The Barbell good morning is a lower body exercise that specifically targets the hamstrings. To perform the exercise, you place a barbell on your back and hinge at the hips to eccentrically contract the hamstrings. This in turn helps to build bigger muscles in the back of your legs.

The hamstrings are the forgotten sibling of the leg family, with more people focusing on the quadriceps at the front of the legs. Because of this, hamstring weakness and injuries are common, especially in sports such as football and running. It’s essential to build and maintain hamstring strength for overall lower body strength and good movement quality.

Barbell Good Morning Step-By-Step Guide

• Start by setting up your barbell at approximately armpit height in the rack. You can adjust higher or lower to suit your preference. However, you should be able to step in and out of the rack with the barbell on your back with ease.

• Step under the bar and rest it at the base of your neck. Make sure that you’re in the centre of the barbell.

• Hold the bar either side of your shoulders and take a few steps out of the rack.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, toes pointing forward and brace your core.

• With a soft bend in your knees, hinge at your hips so that your chest lowers towards the ground whilst your hips move backwards. As you hinge, you should maintain a neutral spine.

• Once you feel a pull down the back of your legs, pause at the bottom of the movement and then rise back up slowly. 

The key to performing this exercise properly is control. So, it’s important to start light and progressively increase the weight otherwise you risk working your lower back more than your hamstrings which could lead to injury.

If you want to regress this movement, you can start by doing barbell good mornings in a seated position. Sit at the end of a Weight Bench with your feet hips width apart and repeat the movement. By removing your lower body from the equation you can focus on your technique whilst still targeting the same muscles.

For more content, follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and on our official Mirafit Facebook page.

Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Exercise Type > Strength