Good morning

What it is

A hip hinge performed with a barbell across the upper back. You bow forward by pushing the hips back, then drive them forward to stand. It loads the hamstrings and spinal erectors heavily at long muscle lengths with relatively modest weight on the bar.

Muscles worked

Primary: Hamstrings, Glutes. Secondary: Spinal erectors, Adductors, Core.

How to perform it

1. Set the bar across your upper back as for a squat, un-rack it and step back with feet about hip-width.
2. Take a big breath, brace hard, and soften the knees slightly without turning it into a squat.
3. Push your hips backwards, letting your torso bow forward while keeping your back flat, until you feel a strong stretch in the hamstrings.
4. Drive the hips forward to return to standing, squeezing the glutes at the top.

Common form faults

• Rounding the lower back as you descend. Stop at the depth where you can hold a flat back, and reduce the load. Range comes from the hips, not from the spine.
• Bending the knees so it becomes a squat. Keep the knee angle roughly constant and think about the hips travelling backwards, not the body travelling down.
• Loading it like a squat. Good mornings are an accessory. The correct weight is one you can control through a full hinge with a flat back — usually far lighter than people expect.

Programming

An accessory movement, usually in moderate reps for controlled sets. Because it loads the lower back at a long lever, keep the load conservative and treat progress in range and control as progress.