Good mornings are a demanding hamstring and lower back exercise traditionally performed as part of bodybuilding and weightlifting workouts. To perform a good morning, place a barbell across the back of your shoulders and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your knees slightly bent but rigid, lean forward at the hips as far as you can without rounding your lower back. Pause in this stretched position for one to two seconds before standing up and repeating. There are a number of hamstring exercises you can perform to improve your ability to do the good morning exercise.
Stiff-legged Deadlifts
Stiff-legged deadlifts are similar to good mornings, but the barbell is held in your hands as opposed to across your shoulders. This reduces the amount of work from your lower back and emphasizes your hamstrings. To perform the stiff-legged deadlift, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell in front of your hips while using a shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your knees slightly bent but fixed, push your butt back and bend forward at the hips to lower the barbell below the level of your knees. Hold this stretched position for a second or two before pushing your hips forward and standing back up into the starting position.
Leg Curls
This exercise isolates your hamstrings. Adjust the leg curl machine so that your knees are in line with the lever arm pivot point. Starting with straight legs, bend your knees and pull your feet toward your buttocks. Hold the most contracted position for one to two seconds before slowly extending your knees and repeating the exercise. Because there are variations in leg curl machine design, depending on manufacturer and model, you should seek advice on how to best use the machine you have access to.
Hip Bridges
Hip bridges strengthen your hamstrings as well as your buttocks and lower back. Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor, close to your buttocks. Push down through your heels to lift your hips toward the ceiling. Pause for one to two seconds in this top position before lowering your hips to the ground. For a more challenging exercise, perform it with a weight held across the fronts of your hips or by using one leg at a time.
High Step-ups
This exercise works the whole of your lower leg, but especially the hamstrings. Stand with your feet together and hands by your sides. Using a knee-height step box, place your left foot on the step and push down through your heel to lift yourself up onto the step. Step back down, leading with the left leg, and continue for the desired number of repetitions before changing legs. You can increase the difficulty of this exercise by holding dumbbells, placing a barbell across your shoulders, wearing a weighted vest or using a higher step.
Kettlebell Swings
Performing kettlebell swings increases the strength and power of your hamstrings. Hold the kettlebell in front of you in both hands and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and push your hips backward to lower the kettlebell between your knees. Explosively thrust your hips forward and swing the kettlebell up to head height while keeping your arms straight. Allow gravity to swing the kettlebell back down and into the starting position before repeating for the desired number of repetitions.
References
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
- "The Complete Book of Butt and Legs"; Kurt Brungardt, Mike Brungardt, and Brett Brungardt; 1995
- "Designing Resistance Training Programs"; Steven Fleck and William Kraemer; 2003
Member Comments