weight without breaking your rest.