The seated good morning is designed to target your lower back while hitting complimentary muscles in your hips and hamstrings.
Being a variation of the standard good morning, the seated good morning is a much more isolated and advanced movement.
Let's get started!
Why The Seated Good Morning?
As a bit of an unpopular exercise, you may be wondering what this exercise has to offer that you can't get out of something like a deadlift or glute bridge.
The seated good morning is all about gaining resilience in the posterior chain by isolating your muscles with a slow and controlled movement. By slowing down the tempo of the movement, you allow your muscles to experience a deeper and more intense contraction. This advanced isolation will improve the muscle's strength and endurance, which will enhance overall stability and mobility while reducing the risk of injury.
If you’re suffering from lower back pain, hold off on the seated good morning—overworking an injured lower back will only amplify the pain. If your lower back feels tight and stiff, a tool like the QL Claw is a fantastic choice for finding relief.
Seated Good Morning - Tutorial
- Find a sturdy bench, chair, or box and sit on the edge with your feet planted firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart.
- If you are doing this exercise without weight, position your hands behind your head or crossed over your chest for stability. If you have a barbell across your back make sure you have a good grip on the bar and it's comfortably resting across your traps.
- Keeping your spine neutral and maintaining a strong posture, hinge forward at your hips, leading with your chest.
- Lower your torso to around parallel to the floor or when you feel a tight stretch in your hamstrings.
- Engage your glutes and hamstrings to raise your torso back to the starting position, exhaling as you do and holding the same posture.
- Repeat for a comfortable amount of reps.
If you are not a fan of the seated good morning, below are some effective alternatives.
glute hyperextension, reverse hyperextension, back extension, good morning exercise
Seated Good Morning - Tips and Benefits
A useful tip that has been proven to maximize the efficiency of the seated good morning is starting with a warm-up to get your body feeling prepared. This will help performance and reduce the risk of injury. Dynamic warm-up routines are typically recommended.
A couple other tips include:
- Putting an emphasis on form rather than weight.
- Gradually increasing your intensity over time.
When done correctly the seated good morning has many benefits to offer:
- Stronger posterior chain
- Increased flexibility
- Reduced risk of future lower back pain
- Improved core activation
- Enhanced athletic performance
Seated Good Morning Muscles Worked: Lower back (spinal erectors - multifidus), glutes (mainly gluteus maximus and medius), and hamstrings.
Elite Lower Back Strengthening
Back of Steel is a game changer for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and anyone looking sculpt a bulletproof lower back. It's not just another generic workout routine; the program is specialized to target the root causes of your discomfort and strengthen your lower back in the most effective way possible. Myself and many others have used this exact formula to take control of our lower back health. Say goodbye to limitations and unlock your true potential today!
Back of Steel 2.0 - Lower Back Strengthening Program
[1] Donnelly, Joseph M. Travell, Simons & Simons Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: the Trigger Point Manual. 3rd ed., Wolters Kluwer Health, 2019.
[2] Davies, Clair, and Amber Davies. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief. 3rd ed., New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2013.