I’m having a bit of trouble with my Good Mornings. I thought I was doing them right, but there’s no way I can be after reading everyone elses experiences with them.
See, they’re a hamstring exercise, yes? All the time I thought they were a lower back exercise…
I feel it in my lower back but not my hamstrings, so I must be doing something wrong… I’ve checked sites that have examples of good mornings and I thought I was doing them right, but again, apparently i’m not.
Can anyone offer any tips on how to properly perform them?
Note:
When I first started working out (especially doing my squats) my legs weren’t being worked, my core was. My lower back was holding me back from working my legs. I stuck with it and now my legs are finally being worked as well as my back. Maybe my lower back is just too weak for Good Mornings?
Are you quite sure that you’re not moving your back in the exercise? It’s easy done, especially to get that last inch or so of movement - and that’s the worst place (i.e. maximum strain potential) to eccentrically work your lower back muscles.
You could possibly check this with a broomstick and observer - place the stick from head to ass, and bend forward at the hips. The point when your head/shoulders leaves the stick is where you are flexing your back, even if you don’t think you are (the observer can see this more easily than you can feel it). If your hip flexibility is poor, it will tend to promote your lower back muscles to contract eccentrically thus causing your problems?
You could try Romanian Deadlifts instead of Good Mornings - both are designed to hammer the posterior chain; I personally find it easier to focus on the RDL relative to Good Morning’s.
