Barbell Good Morning

Intermediate

Hamstrings

Barbell

Barbell Good Morning earns a place on leg day, and heavy bilateral barbell loading keeps the focus on control through the whole range.

How to do Barbell Good Morning

Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell resting on your upper back.
Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your buttocks back as if you were trying to touch the wall behind you with your glutes.
Lower your torso until it is parallel to the ground, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings.
Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position by squeezing your glutes and pushing your hips forward.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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Barbell Good Morning Sets and Reps by Goal

Strength

4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.

Hypertrophy

4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.

Endurance

3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.

Common Barbell Good Morning Mistakes

Bouncing the bar to get through the hardest inch

Pause briefly so the muscle, not the rebound, does the work.

Letting a nearby joint take over as the set gets hard

Stop the set as soon as the working joint stops leading the movement.

Easier and Harder Than Barbell Good Morning

Easier progression

Runners Stretch

Harder progression

Lever Lying Leg Curl

Swap Barbell Good Morning For

Inverse Leg Curl (on Pull-up Cable Machine)

Lever Lying Two-one Leg Curl

Assisted Prone Hamstring

Barbell Good Morning — Frequently Asked Questions

How do you do the Barbell Good Morning?

Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell resting on your upper back. Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your buttocks back as if you were trying to touch the wall behind you with your glutes. Lower your torso until it is parallel to the ground, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.

What muscles does the Barbell Good Morning work?

The Barbell Good Morning primarily targets the hamstrings. It is classified as a legs exercise and is performed with a barbell.

How many sets and reps of the Barbell Good Morning should I do?

For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.

Is the Barbell Good Morning good for beginners?

It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic legs patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.

What can I do instead of the Barbell Good Morning?

Try the Inverse Leg Curl (on Pull-up Cable Machine), Lever Lying Two-one Leg Curl or the Assisted Prone Hamstring. Each trains the hamstrings with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.