Seated Good Mornings
An intermediate compound powerlifting exercise that works the lower back, using a barbell.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Seated Good Mornings
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pause just above the pins and reverse the motion until your torso it upright.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Seated Good Mornings
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Deficit Deadlift
An intermediate compound powerlifting exercise that works the lower back, using a barbell.
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2
Rack Pull with Bands
An intermediate compound powerlifting exercise that works the lower back, using a barbell.
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3
Rack Pulls
An intermediate compound powerlifting exercise that works the lower back, using a barbell.
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4
Deadlift with Bands
An advanced compound powerlifting exercise that works the lower back, using a barbell.
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5
Deadlift with Chains
An advanced compound powerlifting exercise that works the lower back, using a barbell.
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6
Reverse Band Deadlift
An advanced compound powerlifting exercise that works the lower back, using a barbell.
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7
Atlas Stone Trainer
An intermediate compound strongman exercise that works the lower back.
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8
Axle Deadlift
An intermediate compound strongman exercise that works the lower back.
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9
Hyperextensions With No Hyperextension Bench
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the lower back, needing no equipment.
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10
Keg Load
An intermediate compound strongman exercise that works the lower back.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do seated good mornings work?
Seated Good Mornings primarily works the lower back. The glutes assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for seated good mornings?
Seated Good Mornings uses barbell.
Seated Good Mornings: is it suitable for beginners?
Seated Good Mornings is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.
What can I do instead of seated good mornings?
Deficit Deadlift, Rack Pull with Bands, Rack Pulls train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my seated good mornings reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; seated good mornings can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Seated Good Mornings with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.