Written by Steve Theunissen | ISSA: CPT & Fitness Nutrition
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
During a back day, you are most likely hitting only your upper back, maybe throwing in the odd back extension here or there. The lower back, while not as visually impressive, can be extremely important in your overall physical health, and specific exercises to hit it should be a mainstay in your workout routine.
The Good Morning is a lower back, hamstring and glute strengthening exercise that has largely gone out of favor. When done correctly, it's an effective exercise. The problem is that it is often done wrong, leading to potential lumbar spine problems.
Fortunately, there are a number of Good Morning alternative exercises that work the same muscles for you, providing all the benefits but with much less risk of injury. In this article, I'll lay out the seven best good morning exercise alternatives alternatives. I'll also identify the muscles worked by the good morning exercise, reveal the proper form for this exercise, and weigh up just how safe it really is.
Table of Contents:
- Good Morning Alternatives
- Kettlebell Swings
- Cable Pull Through
- Superman
- Glute Bridge
- DB Romanian Deadlift
- Stability Ball Leg Curl
- Single Leg DB RDL
- Muscles Worked By Good Mornings
- Good Morning: Proper Form
- Are Good Mornings Dangerous?
- Wrap Up
7 Good Morning Alternatives
1. Kettlebell Swings
Key Muscles Worked:
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Grab a kettlebell and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell held at arm's length.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees as you swing the kettlebell down between your legs.
- Reverse the kettlebell motion by extending your hips and swinging the bell up to shoulder level.
- Let the bell come back down to swing through your legs and move directly into the next repetition.
Training Tip:
-
Avoid rounding your back. Maintain a natural slight arch, keeping your shoulders back and your chest up throughout the movement.
2. Cable Pull Through
Key Muscles Worked:
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Set the pulley on a cable pulley machine to the bottom setting and attach a rope handle.
- Stand about a foot in front of the machine, facing away from it, and grab the rope handle, allowing the cable to run between your legs.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees slightly to load the cable.
- Extend the hips as you hinge forward to bring your arms up and come to a fully erect standing position.
Training Tip:
-
Do not round your back as you descend at the start of each rep; maintain a neutral spine at all times.
3. Superman
Key Muscles Worked:
-
Erector Spinae
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Lie face down on the floor with your arms and legs extended.
- Arch your back as you lift your arms and legs from the floor. In this position, you should resemble Superman flying.
- Hold this top arch position for a count of three.
- Lower and repeat.
Training Tip:
-
As you get stronger at this exercise, extend the length of your Superman hold on each repetition. Work up to a 30-second hold to really engage your erector spinae muscle.
4. Glute Bridge
Key Muscles Worked:
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor so that your legs form a 'V' shape. Your arms should be on the floor alongside you.
- Extend your hips as you lift toward the ceiling, coming as high as possible and getting full hip extension.
- Squeeze your glutes as you hold the top position for a 2-count.
- Lower and repeat.
Training Tip:
-
Do this exercise slowly, emphasizing the top hold and a controlled descent.
- As shown in the picture, you can hold a weight for an added challenge.
5. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Key Muscles Worked:
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Lower Back
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Select a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart; the weights at your sides, with a neutral grip (palms facing inward). Your knees should be bent slightly.
- Hinge your hips as you lower your arms to the floor, running the weights down your legs. Maintain a neutral spine and keep your chest up.
- Stop when the dumbbells are at the level of your calves.
- Extend the hips and pull up to return to the start position.
Training Tip:
- Keep your abs tight by pulling your stomach into your navel and maintaining a neutral spine position.
- Breathe in during the lowering phase and breathe out during the lifting phase.
6. Stability Ball Leg Curl
Key Muscles Worked:
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Lie on the floor on your back with a stability ball in front of you.
- Put your heels on the ball and extend your legs to full extension.
- Push your heels into the stability ball as you drive your elbows into the floor and tighten your core.
- Pull the ball toward you with your heels, bringing it as close to your glutes as you can.
- Return the ball to the start position.
Training Tip:
- Activate your glutes by squeezing your butt throughout the entire movement.
7. Single Leg DB Romanian Deadlift
Key Muscles Worked:
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Erector Spinae
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Choose an appropriate a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with the weights at your sides, with a neutral grip (palms facing inward). Your knees should be bent slightly.
- Hinge your hips as you lower your arms to the floor, running the weights down your legs. Maintain a flat back and keep your chest up.
- Simultaneously lift your right leg up and back so that your foot is about 12 inches from the floor,
- Stop when the dumbbells are at the level of your calves.
- Extend the hips and pull up to return to the start position.
- Complete the stipulated reps and then repeat while extending the leg leg back.
Training Tip:
-
If balance is an issue for you, begin by just lifting your rear foot a few inches from the floor. Then, increase the lift as you become more confident.
Muscles Worked by the Good Morning Exercise
Good Mornings work the entire posterior chain. However, their primary focus is on four muscle groups:
Most people consider the good morning to mainly be a hamstring hip hinge exercise. This hinging action also engages the glutes. By squeezing your glutes in the top position, you will activate them more. The erector spinae muscles of the lower back provide stability throughout the movement. The core muscles also provide stability support.
Good Morning: Proper Form
Here is how to perform the barbell good morning exercise with proper form:
- Place a lightly loaded barbell across your trapezius and shoulders with your hands resting on the bar for support. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, and your knees bent slightly.
- Hinge your hips to push your butt back as you lower your back to the floor. Keep your spine neutral and your back straight.
- Descend to a position where your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
- Extend your hips forward as you come back to an upright position.
- Move directly to the next rep.
Is the Good Morning a Dangerous Exercise?
If you talk to a physiotherapist, you are likely to be told that the good morning exercise is one of the worst things you can do in the gym. The reality is that, when done properly, the good morning is a decent exercise. However, it can cause an inordinate amount of stress on your lumbar spine.
The end phase of the good morning, when your torso is parallel to the floor, is the most potentially dangerous part of the exercise. There is a huge amount of force stress on the spine in this position. The vertebral discs will experience hundreds of pounds of torque in the bottom position, with the most stress being put on the L5S1 disc.
If the L5S1 disc sounds familiar to you, it's because that is the disc that most people herniate. You can lessen the stress on your L5S1 disc by using proper form with a neutral spine. But there will still be a lot of pressure on it.
The bottom line here is that if you have any sort of lower back issues, you should stay away from barbell good mornings and any other version besides. If you are determined to do the good morning, make sure that you're using the proper form. I also recommend doing the banded good morning, using a resistance band, as this will put less pressure on your lower back. Or you could just use one of the given alternatives, which are much safer.
If your lower back needs some work you should check out our articles on the Best Hyperextension Back Exercises and Best Lower Back Workouts.
Wrap Up
While it is not an inherently bad exercise, the good morning gets a bad rap because it's easy to do it wrong. And doing it wrong can cause some lasting lower back problems. So, swapping it out with an alternative that lessens the risk factor makes sense.
Experiment with the seven good morning alternative exercises featured above, being sure to choose exercises that work all three key muscles - the erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings.
Let us know in the comments which good morning exercise alternatives you prefer.
Steve Theunissen
Author