Muscles worked
The good morning trains the back of your body. Your hamstrings and glutes do most of the work, while your spinal erectors work statically to keep your back straight. The bar sits high on your back and ends up far from your hips as you hinge, which is why even a light weight feels heavy. A touch more knee bend tends to shift some work to your glutes, while straighter legs stretch your hamstrings more.
Common mistakes
- The bar sits on your neck. It then presses on the bones there and tends to slide forward. Rest it on the muscles above your shoulder blades and squeeze them together, so the bar has a shelf to sit on.
- Your abs switch off. Without tension through your trunk, it is hard to hold firm as the bar travels forward. Breathe in and brace before each rep, and breathe out once you are standing tall.
- Loading it like a squat. The long lever makes the same weight far heavier here. Learn it with an empty bar, or a broom handle at home, and add weight once it feels natural.
Variations and alternatives
- The Romanian deadlift is the same hinge with the bar in your hands, easier to load heavily and to set down.
- The back extension trains the same muscles on a bench, a gentler first step if hinging is new to you.
- The cable pull through puts more on your glutes and tends to feel kinder on your back, as the cable pulls from behind.
Sets and reps
The good morning is an accessory exercise done with moderate weights. For strength and muscle, 6 to 10 reps over 2 to 4 sets works well. Finish each set with two or three reps left, as reps in reserve is a better guide here than training to failure. Do heavier sets in a rack with the safety arms just below your lowest position. For more on choosing, read the guide to sets and reps.
Add weight in small steps, 2.5 to 5 kilos at a time, once every set looks the same throughout. That is progressive overload when technique sets the limit. If your back hurts, rather than just feeling tired, stop and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.