The good morning is a class of exercises that trains the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. It does this in a way that forces these muscle groups to work together, which is a huge benefit for athletes. There are three primary variations of the good morning exercise: standing, seated, and the explosive good morning.
Standing good mornings:
Stand up with the barbell on the back of your shoulders. Set your feet hip-width apart, unlock your knees. Keeping your chest out and shoulders back, push your hips back. As you do this, you will lean forward as far as your flexibility comfortably allows. Reverse directions, repeat. To see the lift, click here: Standing Good Mornings
Seated good mornings:
Sit down on a bench with the barbell on the back of your shoulders. As you sit on the bench, your legs should straddle the bench with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Keeping your chest out and shoulders back, lower your upper body towards the bench. Reverse directions, repeat. To see the lift, click here:Seated Good Mornings
Explosive good mornings:
Stand up with the barbell on the back of your shoulders. Set your feet hip-width apart, unlock your knees. Keeping your chest out and shoulders back, push your hips back. As you do this, you will lean forward as far as your flexibility comfortably allows. Reverse directions explosively, ultimately rising on the toes. Lower and repeat. Note that this is an advanced exercise and great care needs to be taken that the barbell stays on the shoulders during the exercise. To see the lift, click here:Explosive Good Mornings
Advanced athletes can add a pause at the bottom of the good morning, exaggerate the eccentric component (i.e. take ten slow seconds to descend), or can attempt to perform the standing and explosive variations while standing on one leg.
Given its focus on the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back the good morning should be incorporated with other lower body exercises in a workout program. For the most part, repetitions should be moderate (six to twelve repetitions per set). Too many repetitions and fatigue will cause technique to break down, possibly leading to injury. Too few repetitions (and too much weight) could cause the athlete to become stuck under the bar in a vulnerable position.
The table below indicates some examples of incorporating the good morning into different training programs.
| Beginner | Intermediate | Elite | |
| Workout | Power Clean, 3x3x60%Back Squats, 3×8-12×70%
Lunges, 3×12-15 each leg Standing Good Mornings, 3×8-12 Calves, 3×12-15 |
Power Clean + Front Squat, 3×3+6×60%Pause Squats, 3x6x60%
Seated Good Mornings, 3×8-12 Calves, 3×12-15 |
Split Clean + Jerk, 3×3+2 (each side)x 60%Eccentric Squats, 3x6x60%
Explosive Good Mornings, 3×4 Calves, 3×12-15 |
