Back / Intermediate / Compound (multi-joint)

Seated Good Mornings

A barbell exercise for the lower back, with the glutes assisting.

At a glance

Primary

Lower back (erectors)

Secondary

Glutes

Equipment

Barbell

Movement pattern

Hip hinge, Spinal extension

Level

Intermediate

Type

Back, Compound (multi-joint)

Loads the lower back. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

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.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Going heavy on an exercise meant to be moderate.

  Why it hurts: The bar sits far from the hip on a long lever, so small technique lapses load the lower back heavily.

  ✓ Instead: Use light to moderate loads and slow reps; treat it as an accessory, not a max lift.

• ✗ Looking up and cranking the neck.

  Why it hurts: The neck extends under the bar and the lower back tends to follow into over-arching.

  ✓ Instead: Keep the gaze a couple of metres in front of your feet so the head stays in line with the spine.

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