Bad day? How about a Good Morning? Applications for Powerlifting and Strongman

Bad day? How about a Good Morning? Applications for Powerlifting and Strongman

“It’ll Snap Your Back”—And Other Myths: The Truth About Good Mornings

Walk into a lot of gyms and say that your main movement of the day is a good morning, and you’re likely to hear one of two responses: either a panicked gasp about how dangerous they are, or a snide joke about “squat mornings” and bad form. For such a simple movement, the good morning carries a surprising amount of baggage—and most of it is completely unfounded.

In the world of powerlifting and strongman, though, the good morning is one of the most brutally effective tools for building posterior chain strength, full-body bracing, and true hinge mechanics. So why has it been relegated to meme status by the so-called “optimal” crowd?

Because it’s hard. Because it punishes bad form. Because it exposes weaknesses.

And because it doesn’t play well on TikTok.

Misunderstood, Maligned, and Dismissed

Over the past few years, a new class of authority has emerged in strength culture—one based not on coaching experience, competitive success, or years under the bar, but on short-form content, buzzwords, and simplified biomechanics. In this world, everything is dangerous until proven otherwise. Movements that don’t fit neatly into their “stimulus to fatigue” charts are dismissed entirely.

Good mornings have become one of the most prominent victims of this approach.

“They’ll blow your back out.” (Ooh err Matron)

“They’re just a poor man’s RDL.”

“Just do hip thrusts instead.”

Let’s be clear: none of this is true if you know what you’re doing. The reality is that good mornings have been a cornerstone movement for decades in high-level strength systems—from the most successful powerlifting clubs in the world to elite-level strongman prep. They’ve earned that place not because they’re fancy or fashionable, but because they work.

Where Did the Good Morning Go?

Once a staple of serious training, the good morning has slowly disappeared from mainstream programming. The decline parallels the rise of evidence-based fitness culture—but more specifically, the Instagram and TikTok version of it, where exercises are chosen not based on transfer to performance, but how easily they can be explained in 60 seconds with a caption and a graph.

The result? A generation of lifters raised to fear anything that isn’t spoon-fed in a beginner hypertrophy split, and a world of programming that prioritises safety optics over actual results. We’ve ended up with a glut of influencers pushing single-joint cable exercises while quietly stalling out at a 140kg deadlift.

Good mornings never disappeared from elite-level programs. They just stopped being recommended to beginners. Which is fair—it’s not a beginner movement. But here’s the problem: now, intermediate and advanced lifters don’t know how to do them either.

This Isn’t a just an Alternative to or a Substitute for an RDL

Let’s get this out of the way now: good mornings are not just another hinge option. They are not interchangeable with Romanian deadlifts, barbell hip thrusts, or kettlebell swings. Are they all hinge patterns? Yes. But the load vector, leverage, and total-body demand are entirely different.

Where an RDL loads from the hands and uses gravity to pull the hips into the hinge, the good morning places the load on the back—making the entire trunk, spine, and posterior chain responsible for maintaining posture and generating force. It is a posteriorly top-loaded hinge, requiring not only strong glutes and hamstrings, but also upper back rigidity, intra-abdominal pressure, and full-body coordination.

Done properly, it’s not a “low back” exercise—it’s a total posterior chain movement, with direct applications to the deadlift, squat, stone loading, sandbag carries, and more.

The good morning is not about isolation. It’s about integration—glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, lats, abs, feet, everything firing as one.

If You Train for Strength, You Should Care

There’s a reason the good morning features so heavily in Conjugate programming. There’s a reason Louie Simmons had them appear as both max effort and supplemental work across multiple weeks. There’s a reason strongman competitors who train with the SSB and cambered bar variations see carryover not just in lifts, but in event performance. This isn’t theoretical. This is tested—repeatedly—by lifters actually pushing limits.

So when the “optimal” crowd tells you good mornings are too dangerous, what they mean is they’re too dangerous for their followers—lifters with no movement foundation, no experience under load, and no interest in learning beyond surface-level cues.

But you’re not that lifter.

If you’re chasing serious numbers—if you want to compete, or win, or simply develop resilient, transferable strength—the good morning deserves a place in your training.

Not because it’s trendy. Because it f***ing works.

Absolutely—here’s the next standalone article in the series:

What Is a Good Morning, Really?

At first glance, the good morning looks deceptively simple: place a bar on your back, hinge at the hips, stand back up. Job done. But like many foundational movements, that surface-level simplicity masks layers of nuance, variability, and brutal effectiveness—especially when it’s done right.

The good morning isn’t just a squat or deadlift accessory. It’s a top-loaded hip hinge that, when programmed and executed properly, becomes a cornerstone of posterior chain development, athletic performance, and injury resilience.

It’s also one of the most butchered movements in modern training.

Let’s set the record straight.

The Basics: A Posteriorly Loaded Hinge

At its core, the good morning is a hip hinge with the bar resting on the back. It’s a movement pattern you’re already familiar with—hip back, spine neutral, hamstrings loaded, glutes driving forward. But the difference lies in the loading vector.

Where most hinge variations (like RDLs or kettlebell swings) involve the load being held in the hands and pulled downward, the good morning is posteriorly top-loaded. The barbell sits on the upper back, meaning the entire posterior chain is responsible for maintaining posture and resisting collapse.

Mechanically, this transforms it into a high-leverage, high-tension movement that demands control from head to heel. Your glutes and hamstrings don’t just contract—they stabilise. Your erectors don’t just support posture—they’re actively resisting flexion under load. Your abs and obliques don’t just brace—they lock the entire trunk in place while your hips move behind you.

Think of it as a deadlift flipped over and placed on your back—with less external load, but far more internal demand.

Why Most Lifters Get It Wrong

Good mornings rarely show up in beginner programs, and that’s probably for the best. They require pre-existing hinge proficiency, solid bracing mechanics, and enough body awareness to maintain posture under significant strain. But the result is that most people encounter them far too late—and with very little guidance.

Other common mistakes include:

• Collapsing at depth: Lifters often descend without control, letting the bar pull them into a folded mess. You should own every inch of the eccentric.

• Thinking it’s “just a low back” exercise: It’s not. If done properly, you’ll feel your lats, glutes, hamstrings, abs, erectors, even your feet working to stay rooted.

In short, most bad good mornings stem from treating them like a casual accessory movement instead of the serious strength developer they are.

Not Just an Accessory—A Cornerstone

If you’re training for serious strength—whether in powerlifting, strongman, or any other sport that requires absolute posterior chain integrity—the good morning isn’t just another tool in the box. It’s one of the most efficient and transferable movements you can train.

Here’s why:

• It develops true hinge mechanics under load.

• It demands total-body bracing, teaching you to maintain posture and pressure throughout a movement.

• It strengthens the spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, and deep core all at once.

• It has high carryover to squat posture, deadlift start position, and strongman events like yoke walks, stone loads, and sandbag carries.

• It can be trained heavy, moderate, or light—meaning it can be rotated in for max effort, primary accessory, or high-rep work.

And perhaps most importantly—it teaches awareness. You can’t half-arse a good morning. The second your attention slips or your bracing falters, the movement lets you know.

Beyond the Platform

While powerlifters and strongman athletes might get the most obvious benefit, the application of the good morning goes far beyond the big lifts. In fact, it’s one of the few compound movements that has direct relevance to general athletic performance:

• For field athletes, it builds the posterior chain and trunk strength needed for sprinting, jumping, and direction change.

• For combat athletes, it reinforces posture, bracing, and dynamic hip extension.

• For Gen Pop lifters chasing durability and longevity, it strengthens the entire posterior chain while reinforcing proper spinal mechanics under load.

There’s also a strong argument to be made for its use in injury prevention—particularly for the low back and knees. By strengthening the hinge pattern and building gluteal coordination, the good morning shores up the two areas most often implicated in chronic injuries.

The Movement You’re Probably Missing

If you’ve skipped good mornings because someone online told you they’re risky—or because you’ve only ever seen them done poorly—it’s time to reconsider. They’re not some relic of the ‘90s. They’re a proven, adaptable, and devastatingly effective movement that deserves more respect than it gets.

So no—they’re not just a squat accessory. They’re not just a deadlift regression. And they’re not dangerous if you know what you’re doing.

They’re a movement that builds real strength where it actually matters.

And if you’re not using them… someone else is—and they’re probably getting stronger than you.

Absolutely—here’s your next standalone article:

Good Morning Variations and Implements: Built for Every Purpose

If you’ve been lifting long enough, you already know that no exercise exists in isolation—especially in a Conjugate system. The bar you use, the stance you take, where you start the lift from, and even the way resistance is applied can completely change the outcome of a movement.

The good morning is no different.

What looks like a simple top-loaded hinge actually has dozens of variations, each with specific benefits depending on the lifter, goal, and weakness being addressed. Get it right, and the good morning becomes one of the most adaptable tools in your arsenal—whether you’re prepping for a meet, coming back from injury, or trying to bring up weak points that don’t respond to basic barbell lifts.

Let’s break them down by bar type and movement style, so you can start programming them with intent.

Bar Variations

Straight Bar Good Morning

The most “classic” version of the lift—and by far the most technically demanding. The straight bar loads high on the traps and requires perfect spinal posture, shoulder mobility, and bracing mechanics. It’s the most direct carryover to the competition squat and deadlift because of how it mimics spinal loading, but let’s be honest—it’s also fucking uncomfortable.

You’ll get no forgiveness here. If your technique is off, the straight bar will punish you. That’s why it’s so valuable for lifters who need to develop discipline and spinal integrity under load.

Best used for:

• Carryover to raw squat

• Developing rigidity

• Max effort lifts (for advanced lifters only)

Safety Squat Bar (SSB) Good Morning

Easily one of the most useful and approachable variations—especially for strongman athletes or lifters dealing with shoulder mobility issues. The SSB shifts the centre of mass slightly forward, demanding more from the thoracic spine, upper back, and midline.

It’s also easier to hold in position, allowing you to focus on intent and execution rather than just surviving the bar placement. That said, don’t confuse “easier to hold” with “easier to lift.” The SSB good morning is absolutely savage on the upper back, and tends to light up the entire posterior chain from traps to hamstrings.

Best used for:

• Strongman carryover (yoke, stone, bag, keg)

• Deadlift posture

• Mid-back weaknesses

• High-effort primary or secondary work

Cambered Bar / Bow Bar Good Morning

These bars drop the weight lower and further from the midline, increasing the moment arm and pulling the lifter into the hinge. That means more range of motion, more tension, and more demand on the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.

They also reduce strain on the shoulders, making them a solid option for lifters coming off a heavy press cycle or working around injuries. The shift in leverage teaches the body to stay braced and balanced when things get chaotic—exactly the kind of adaptation we want in strongman.

Best used for:

• Deadlift carryover

• Building hamstring strength

• Posterior chain overload without straight bar stress

• Rotating in max effort work without burning out

Buffalo Bar Good Morning

A nice compromise between the straight bar and cambered options. The buffalo bar offers a slightly curved profile, reducing shoulder strain while still keeping the bar relatively high on the back.

It doesn’t challenge the hinge quite as much as the cambered bar, but it’s a smoother option for lifters who want technical carryover to the squat without the shoulder beatdown of a straight bar.

Best used for:

• Raw squat accessory work

• High-volume sets

• Shoulder-sensitive lifters

• Light to moderate loading

Yoke Bar (EliteFTS style) Good Morning

This version isn’t just a bar—it’s a challenge. The thick pads, vertical handles, and high-camber profile add instability to the lift, forcing the lifter to actively engage the entire posterior chain, upper back, and trunk stabilisers.

The Yoke Bar good morning becomes a full-body lift in the truest sense—it’ll crush your mid-back, challenge your obliques, and build the kind of posture that makes stone loads, yoke carries, and sandbag throws feel lighter.

Best used for:

• Strongman event carryover

• Upper back and oblique development

• Advanced lifters needing variability

• Postural reinforcement under duress

Positional & Range Variations

Seated Good Mornings

Done from a box or bench with the bar on the back, the seated good morning strips the movement down to spinal erectors, glutes, and deep core. It removes the knees and ankles from the equation, forcing all the movement to come from the hip and lumbar spine.

This is an excellent option for rehab, motor control, or upper back isolation work. It’s also a go-to for lifters coming back from injury or building positional awareness.

Best used for:

• Rehab & re-education

• Mid/lower back development

• Isolating spinal erectors

• High rep or slow eccentric work

Wide-Stance vs Narrow-Stance

A subtle change that creates dramatic differences in muscle emphasis. A wider stance tends to recruit more glute and adductor involvement—particularly useful for strongman athletes who load stones or use wider pulls. Narrow stances bias the hamstrings and lower back more directly.

Use stance width as a tool to target specific weaknesses or mimic competitive positions.

Best used for:

• Matching squat/deadlift stance

• Glute-dominant vs hamstring-dominant training

• Customising carryover based on sport

Suspended Good Mornings

Suspended from chains, mono straps, or pins, this variation eliminates the eccentric phase and starts the lift from a dead stop. Think of it as the hinge version of a deadlift off blocks or a pin squat—it develops starting strength, coordination, and positional awareness.

You can manipulate bar height to match deadlift start positions or squat sticking points, making it a brutal weakness-builder.

Best used for:

• Building force off the floor

• Overcoming squat sticking points

• Explosive hip extension

• Lifters who fold or crumple under load

Concentric-Only Good Mornings

When you're fried, beat-up, or just coming off a brutal eccentric-heavy block, concentric-only good mornings allow you to still get posterior chain work without piling on recovery debt. These are often done from pins or chains with no eccentric phase at all—just set up under the bar and drive it to lockout.

The focus here is rate of force development, power, and controlled re-racking.

Best used for:

• Power work

• Low-fatigue posterior chain training

• Rehab/prehab

• Athletes in-season or close to comp

Banded / Reverse Banded Good Mornings

Accommodating resistance changes the strength curve of the lift. Bands pulling you down increase difficulty at the bottom and cue faster hip drive. Bands pulling up (reverse banded) make it easier at the bottom and allow for heavier overload in the top range.

Either version can be used to bias certain ranges of motion, adjust for injury, or manipulate speed-strength outcomes.

Best used for:

• Overload work (reverse bands)

• Changing resistance profile to attack weaknesses

• Recovering from injury

• Modifying fatigue profile late in a session

Put the Right Tool in the Right Place

There’s no “best” good morning variation—only the right tool for the job. The bar you choose, the range of motion you train, and the way you load the movement should all reflect your goals, weaknesses, and recovery status.

Need to build starting strength off the floor? Suspended or concentric-only. Struggling to stay upright in a heavy squat? SSB or yoke bar. Back tweaky but need to keep training? Seated with a bow bar or reverse banded. Trying to hammer your glutes and adductors for strongman? Wide stance, cambered bar.

Stop thinking of good mornings as one movement. Start thinking of them as a category—an entire system of variations you can rotate, personalise, and load for months on end without burning out or hitting plateaus.

Absolutely—here’s your next standalone article in the series:

Why Strong Lifters Do Good Mornings

When a movement consistently shows up in the programs of elite lifters across powerlifting, strongman, and even Olympic weightlifting, it’s worth asking why. The good morning isn’t just one of those lifts—it’s a quiet powerhouse. No flash, no hype, just raw, brutal effectiveness.

The reason strong lifters keep it in rotation is simple: it works, across multiple domains. Whether you’re trying to fix posture in the squat, build explosive hip drive in the deadlift, or stay upright during a sandbag carry at the tail end of a comp, good mornings have got you covered.

Carryover to the Squat

If you’ve ever folded like a lawn chair at the bottom of a heavy squat, you already know why good mornings matter.

The good morning trains all the things that keep you upright and braced—the upper back, glutes, hamstrings, and erectors. When you descend in the squat, your ability to maintain posture and create upward drive out of the hole depends on those exact structures. If they collapse, so do you.

• Upper back strength keeps the chest proud and prevents the bar from dumping forward.

• Hamstring tension keeps the hips loaded and controlled.

• Glute drive initiates the concentric with power.

For lifters who struggle to stay tight at the bottom or lose their back angle on the ascent, good mornings aren’t just helpful—they’re essential.

And here’s the kicker: it’s not just a muscular issue. It’s a coordination issue. The good morning forces you to maintain a spinal position, a breathing pattern, and a bracing strategy under top-loaded pressure—exactly what you need in a heavy squat.

Carryover to the Deadlift

Deadlift feeling slow? Missing off the floor? Hips shooting up like a tent in a storm? Yeah, you need more good mornings.

Deadlift success relies on a violent but controlled hip hinge, reinforced by a tight mid-back and stable core. The good morning trains this exact pattern—under load, under fatigue, and with total control.

It teaches you how to:

• Generate force from the hips without letting the spine round.

• Hold mid-back tightness through a full hinge.

• Use the posterior chain as a system, not as isolated parts.

A common problem in deadlifters is “squatting their pull”—starting too upright, pushing the knees too far forward, and turning the deadlift into a slow, inefficient grind. Good mornings rewire that by hardwiring the hip hinge and making lifters comfortable being aggressive from a lower starting position.

A Break from Max Squatting and Deadlifting (Within a Conjugate Framework)

Here’s a less technical reason strong lifters love good mornings:

Sometimes it’s just a fucking treat to do 5s.

When you’ve been pushing max effort squats and deadlifts week after week, the fatigue piles up. Not just physically, but mentally. The good morning offers a fresh stimulus, with high carryover, but lower CNS and emotional cost. You’re still getting strong, still developing max effort qualities—but in a way that gives your spine and soul a bit of breathing room.

That’s the beauty of Conjugate. Rotate the stress. Find a new way to attack the same problem. Good mornings fit that bill perfectly.

Carryover to Strongman Events

Strongman doesn’t care how much you squat in the gym. It cares how you move when your lungs are on fire, your spine is compressing, and your heart’s doing 180 BPM.

Good mornings build the resilience, posture, and hip power you need when the implements come out.

Stone Loads

This one’s obvious: top-loaded hinge, braced spine, glutes firing to extend the hips. Sound familiar? Good mornings teach you the exact posture and force pattern required to lift an atlas stone or sandbag from the floor to platform.

Yoke and Farmers Walks

When a 300kg+ yoke is crushing down on your spine, it’s your erectors, obliques, and upper back that keep you standing. Good mornings train that trunk stiffness and upright posture under load—making these events less of a survival task and more of a strength display.

Stones, Keg and Bag Over Bar

These events demand explosive hip drive and precise timing. Good mornings help you develop that snap—hinge back, brace, explode. The bar position in the good morning mimics the posture you’ll need when launching a heavy bag overhead.

Sandbag Carries

Fatigue makes cowards of us all—and it also makes lifters fold at the spine. Sandbag carries require that same hinge-brace-carry mechanic under continuous stress. High-rep good mornings, especially with bands or lighter load, build the postural endurance needed to stay upright through the finish line.

The Real Reason? They Work

There’s a reason you’ll see good mornings popping up in every high-level strength template that actually produces results. It’s not because they’re sexy, or trending, or “optimal.” It’s because they create adaptations that other lifts just don’t—especially for lifters who are already strong, already skilled, and looking for that next layer of development.

They build everything you can’t see in the mirror:

• Bracing

• Structure

• Confidence in the hinge

• Carryover where it counts

So if you’ve been avoiding them? It’s time to change that.

Your posterior chain—and your total performance—will thank you.

Absolutely—here’s the next article in the series, covering how to program the good morning, with your voice and insights fully baked in:

How to Program the Good Morning: Intent, Placement, and Progression

By now, we’ve established that the good morning is one of the most valuable movements in the strength athlete’s toolbox. But knowing it’s useful doesn’t mean you know how to use it.

Programming the good morning properly is about more than slapping it into a session and hoping for the best. It requires understanding intent, volume, placement in your session or week, and—above all—respecting the movement’s demand.

Let’s break it down by purpose.

As a Max Effort Movement

Good mornings are a phenomenal choice for max effort work, especially within a Conjugate framework. They allow you to chase heavy loads and high tension without repeating the exact same movement pattern week after week—and without the same joint and CNS toll of a max squat or deadlift.

Here’s how I use them:

• Reps: 3–5 reps per set. Rarely—very rarely—will I allow a true single. There’s no need to gamble with spinal positioning that hard.

• Variations: SSB and cambered bar are the go-to options. Straight bar for very experienced lifters who are confident in their spinal integrity and want direct carryover.

• Placement: On max effort lower days, slotted in based on the weakness we’re targeting. If you’re collapsing in the squat, use a good morning that mimics that hinge. If your deadlift breaks down off the floor, use a wider stance or a suspended variation that loads the start position.

Why it works:

You can load heavy, train positional strength, and chase real force output without needing to max a squat every week. Plus, it’s mentally refreshing to approach a different stimulus while still hammering the posterior chain.

As a Supplemental Movement

This is where the good morning shines for most lifters—right after the main lift of the day, as the first or second accessory.

• Reps: 5–8 per set. Every rep should look clean and controlled.

• Sets: 3–4 work sets is usually plenty.

• Execution: This is where you focus on posture, bar path, control in the hinge, and generating force from the right places (glutes, hams, and erectors—not just cranking from the low back).

• Bar choice: Pick based on the lifter’s build and fatigue status. SSB and bow bar are ideal here. You’re not trying to PR—you’re trying to improve your movement and build capacity.

Why it works:

This is the perfect range to accumulate volume, improve motor control, and reinforce patterns that carry over to every lift you care about. You’ll also know real quick if your hinge mechanics suck—because the good morning doesn’t hide weaknesses.

As a High-Rep Finisher or Recovery Tool

This is where we tap into Louie’s ghost.

Banded good mornings—done with bodyweight or a light bar—are one of the most underrated tools for blood flow, postural reinforcement, and recovery. They’re also stupidly hard when done properly.

• Reps: 15–30 per set. Sometimes even 50.

• Frequency: Can be done multiple times per week, sometimes daily. I’ve programmed these as daily “spinal floss” for lifters with stiff or undertrained erectors.

• Variations: Banded standing, banded seated, or light barbell versions. You can add mini-bands for accommodating resistance, or just stand on a band and wrap it behind your neck.

I’ve written sessions with 100–200 total reps using an empty bar, split over 4–6 sets. If you think that’s overkill, try it once. You’ll wake up the next day and realise you found back muscles you didn’t know existed.

Why it works:

This isn’t about load—it’s about volume, blood flow, and patterning. You’re greasing the groove of the hinge while getting a brutal pump in your spinal erectors and glutes.

For Athletes With Back Issues

Good mornings get a bad rep from the “it’ll snap your back” crowd, but they’re actually one of the best rehab and prehab tools out there—when done right.

• Start with: Seated good mornings or banded variations. Focus on controlled range of motion, light load, and tempo.

• Reps: High—10 to 20 per set.

• Focus: Time under tension. Bracing. Clean hinge. No wobble, no rushing.

• Progression: Gradually increase bar weight over weeks. Never sacrifice form for load.

There’s a reason I often tell lifters: “If you can’t do 100 bodyweight good mornings with perfect form, you don’t get to load the barbell yet.”

This is one of the most effective, low-risk ways to rebuild posterior chain strength post-injury—especially for lifters coming back from lumbar issues, hamstring strains, or long layoffs.

Don’t Just Do Good Mornings—Program Them Properly

The good morning isn’t a plug-and-play accessory. It’s a movement that demands intention. Programmed with purpose, it can be a max effort monster, a posterior chain volume builder, a recovery tool, or a rehab movement.

It works for beginners (done light and smart), for intermediates (as a core accessory), and for advanced lifters (as a max effort variation or fatigue-management tool). There are very few movements that scale this well.

And honestly? Sometimes it’s just fun. A cambered bar good morning for sets of five at RPE 9 is one of the most satisfying movements in the world. You feel strong, braced, and in control. You’re working hard—but without the risk of missing a squat and folding under 250 kilos.

Don’t let the TikTok crowd scare you away from one of the most powerful tools in strength sport.

Use it right, and it’ll change your squat, deadlift, yoke walk, stone load—and your back will look like it’s carved out of concrete.

Bring Back the Good Morning and Full Bush

Somewhere along the way, we stopped trusting hard things.

We let social media dictate what’s “safe,” what’s “optimal,” and what’s worth doing. The good morning—a movement that built some of the strongest backs, biggest squats, and most terrifying deadlifts of all time—got quietly retired by the crowd more interested in fibre type optimisation than putting kilos on the bar.

You’ll hear it’s dangerous. Outdated. Replaced by “better” options.

Let’s be clear: none of that is true.

The good morning isn’t risky—it’s demanding. And that’s exactly why you should be doing it.

It Punishes Bullshit and Rewards Intent

You can fake a lot of movements. You can grind through a poorly-executed RDL. You can bounce out of a squat and hope for the best. But you can’t fake a good morning.

If your bracing is off, it will fold you. If your hinge mechanics suck, it will show you. If your tension leaks, you’ll feel every ounce of it.

This is a lift that forces you to show up with control, posture, and awareness—every single rep. That’s why it’s perfect for powerlifters, strongman competitors, and any serious lifter who wants to build real, transferable strength—not just look strong with good lighting.

They’re Not Just for Barbell Sports, Either

Yes, they’re a mainstay in powerlifting and strongman—but the good morning has value far beyond the platform. They build glute, hamstring, and spinal strength that supports:

• Running

• Jumping

• Carrying heavy loads

• Combat sports

• Physical resilience in general

You don’t need to pull 300kg to benefit. If you’re a human being with a spine and hips, the good morning has something to offer.

Hell, when I was weightlifting back in the day, I used to do good morning jumps. That’s right—hinge back under load, brace, and launch. It was wild. And incredibly effective for teaching hip extension with violence.

No, It’s Not Outdated. Maybe You Are.

We’ve hit a point in fitness where people are more scared of effort than injury. That’s the only reason good mornings get left out. Not because they don’t work, but because they’re hard to teach, hard to learn, and hard to cheat.

So we replace them with half-hearted glute bridges, fancy machines, and endless banded fluff. And then we wonder why nobody’s squat has gone up in two years.

The truth? If you’re not using good mornings somewhere in your training, you are leaving strength on the table.

Ready to Stop Wasting Time With Shit Programming?

You need more than recycled Instagram workouts and rep calculators.

You need programming that’s built around your weaknesses, your events, and your goals. I use movements like the good morning—programmed properly, with the right bar, at the right time—to build real-world strength that transfers to the platform, the podium, or wherever you do battle.

If you’re serious about getting strong and staying strong—without wasting months chasing shiny distractions:

➡️ Apply for coaching now at TEAMJOSHHEZZA.com

Let’s build a back that doesn’t break. Let’s bring the good morning—and full bush—back to the forefront.

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