posterior chain

Hey I ran into an interesting “difference” at the gym the other day. I was doing box squats (maximum effort day) and then moved to good mornings. Not only did I use more weight on the good mornings I also did more reps. Does this just mean I’m a freak or is it some kind of imbalance? Thanks for any input.

I thought Box Squats were only meant to be used as part of a dynamic effort. Wouldn’t max effort box squats have harmful effects on your spine?

Most likely your abs are lagging, and your back is doing all the work on squats. Only reason your GMing more than squatting.

Greg

You may have bad form on your box squats or good mornings. or, maybe you are doing very low box squats. the lower i go, the less weight i can use. Are you holding back on your box squats. i doubt it, but it could be a serious imbalance.

no, heavy box squats will nor damage your spine if you box squat correctly. you have to control the weight. No dropping or bouncing.

it also depends on how far down you go on good mornings. depending on the variation of good morning you do, it makes a huge difference.

Hey thanks for all the input any more would be greatly appreciated.

bump

Probably has a lot to do with how you were doing the good mornings. Arched back good mornings allow you to do a lot more weight vs bent over good mornings. Just look back at your form

I use a flat back good morning. And keep excellent form on both. Could the depth of the box be an issue I just go to parallel. Thanks for any more input.

Neither…nor. What you probably have experienced is a phenomenon called postactivation: In the squat the quads are prime movers (sorry louie!); the hams and glutes also work but not as much as the quads. If after the squat you chose an exercise where the posterior chain is a prime mover (and take enough rest between the exercises) like good mornings, the posterior chain gets stronger; the hams, glutes and erector trunci got “excited” by the squats.
You can experience the same phenomenon if you alternate between the bench press and a direct triceps exercise (and take enough rest between the exercises).
It’s an amazing training technique to boost your progress.
(I’m sorry 4 my english, but I live in Switzerland.)
Bye jr

Box Squats are used on both the Dynamic and Max Effort days. Typically done on different box heights. What is the height of the box you are using? If it is very low, and your Good Morning form is well above parallel, then sure, you can do more weight with a Good Morning. For the most part though, no, you should be able to squat more than you can do a Good Morning.

bump

Box height could be an issue. Just curious, just how big of a difference in weight are we talking about. I rarely did box squat max for ME day, but I know my best Box ME single (1" below parallel) was about 150lbs more than my best bent over GM triple; however, I could archback GM more than I could box squat (which is very typical). One other thing you can look at is that you do become static on the box, so if you speed is slow, then you will have a harder time getting off the box. Also, it takes alot more hip strength to get off the box. With the GM, you have the advantage of no static point during the movement, so momentum becomes your friend. Just brainstorming here. Chad

I would agree with Johnny Roseano(he also responded to your question. On my squat day I am so pumped and psyched up that each progressive set is more intense than the previous. Upon completion of my squatting routine i am so psyched that it just carries over through the rest of my routine. I never do good mornings, I do stiff leg deadlifts following my squats and leg extensions. Like I said befor it just carries all throughout the entire workout all the way out the doors of the gym. Like Johnny said, the stimulation you get from squatting is where your outstanding performace with your good mornings is coming from.

Hey thanks for all the info

bump

This indeed is a interesting thread of discussion. However, I have been under the impression that Good Mornings are not the best excercise - now I am fully aware of correct form when performing Good Mornings. But it’s a exercise that I have long dismissed from my regular routine. I instead perform deadlifts, regular hypers and reverse hypers - and yes, I do squat and box squat. But I’m just curious as to why take a chance with a exercise that can be more negative than a positive addition to a routine? Or has the GM just gotten a bad “rep”?

Good mornings have gotten a bad rap. They are irreplaceable for the posterior chain. And being a lineman it is a very sport specific movement. You just have to use proper form (like anything) and don’t over tax your self. Anything in weight lifting is dangerous but useing proper form and doing g-mornings in a squat rack or power cage will decrease that risk.

Yeah, that is pretty queer.