Good Mornings

A canonical good morning exercise guide covering bar position, hinge depth, side-view checks, progression, and sensible alternatives.

Quick answer: With a light bar secure across your upper back, soften the knees, brace, and send the hips back until you can no longer keep the trunk and pelvis controlled; then stand by driving the hips forward.

Barbell and squat rack intermediate Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back, Core

How to Do It

  1. Set the rack and safety pins so the bar can be unracked and returned without leaning.
  2. Place the bar securely across the upper back and take a short, controlled walkout.
  3. Brace, soften the knees, and push the hips backward while keeping the bar over the midfoot.
  4. Stop at the deepest position you can repeat without losing trunk or pelvic control, then drive the hips forward to stand.

Common Mistakes

  • Loading the bar before learning the hinge with a dowel or empty bar.
  • Rounding or forcing depth.
  • Turning the movement into a squat by driving the knees forward.
  • Using a long walkout or unstable rack setup.

Good mornings are a loaded hip hinge, not a test of how low you can take the torso. The bar sits on the upper back, so conservative loading and a secure rack setup matter more than chasing a squat-style number.

Setup and hinge

Set the bar at a height that allows a balanced unrack and a short walkout. Use safety pins. Position the bar where you can hold it firmly without painful pressure on the neck, set a stance you can repeat, and take a breath before bracing around the trunk. Keep the bar over the middle of the foot as the hips move behind you.

Soften the knees, then send the hips back. The knees may bend slightly, but the movement should not become a squat. Lower only while the ribs, pelvis, and head remain controlled. At the bottom, pause briefly without relaxing the brace and drive the feet into the floor to bring the hips forward. Do not finish by leaning backward.

The side-view audit

Film a side view only if doing so does not distract you from the rack and load. Check that the bar stays near the midfoot, the hips travel back before the torso lowers, and the bottom position is repeatable. If the pelvis tucks, the back rounds, or the bar drifts forward, reduce the range or load. A dowel, empty bar, or Romanian deadlift is a useful regression while the hinge is still inconsistent.

Progression and programming

Begin with 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions and leave at least two controlled repetitions in reserve. Progress in this order: stable rack and bar position, repeatable range, slower lowering, then small load increases. Good mornings usually belong after a primary squat or deadlift rather than before it. If the trunk is already fatigued, reduce the accessory volume.

The barbell back squat keeps the squat pattern; the Romanian deadlift keeps a hinge with the resistance in the hands. For a wider posterior-chain selection, use the hamstring exercises hub and lower-back exercises. Stop for sharp, radiating, worsening pain, numbness, or unusual weakness and seek individual assessment.

A three-stage learning ladder

Pattern: use a dowel or empty bar and practise sending the hips back while keeping the implement near the midfoot. Stable loading: add only enough weight to make the hinge feel like the same movement, using a rack, safety pins, and a short walkout. Programmed accessory: once the range is repeatable, use a modest set and rep target after the primary lift and progress one variable at a time.[1][2]

The hinge movement hub helps compare the pattern with deadlifts and pull-throughs. A good morning is one option, not a mandatory test; its rack setup and leverage must make sense for the lifter.

Calibration and progression log

Before working sets, check the rack height, safety pins, bar position, stance, and walkout. Use a side-view video with an empty bar: the bar should remain near the midfoot while the hips travel back and the trunk lowers as one controlled unit. If the bar drifts forward, the knees drive into a squat, or the pelvis tucks, reduce the range or return to a dowel hinge. Do not use a deeper position to compensate for a load that changes the pattern.

Log the date, bar position, load, stance, range, sets × reps, lowering tempo, and first fault. Progress from a dowel to an empty bar, then add repetitions and only the smallest load increase after the range is repeatable. A cable pull-through is a useful lower-skill regression, while the Romanian deadlift changes the resistance position rather than duplicating this lift. Stop for sharp, radiating, worsening pain, numbness, or unusual weakness and seek qualified assessment. The ACSM position stand supplies general resistance-training context.

References

  1. National Strength and Conditioning Association. Anaerobic and Muscle Endurance Development: Lifting Guidelines. National Strength and Conditioning Association (2017)Back to claim
  2. Brad S Currier, Alysha C D'Souza, Maria A Fiatarone Singh, Caroline V Lowisz, Eric S Rawson, Brad J Schoenfeld, Abbie E Smith-Ryan, Jeremy P Steen, Gwendolyn A Thomas, N Travis Triplett, Tyrone A Washington, Timothy J Werner, Stuart M Phillips. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2026)Back to claim
  3. Deborah Riebe, Barry A Franklin, Paul D Thompson, Carol E Garber, George P Whitfield, Melissa Magal, Linda S Pescatello. Updating ACSM's Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2015)Back to claim
  4. American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM Position Stand: Resistance Training Prescription. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2026)Back to claim
  5. American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. American College of Sports Medicine (2021)

See our exercise methodology for how this evidence is applied and its limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

How deep should a good morning go?
Use the deepest range you can repeat while keeping the bar over the midfoot and the trunk and pelvis controlled. There is no universal torso angle or depth target.
Are good mornings the same as Romanian deadlifts?
Both are hip hinges, but a good morning places the load on the upper back while a Romanian deadlift holds it in the hands. That changes the leverage and the setup demands.
Are good mornings dangerous for your lower back?
Good mornings are safe when performed with conservative weights, strict hip-hinge mechanics, and safety pins in a rack; avoid loading heavy weights before mastering the pattern with an empty barbell.
Where should you place the bar during good mornings?
Rest the bar across your upper traps in a high-bar position or across your rear deltoids in a low-bar position; low-bar position slightly shortens the moment arm to your hips, reducing spinal torque.
Can good mornings improve your squat and deadlift?
Yes, they directly strengthen the posterior chain (spinal erectors, hamstrings, and glutes) to resist forward torso collapse during heavy squats and deadlift lockouts.