WhatWorksWhat.
Lower back

Good Morning

Hamstrings stretch first, then erectors light up to keep the back neutral.

Complexity · Mediumstrengthintermediate+BarbellSquat rack
Check Your Form
  • Glutes
  • Hamstrings
  • Lower back
  • Lower back - Spinal erectors
  • Spinal erectors

PrimarySecondary

What it hits

Parts of the target muscle.

  • Spinal erectors

    Hit

    Erector spinae - keeps the spine neutral under load.

The movement

Get it right, not roughly right.

Optimal form

2:56· Buff Dudes

How To Perform Good Mornings - Exercise Tutorial

Hinge bottom

Lockout

Bar on the upper back as in a squat. Soft knee bend. Hinge at the hips - push them straight back - until the torso is near parallel to the floor. Drive hips forward to stand.

Common mistakes

  • Squatting it down instead of hinging.
  • Rounding the back at the bottom - lower-back injury waiting to happen.
  • Going too heavy too soon - start very light.

Where you should feel it

Hamstrings stretch first, then erectors light up to keep the back neutral.

Injury risk · 6/10

SafetyStart with an empty bar - the lever arm is brutal. If the back rounds before parallel, the weight is too heavy.

Variations

Same movement, moved emphasis.

Ranked by how directly each variation still trains lower back. 80%+ means the target barely changes. Below 60%, the emphasis has meaningfully shifted — useful for variety, but less precise for the specific part. The label calls it at a glance.

  • Safety-bar good morning

    SSB instead of straight bar.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

  • Seated good morning

    Seated on a bench, hinge forward.

    95% on target

    On target

    Isolates erectors, no hamstring.

  • Banded good morning

    Band looped around the neck and under the feet.

    85% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

Compare with another exercise

Cool-down

Worked it. Walk it back down.

A couple of minutes here pays back in soreness avoided tomorrow. Browse the full library.

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  • Pigeon Pose

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