Seated Good Mornings
How to do the Seated Good Mornings
- 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.
How to program the Seated Good Mornings
Sets and reps
As a compound movement, the Seated Good Mornings responds well to heavier loading. For strength, work in the 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps range with 2–3 minutes of rest between sets. For muscle growth, 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with 90 seconds of rest is the classic hypertrophy zone. Place it early in your session, when you're freshest, and leave 1–3 reps in reserve on most sets.
Progression
The Seated Good Mornings is rated intermediate. Earn the right to progress: only add load when every rep of every set moves with consistent technique. Video your sets or use a mirror to check positions, and use double progression (add reps to the top of your range, then add load and reset) rather than jumping weight.
Secondary muscles worked
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Seated Good Mornings work?
The Seated Good Mornings primarily targets the Lower Back. It also recruits the Glutes as supporting muscles.
What equipment do I need for the Seated Good Mornings?
You need Barbell. Difficulty level: Intermediate.
How many sets and reps of the Seated Good Mornings should I do?
For strength, do 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps with 2–3 minutes rest. For muscle growth, do 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with about 90 seconds rest.
