Good morning

Barbell on the upper back, rack

Also called barbell good morning, good mornings

Good morning, start position — Images: Free Exercise DB (public domain)

Good morning, end position — Images: Free Exercise DB (public domain)

With a bar on the upper back, hinge at the hips with a soft knee bend until the torso is near parallel, then stand back up.

Hinge hips back, flat back
Stop when hamstrings are fully loaded
Keep knees soft, not bent further

Movement

Pattern: Hinge
Type: Compound, several joints move
Sides: Both sides together
Equipment: Barbell

Muscles worked

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Core

Lower backHelper

Lower body

HamstringsMain
GlutesHelper

Ratings

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.

Muscle growth higher is better4.0
Very good; among the better picks for the muscle. 2 sources.
- 4/5 Hinged properly it stretches hamstrings under heavy tension, same technique as a stiff-leg deadlift, and also builds glutes and spinal erectors. Renaissance Periodization, The Most UNDERRATED Exercises For Every Body Part @ 13:18videoExpert opinion2025checked by AI
- 4/5 Called underrated: trains glutes and hamstrings like an RDL with strong squat carryover, as long as knees stay fairly straight. Jeff Nippard, HOW TO DO THE GOOD MORNING EXERCISE: Build Your Glutes, Hamstrings And Squat With Perfect Technique @ 1:03videoExpert opinion2019checked by AI
Loaded stretch higher is better4.0
Hard in the stretched position. 1 source.
- 4/5 Hips-back descent gives a strong hamstring stretch on the way down. Jeff Nippard, HOW TO DO THE GOOD MORNING EXERCISE: Build Your Glutes, Hamstrings And Squat With Perfect Technique @ 4:08videoExpert opinion2019checked by AI
Skill demand lower is better4.0
High; balance or technique often limits the set. 1 source.
- 4/5 Technique must come before load: bar placement, hip-first hinge, knee bend creep, and depth control all commonly go wrong. Jeff Nippard, HOW TO DO THE GOOD MORNING EXERCISE: Build Your Glutes, Hamstrings And Squat With Perfect Technique @ 5:09videoExpert opinion2019checked by AI
Spinal load lower is better4.0
Heavy axial or shear load. 2 sources.
- 4/5 Beyond about 12 reps the lower back becomes the limiting factor, and it is also a spinal erector exercise. Renaissance Periodization, The Most UNDERRATED Exercises For Every Body Part @ 13:48videoExpert opinion2025checked by AI
- 4/5 Much longer lever arm at the hips and low back than a squat, with heavy isometric spinal erector work; start light and rarely go past 40-50% of squat max. Jeff Nippard, HOW TO DO THE GOOD MORNING EXERCISE: Build Your Glutes, Hamstrings And Squat With Perfect Technique @ 0:33videoExpert opinion2019checked by AI