📋 How to Do?
- Position a barbell across your upper back like a squat, with feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees for stability.
- Hinge at your hips to lower your torso until it's parallel to the ground or you feel a hamstring stretch, keeping your back flat.
- Drive your hips forward through glute and hamstring contraction to return to standing, maintaining core tension throughout.
- Perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps, prioritizing a slow eccentric phase for maximum stretch.
Keep the bar close to your body and hinge purely from the hips in good mornings, starting with light weights to perfect form and avoid back rounding. Warm up with Romanian deadlift variations for hamstring prep. Consult a pro if lower back sensitivity exists.
💪 Working Muscles
Primary: Hamstrings (hip hinge and knee flexion); Erector Spinae (spinal extension); Secondary: Gluteus Maximus (hip stabilization); Core (bracing for neutrality)
Equipment Needed: Barbell
Difficulty: Intermediate
✨ Benefits
Good mornings increase hamstring flexibility and strengthen the posterior chain, supporting better squats and deadlifts while aiding posture correction. They enhance hip hinge mechanics for athletic transfer.
🔥 Burned Calories
Burns Approx. 60-80 kcal per 10 min at moderate intensity
Metabolic Impact: Moderate, focused on hinge mechanics and posterior chain
Common Mistakes
- Rounding the back during the hinge, which heightens injury risk to the spine.
- Excessive knee bend, transforming the movement into a partial squat instead of a true hinge.
- Limiting the range of motion, missing the full hamstring stretch and development potential.
