Thread: Good-mornings

They should feel like a RDL but with the weight held like a squat. Does that help?

Because I'm admittedly awful at explaining this movement over the internet, I'll just offer up some tips:

Remember that one the primary goals of the movement is put emphasis on your posterior chain. Getting loose through the chest, shoulders, arms, and upper back will make it very difficult to direct the emphasis on the posterior chain. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are getting your upper body as tight as you can by retracting your shoulders, lifting your chest, and squeezing the shit out of the bar.

As you initiate, you want to recognize the movement that you need to make in order to create tension in your posterior chain (wow, isn't that vague?). That's the part that takes practice. If you can't get a good stretch in your hamstrings, you are doing it wrong and need to tweak your form until you can get a stretch.

Some variables that you can manipulate are: knee flex, how high your raise your chest, how far back you send your butt (like you are sitting into a squat, kinda, but not really ---maybe the first movement as you allow your knees to 'break').

Overall, think 'tightness'.


Your hamstring flexibility will largely affect your depth. You want to basically go as low as you can without allowing your chest to lose it's angle. A note: holding your chest 'up' is what will set the proper, natural arch in your lower back.

Once you lose the natural arch and start to round your back and therefore lose all the tightness in your upper body as well as your hamstrings, you probably should return back to the standing/starting position.

^that.

Which by the way, is identical to what you should do for RDLs, minus the squeezing the bar part. (For RDLs, I tell people to imagine rolling pie dough with the bar along your legs until the back starts to flatten and lose its arch, just like Marat said about GM form)

dumb question... are you doing this as a max effort exercise? and it sounds like they explained how to do them perfectly.

Originally Posted by mggisforme

dumb question... are you doing this as a max effort exercise? and it sounds like they explained how to do them perfectly.

GM's aren't a max effort kind of exercise. Not in the sense of a dead lift or squat. I don't see why anyone would treat GM's as a max effort kind of exercise.

Originally Posted by Life

GM's aren't a max effort kind of exercise. Not in the sense of a dead lift or squat. I don't see why anyone would treat GM's as a max effort kind of exercise.

And that would be because...?

It's EliteFts.... I would normally critique such movements but I can't do it. These guys kick ass but are powerlifting-centric. I will not be doing these anytime soon!

In one of Dave Tate's books he mentions, I believe under the recommendation of Louis Simmons, not going over 135 even when he was capable of squatting legitimate weight.

I don't recall the precise reason but it was along the lines of Dave not finding any utility in good morning-ing hundreds of pounds, compared to 135#, in regard to improving his major lifts.

That was some hardcore shit goin on in that video but he's gonna pay for it sooner or later. He wont be able to walk upright by 45-50 yrs old.

The RDL comparison doesn't really help - for my body proportions my RDLs basically end with the weight an inch or two off the floor. I can always keep my eyes on the weight and I know exactly where I'm at and when to reverse the movement.

I don't use them as a max-effort exercise. I like rep ranges below 5 though.

I squat high-bar with a very close stance, feet maybe 15 degrees out and my forearms are nearly vertical when I grab the bar. Do I need to change this for GMs? Most people I've seen do them with a wide grip, but these are powerlifters who squat with that kind of grip.

It's interesting to hear people recommending not using heavy GMs. I have heard a lot of the opposite from successful lifters.

Originally Posted by Work IN Progress

That was some hardcore shit goin on in that video but he's gonna pay for it sooner or later. He wont be able to walk upright by 45-50 yrs old.

Chuck Vogelpohl is 45 and still one of the top powerlifters in the world.

Originally Posted by gtbmed

Chuck Vogelpohl is 45 and still one of the top powerlifters in the world.

Great to know. Hope it works out for him.

dont go to heavy with it and by that i would say if you cant do 3 reps lighten up a bit. i do mine after squats so i dont need as much warm ups. also you dont need to go very low with this and keep your head up and back arched healthy. never look down and bow your back. never go to low...

Originally Posted by Built

And that would be because...?

Because it isn't a straight up and down movement. Squat, deadlift, RDL, press, ect... its straight up, straight back down. With a good morning you're moving the weight in an arc. All I'm saying is you're depending on a lot of muscle groups to stay tight and locked in over a very long and continuously changing applied load. Why would you pile on ludicrous amounts of weight to do a good morning when you're drastically increasing the chance of injury?

I'd love to see people max on GM's. I'd even take off work just to go watch. Probably a good chance that atleast 25% of them fuck themselves up.

Originally Posted by SloppyJ

I'd love to see people max on GM's. I'd even take off work just to go watch. Probably a good chance that atleast 25% of them fuck themselves up.

PULL!!!

that's what I say when i think someone is about to pop a disc out of their back like they are trap shooting.

Originally Posted by Life

Because it isn't a straight up and down movement. Squat, deadlift, RDL, press, ect... its straight up, straight back down. With a good morning you're moving the weight in an arc.

Ah, that's where you're wrong.

When YOU do a good morning, YOU might be moving the weight through an arc, but I'm not. For a properly executed good morning, the weight travels in a straight line up and down, perpendicular to the floor.

A good morning does not entail bending forward with weight on your shoulders; rather, it involves hinging backward with weight on your shoulders. Your ass pivots back as you fold at the hip, just like you do for RDLs. In fact, for both RDLs and good mornings, if the weight ISN'T travelling in a straight line up and down, you're doing it wrong.

Originally Posted by Life

All I'm saying is you're depending on a lot of muscle groups to stay tight and locked in over a very long and continuously changing applied load. Why would you pile on ludicrous amounts of weight to do a good morning when you're drastically increasing the chance of injury?

This question is now of course, moot.

Here's an article on elitefts by Dave Tate, and a youtube form vid.
Good Morning

Note the movement of the bar is straight up and down, while the hip pivots backward:

Originally Posted by gtbmed

It's interesting to hear people recommending not using heavy GMs. I have heard a lot of the opposite from successful lifters.

Ya I was surprised to read that he was going so light. I personally prefer to add a bit more weight and I've noticed that as I get stronger in the goodmorning and GHR, I tend to do a bit better in my squat/deadlift.

Originally Posted by Built

Ah, that's where you're wrong.

When YOU do a good morning, YOU might be moving the weight through an arc, but I'm not. For a properly executed good morning, the weight travels in a straight line up and down, perpendicular to the floor.

A good morning does not entail bending forward with weight on your shoulders; rather, it involves hinging backward with weight on your shoulders. Your ass pivots back as you fold at the hip, just like you do for RDLs. In fact, for both RDLs and good mornings, if the weight ISN'T travelling in a straight line up and down, you're doing it wrong.

This question is now of course, moot.

That's interesting I've always thought of them as an arc. I went to the gym today just to see how I did them and got in a position int he gym where I could see myself while keeping my head straight. The weight actually does come straight down, I noticed I go a lot deeper than the video you posted though, is that a good or a bad thing?

That's exactly what I noticed as well - maybe I'm just trying to get too much ROM out of them.

I think mine might go a smidge lower than hers, but not by much.

that video was perfect!

going heavy on the GM's is relative to the person doing the lift, personally I'll just stick with RDLs

Originally Posted by Merkaba

It's EliteFts.... I would normally critique such movements but I can't do it. These guys kick ass but are powerlifting-centric. I will not be doing these anytime soon!

geesus. incorrect form on that one can really kill the neck.. be warned guys!

Yeah.. the Westside guys used to use them a lot more max effort work.. on lower body ME they did them 70% of the time, but things have changed since then and they aren't used as a max effort exercise anymore if I'm correct...

Originally Posted by Built

They should feel like a RDL but with the weight held like a squat. Does that help?

What Built said. I feel it best when the sides of my abs and ribs come in light contact with my upper thighs. Another way of knowing is when the hamstrings literally feel like they're being pulled.
I should mention that you needn't feel it in the lower back; if you do, watch from a side mirror that your rear angles are straightened.

Originally Posted by Merkaba

PULL!!!

that's what I say when i think someone is about to pop a disc out of their back like they are trap shooting.

i popped a disk out last thanksgiving morning doing deadlifts. i was on my 3rd or 4th rep with 405lb and i had my headphones on and felt a pop in my lower back and it felt like someone shocked me with 220 volts of electricity down my legs. it was very scary.. my right shin went numb later that day from the bottom of my knee to my top of ankle and is still numb to this day. i was in the fetal position for like 3 days. one of the worst pains ever...