Curtesy of – Elite FTS

HOW?

1. The hips extend backward with the glutes flaring and starting the movement.
2. As the body hinges backward, the torso will lean forward. The entire spine is in a reinforced neutral position with a moderate arch in the lumbar. The core should be on “lock-down.” The chest is expanded with “big air belly” breathing in effect.
3. As the hips reach their maximal point of extension, the glutes and hamstrings should be maximally recruited. Notice the upper back posture is still maintained and there is no collapse or loss of tension anywhere in the body.
4. The gluteal muscles contract to bring the hips forward and return the body to a standing position. Again, there is no degradation of tension at any time.

WHY?

Essentially in a good morning, the entire length of the body is acting as a lever arm—with the load being distributed throughout the entire posterior chain. That’s a lot of muscle worked, to say the least. This is an important concept to grasp. The good morning is not simply a “low back” movement. Done properly, the good morning works the entire length of the erector spinae:

• It loads the deep core muscles of the lower back.
• It trains proper hinging and requires proper firing of the gluteus maximus and glute-hamstring tie-in.
• It trains the lifter to keep his/her lumbar spine in a controlled posterior tilt as he/she extends his/her hips back and brings them forward.
• It requires the lifter to firmly ground him/herself into the floor and balance his/her weight from the mid-foot to the heel.
• It requires a lifter to “keep his chest up and get his shoulders back.”
• It necessitates using controlled belly breathing and “big air” in order to execute it properly and safely.

Essentially, the good morning does A LOT. The problem is that very few people truly know how to do it properly. It’s a lift that requires sound coaching and instruction, and even then, it’s not often an intuitive lift for one to grasp.