Good Morning
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
A squat-bar RDL — same hinge, heavier on the lower back, so stay light and strict.
Coaching profile
advanced hinge accessory. This page is the practical coaching layer: use it for setup, cues, programming, pain-free adjustments, and substitutions. The complete biomechanics tier list lives on the muscle page.
How the rankings are built →Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeHow to do it
Setup
- Bar on the traps like a squat, soft knees, brace hard.
Execution
- Hinge the hips back with a neutral spine, feel the hamstrings load, stand by driving the hips forward.
Common Errors
- Rounding the spine under load
- Turning it into a squat (too much knee bend)
- Going too heavy too soon
- Losing the brace at the bottom
Cues That Work
- Push the hips back; keep the bar over mid-foot; stand by driving the floor away
No-Fly Zone
over 15 reps (form decays fast under spinal load)
Programming
Sequence priority
Early
Spinal-loaded hinge with high lower-back fatigue — early, never deep into fatigue.
Progression
Model — Double
Fallback model — Linear
Double progression in the 6-10 range; keep 2-3 in reserve and never grind.
Best program fit
Pull, Legs, Lower
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Stance width; bar position (lower bar = more hip).
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Tempo eccentric; reduce ROM; pause at the bottom.
Step 3
Implement swap
RDL (more loadable and simpler), seated good morning, or back extension to unload the spine.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
RDL (more loadable and simpler), seated good morning, or back extension to unload the spine.
Compare all hamstrings optionsThe Evidence
Builds hamstrings, glutes and erector strength. Does NOT need heavy load — grinding it is a bad trade.
SFR — 0.7
Put the exercise inside a system.
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