Barbell Good Morning

1. Set a barbell in a rack and take it on your upper traps as you would for a low bar or high bar squat, then step back.
2. Stand with feet hip to shoulder width apart and a soft bend in the knees.
3. Take a big breath, brace your core, and lock your lats down to pin the bar in place.
4. Push your hips straight back and let your torso hinge forward, keeping the spine neutral.
5. Lower until your torso approaches parallel to the floor or until your hamstrings stop the movement, whichever comes first.
6. Drive the hips forward to return to standing, exhaling through the ascent.
7. Re-brace at the top before each rep and keep the weight over midfoot the entire time.

Common Mistakes

• Rounding the back: letting the spine flex under load is the cardinal error here; if you cannot hold neutral, the weight is too heavy.
• Treating it as a heavy lift too soon: this movement punishes ego loading; start with the empty bar or 20 to 40 kg and progress slowly.
• Bending the knees too much: turning the hinge into a squat shortens the hamstrings and removes the stretch that makes the exercise work.
• Hinging with a fast drop: diving down quickly makes the bottom position hard to control; lower over two to three seconds.