Barbell Good Morning Muscles Worked, Benefits, and How to Guide

Wakey wakey eggs and bakey, it’s time to say good morning to a great posterior chain exercise! This post will walk you through the barbell good morning muscles worked, how to do the exercise, and much more.

I first saw “good mornings” in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding when I was in high school. If you don’t own a copy, it’s worth getting. The book has over 300 pages of exercise explanations, bodybuilding strategies, and hundreds of Arnold’s gems of wisdom.

I distinctly remember the image of Arnold doing good mornings with a barbell. It was unlike any exercise I had ever seen. It’s not something you see people doing in most commercial gyms. Despite my interest, I figured it was some out-of-date exercise that no one does anymore. We have machines for everything these days, why would we need that?

Then during COVID, I left the commercial gym for good. After 20 years of training at commercial gyms, I loved working out but no longer enjoyed the gym atmosphere. So, I started building my home gym and working out in my backyard. I’ve never looked back. One of the things I found challenging at first was getting a good lower-body workout. I had a squat rack and some kettlebells but not much else. I didn’t have the long list of machines I used to hit my hamstrings, glutes, and lower back anymore.

So, I started researching free-weight posterior chain and hip hinge movements. And what should pop up? The barbell good morning. It seemed that the exercise I had written off so many years ago was one of the best posterior chain exercises you could do without a machine.

Since incorporating good mornings into my routine, it’s become my go to hip hinge exercise.

Barbell Good Morning Muscles Worked

The barbell good morning is one of the best ways to target the entire posterior chain.

The posterior chain is one of those terms thrown around by fitness experts, but what are the posterior muscles? The posterior chain muscles include the upper and lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. It is the muscle group that facilitates the body’s hip-hinge movement pattern. You are likely familiar with several exercises to build a strong posterior chain. The conventional deadlift, hip thrust, and kettlebell swings are better-known exercises for building posterior chain strength.

Lower Back

Hip hinge movements incorporate the erector spinae muscles of the lower back. This is the muscle group that lines your spine and keeps your spine stable during movement. According to the International Sports Science Association (ISSA), training the lower back can reduce and prevent lower back pain.

Glutes

The glutes are a crucial component of the barbell good morning exercise. They are also the largest muscle group in the body. Your glutes include three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. These muscles work together to provide mobility to the hip joint. Your glutes help extend, abduct, and rotate your hips. Training your glutes is essential for maintaining good posture, improving daily function (walking, running, sitting), and preventing hip and knee injuries.

Hamstrings

Your hamstrings are located on the back of your thigh. They are responsible for extending and flexing the hip joint and bending the knee joint. Like the glutes, three muscles comprise your hamstrings the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus.

What Are the Benefits of the Good Morning Exercise?

Develops Lower Body Strength: Good mornings are a challenging exercise that builds strength in the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.

Improves Posture: Strengthening your posterior chain muscles can improve your posture. Training to improve posture is important to combat the effects of sitting for hours daily.

Reduces the Risk of Injury: Lower back injuries are among the most common injuries. This is because of how often we use our lower backs in our daily lives. Strengthening the erector spinae and core muscles can help reduce the risk of injury.

Enhances Athletic Performance: Hip hinge movements are essential to most sports.

Minimal Equipment: The best thing about the good morning is that you can do it with a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell. You don’t need a machine, which makes it great for people who work out at home.

Should You Add Good Mornings to Your Routine?

Good mornings can benefit most people. But it may not be appropriate for everyone. Before including good mornings in your routine, here are a few factors to consider.

Experience Level: The hip hinge movement requires proper form and technique to be performed safely. Start with a PVC pipe before using weight to learn the movement. Once you master the movement, you can move on to heavy weights.

Strength and Mobility: If you’re new to good mornings, start with lighter weights. Build up strength and familiarity with the movement before increasing the load. Those with tight hips may find this a difficult exercise at first. Starting with light weight will allow you to determine if you have the hip mobility to perform the movement.

Prior Injuries: If you have any pain in your lower back, hamstrings, or hips, you should consult with a medical professional before attempting good mornings.

Personal Preference: Everyone is different. Just because Arnold loved the exercise doesn’t mean you have to. It’s important to enjoy your fitness routine so that you stick with it.

How To Do Good Mornings With a Barbell

Here’s a short video demonstration to help you out!

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Position the barbell across your upper back, so it rests on the top of your traps.

Avoid pulling the barbell against your neck. Your hands are only there to keep the barbell in place.

Keep your chest up, spine neutral, and shoulders back. Maintain a slight bend in your knees.

Hinge at the hips by driving your butt backward, keeping your knees bent but stationary. The knees shouldn’t lock out or go forward. You should feel a tightness in your hamstrings. Continue to hinge until your upper body is just above parallel with the ground.

Stand upright by bringing your hips forward, reversing the movement.

Stand tall, keeping your core muscles and glutes tight. Repeat.

How To Do Good Mornings With A Dumbbell

Here’s a short video demonstration to help you out!

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell behind your head with your palms facing each other and your elbows facing forward.

Try not to pull the dumbbell against your neck. Your hands are only there to keep the dumbbell in place.

Keep your chest up, spine neutral, and shoulders back. Maintain a slight bend in your knees.

Hinge at the hips by driving your butt backward, keeping your knees bent but stationary. The knees shouldn’t lock out or go forward. You should feel a tightness in your hamstrings. Continue to hinge until your upper body is just above parallel with the ground.

Return to the standing position by bringing your hips forward. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

Stand tall, keeping your core muscles and glutes tight. Repeat.

How To Do Good Mornings With a Kettlebell

Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the kettlebell in both hands by the handle at your chest.

Keep your chest up, spine neutral, and shoulders back. Maintain a slight bend in your knees.

Hinge at the hips by driving your butt backward, keeping your knees bent but stationary. The knees shouldn’t lock out or go forward. You should feel a tightness in your hamstrings. Continue to hinge until your upper body is just above parallel with the ground.

Return to the upright position by bringing your hips forward, reversing the movement.

Stand tall, keeping your core muscles and glutes tight. Repeat.

Barbell Good Mornings Alternatives

If you want an alternative compound exercise to the good morning, there are plenty of options available.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is a great way to strengthen the hamstrings and lower back. You will start with a dumbbell in each hand or a barbell. Feet shoulder width apart.

How to Do the Romanian Deadlift

Keeping your spine neutral, hinge at the hips as you lower the dumbbells toward the ground.
Keep your lats activated. You should be in control of the dumbbells. They shouldn’t be hanging freely.
Keep the dumbbells close to your body as you hinge back. Continue hinging until you are just above parallel with the floor. Stand upright by bringing the hips forward. Engage your lats, lower back, and hamstrings throughout the movement.

Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is a great exercise for targeting the glutes. The best part is you can perform the glute bridge with little or no equipment.

How to Do the Single Leg Glute Bridge

Lay flat on the floor with your knees bent.
Drive your hip upward using one leg. Squeeze the glute of that leg at the top of the range of motion. Lower your hips back to the ground.
Perform all reps on one side before switching to the other leg.
You can add resistance to this exercise by placing a kettlebell or dumbbell on the hip.

Hip Thrust

The hip thrust is like the glute bridge, except you will elevate your upper body using a bench.

How to Do the Hip Thrust

Place your elbows on a bench with your knees bent. Lower yourself down so your shoulder blades are flush against the bench. Roll a barbell over your legs and above your hips. You can use a towel or bar pad if the bar alone is too painful. Bar placement is critical. Make sure you center the barbell over your hips, so it doesn’t tilt when you lift it off the ground.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Thrust your hips upward, so the barbell is off the ground, and you form a table between the bench and your feet.
Stabilize the barbell with your hands. Bring your feet back, so your hips are vertical.
Lower the barbell toward the floor. Pause, then thrust, reversing the movement. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the range of motion.

Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is a full-body exercise. It allows you to build muscular strength and endurance in your legs, low back, lats, and shoulders.

How to Do the Kettlebell Swing

Place your feet shoulder-width apart in a squat position. Place the kettlebell on the floor about a foot and a half in front of you.
Chop your hips back. Keep your spine aligned until you feel a slight tension in your hamstrings. Engage your lats by dropping them down (packed).
Grip the kettlebell with both hands in a pronated grip (palms facing your body). Tip it toward you so it is no longer flat on the ground.
Hike the kettlebell back like you are hiking a football.
Drive upward using your hips (hinge). Keep your elbows at a slight bend. Once the kettlebell reaches just below shoulder height on the upswing, let it float before the downswing.
Hinge your hips back and allow the kettlebell to swing through your legs.
Drive upward, keeping your lower back straight and flexing your glutes as you reach the top of the motion.

Conclusion

The good morning exercise is an excellent way to work your posterior chain. Whether you use a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells, you can get a fantastic workout with this movement.

Barbell Good Morning Muscles Worked, Benefits, and How to Guide

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