Seated Good Mornings

How to do the Seated Good Mornings

1. Set up a box in a power rack. The pins should be set at an appropriate height. Begin by stepping under the bar and placing it across the back of the shoulders, not on top of your traps. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your elbows forward, attempting to bend the bar across your shoulders.
2. Remove the bar from the rack, creating a tight arch in your lower back. Keep your head facing forward. With your back, shoulders, and core tight, push your knees and butt out and you begin your descent. Sit back with your hips until you are seated on the box. This will be your starting position.
3. Keeping the bar tight, bend forward at the hips as much as possible. If you set the pins to what would be parallel, you not only have a safety if you fail, but know when to stop.
4. Pause just above the pins and reverse the motion until your torso it upright.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	lower back
Secondary	glutes
Equipment	barbell
Difficulty	intermediate
Type	compound

No barbell? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Hyperextensions With No Hyperextension Bench Bodyweight Crossover Reverse Lunge Bodyweight Superman Bodyweight Weighted Ball Hyperextension Exercise Ball Pelvic Tilt Into Bridge Bodyweight Child's Pose Bodyweight

Easier than the Seated Good Mornings

Same movement pattern, lower entry difficulty — work up from here.

Hyperextensions (Back Extensions) beginner · Other Equipment

Harder than the Seated Good Mornings

Atlas Stones expert · Other Equipment Reverse Band Deadlift expert · Barbell Deadlift with Chains expert · Barbell

Common questions

What muscles does the Seated Good Mornings work?

The Seated Good Mornings primarily works the lower back, with the glutes as secondary movers. Deadlift with Bands, Deadlift with Chains, and Deficit Deadlift train the same muscle, across 5 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Seated Good Mornings?

A Barbell. Without a barbell, Hyperextensions With No Hyperextension Bench, Crossover Reverse Lunge, and Superman train the same muscle, and 9 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Seated Good Mornings suitable for beginners?

It is rated intermediate. Start with Hyperextensions (Back Extensions) and work up.

Where should the Seated Good Mornings go in a workout?

Early — the Seated Good Mornings is compound, working 2 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh.

Similar exercises

Deadlift with Bands Barbell Deadlift with Chains Barbell Deficit Deadlift Barbell Rack Pull with Bands Barbell Rack Pulls Barbell Reverse Band Deadlift Barbell