Good Morning: how to do it right
In short: The good morning loads the hamstrings in the lengthened position through a hip hinge, torso leaning forward with legs nearly straight.
How to do it, step by step
- 1Bar on your traps, feet hip-width apart, knees unlocked and fixed.
- 2Push your glutes back and tip your torso forward while keeping your back flat.
- 3Lower until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, torso toward horizontal.
- 4Control the descent over 2 to 3 seconds, with no bounce at the bottom.
- 5Come back up by contracting your glutes and hamstrings to bring your pelvis back under you.
The mistake to avoid
Don't go heavy, a rounding back here is dangerous.
Other common mistakes
- Rounding your lower back to go deeper: keep your spine neutral and limit the range to your hip mobility.
- Bending your knees during the descent to cheat: fix your knee angle from the start to isolate the hip hinge.
- Dropping too fast and bouncing at the bottom: slow down to 2-3 s and hold a moment under tension before coming up.
- Loading too heavy and losing your flat back: reduce the weight, technique comes first on this demanding movement.
Muscles worked
- Main:
- Hamstrings
- Supporting:
- Glutes, Back (thickness)
Hamstrings (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris) as the main movers through hip extension. Glute max in support. Spinal erectors that lock the spine isometrically to keep the back neutral. This is not a lower back movement, it's a hip hinge.
What to replace it with
Same muscle, same part of the movement: these exercises do the same job.
- Kettlebell Good Morning ›
- Dumbbell RDL ›
- Kettlebell Deadlift ›
- Romanian Deadlift ›
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift ›
Frequently asked questions
How do I do this exercise?
Bar on your traps, feet hip-width apart, knees unlocked and fixed. Push your glutes back and tip your torso forward while keeping your back flat. Lower until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, torso toward horizontal, then come back up by contracting your glutes and hamstrings to bring your pelvis back under you.
How low do I go?
Lower until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, torso toward horizontal, but no further than your hips allow with a flat back. As soon as your pelvis stops moving back and your lower back wants to round, you've arrived. Go for the full range you control, not the one you reach by squirming.
I don't feel anything, is that normal?
You should feel a marked stretch in the back of your thighs at the bottom of the movement. If you mostly feel your lower back, you're rounding instead of pivoting at the hips: straighten your spine and push your pelvis further back. Start with no weight to find the point where your hamstrings stretch with your back still flat.
How fast should I do the movement?
Brake the descent over 2 to 3 seconds, that's where the hamstrings lengthen under load and where all the work is done. No bounce at the bottom, hold a beat, then come up firmly. Descent speed matters more than the speed of the way up.
How should I breathe?
Breathe in and hold your breath before tipping your torso forward, this maneuver braces your spine and protects it throughout the whole stretch. Keep your abdomen tight and your ribs down. Breathe out at the end of the way up as you straighten your torso. The brace must never let go in the bottom position, that's the moment of highest risk for the back.