Morning exercise routine boosting core and glutes strength goes overlooked - here's a guide to doing it right
The Good Morning exercise, a staple in many strength training routines, is a compound movement that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to perform this exercise correctly with a barbell.
First, set up the barbell on your upper back, just below the rear shoulder muscles. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and grip the bar firmly. Engage your core and keep your knees slightly bent. This is your starting position.
Next, position your feet hip-width apart and look forward with a neutral spine. Pull your shoulder blades together to activate your upper back. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise.
Now, initiate the movement by pushing your hips back, as if trying to press a button behind you. This will start a hip hinge, and your knees should remain slightly bent but stable. Lower your torso slowly, keeping your back straight, until your back is roughly parallel to the floor or you feel a comfortable stretch in your hamstrings. Do not allow your back to round, and stop if your lower back begins to lose its neutral position.
To return to the starting position, engage your glutes and hamstrings to push your hips forward, returning the torso to the upright position while maintaining a straight back and tight core. Avoid hyperextending your back during this phase.
Other tips include keeping your neck aligned with your spine, avoiding excessive knee bending to reduce stress on your lower back, and ensuring that the barbell or weight is placed on your back in a 'low bar' position, similar to the Romanian deadlift.
Performing the Good Morning exercise with proper form and a neutral spine is crucial to avoid injury and effectively target the intended muscles. This exercise is one of the better core exercises to do with weights and focuses almost exclusively on the glute muscles, with the lower back and hamstrings recruited for stability.
If you're doing strength training at home and only have dumbbells for company, Harriet Harper, a certified personal trainer and strength specialist, recommends an Romanian deadlift instead of the Good Morning as it's easier to position the free weights with this movement.
The Good Morning exercise works all the muscles in the posterior chain, which are all the muscles on the back of the body. This includes the glutes, erector spinae (lower back), rhomboids, trapezius (upper back), latissimus dorsi (back), core muscles, and calves.
In summary, the Good Morning exercise is a safe and effective way to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. By following the steps outlined above and maintaining a neutral spine, you can reap the benefits of this exercise, such as improved posture, reduced injury risk during other activities, and increased strength in key muscle groups that support movement in daily life.
- To complement your fitness-and-exercise routine, consider incorporating the Good Morning exercise, which primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles, into your health-and-wellness routine at home.
- When performing exercises like the Good Morning, it's essential to engage your core and maintain a neutral spine for optimum health, wellness, and fitness outcomes.
- Aligning your exercise regimen with the principles of science can help ensure that your fitness-and-exercise routines, such as the Good Morning exercise, are effective and beneficial for your overall wellness.
- Adopting a holistic approach to health-and-wellness, which includes exercises like the Good Morning for strengthening your posterior chain, can contribute to equally focusing on your beauty, as strong muscles are a fundamental aspect of overall physical appeal.
