Good Mornings

Bow To Your Sensei!
The Good Morning Exercise is an outstanding hamstring and lower back exercise

Good mornings are an excellent exercise that work the lower back (the erector spinae) and the hamstrings. They get their name because it looks like you are bowing to someone as if greeting him/her first thing in the morning.  

Like we all do.

Either way, the good morning exercise fits in very well as a back exercise and a hamstring exercise. It will also help improve your flexibility. 

Pay close attention to your form. And if you are going to add weight, start light and work your way up slowly.

Don’t mess around when it comes to your back. Know what you are doing and don’t injure youself.

Technique

• Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
• If you have a broom handle or a weighted bar, perfect.  Otherwise just put your hands behind your head.
• Put the bar across the back of the shoulders – NOT THE NECK.
• Contract the abs and the core muscles to keep the back from arching or rounding during the movement.
• Have a slight bend in the knees but keep the legs stiff and in the same position during the exercise.
• Keep your head in line with your torso throughout the movement.
• Bend forward at the waste and push the hips back slightly to keep your center of mass balanced over your feet.
• Bend forward until your torso is parallel with the floor.
• Make sure you are keeping your back straight. You aren’t arching it or rounding it.
• Return to the starting position by slowly lifting your torso upright with your lower back and hamstrings.
• You will push your hips back forward as you rise.
  

Keep In Mind...

• If you are using weight or even a broom handle, make sure it is resting comfortably on the back of the shoulders and not your neck.
• Keep the movements steady and controlled. This isn’t the kind of exercise to be jerking back and forth.
• Concentrate on keeping your weight evenly distributed on feet. Don’t get out over your toes. In other words, stay balanced.

Modifiers

Most people don’t need to add a ton of weight to this exercise for it to be effective. The good morning exercise is already very demanding on the lower back. Like I said before, if you feel like you need more resistance, start light and work up slowly.

You can use dumbbells to add resistance too. Hold the dumbbells up near your shoulders and keep them in that position through the exercise.

If you only have one dumbbell or you have a kettle bell, hold the weight in front of you. Don’t lift the arms up. Just let them hang, holding the weight. As you bend forward, let the weight drop down toward the floor. As you rise up, let the weight return to the starting position.

At that point though, you are really transitioning from the good morning exercise into a deadlift.