Bar Patterns Part 7 - Good Mornings
Bar Patterns: Good Mornings
Part 7 in the series
Grasp the bar with a clean grip. Your hands should be just a little wider apart than shoulder-width. You do not want to hold the bar with a wide grip, this will cause an internal rotation of your shoulders and loss of an upright posture as you stand in a position that resembles the back squat. Place the bar on your upper back so it is resting on your trapezius muscles as they are retracted back very tightly. You should not have the bar in contact with any vertebrae as it rests on your upper back. The shoulder retraction contracts your trapezius muscles so they “hide” your spine under the muscles, resulting in the bar resting on tissue rather than bone.
Standing tall with your knees slightly bent (do not perform this lift with locked-out knees) tighten your belly muscles. Find a spot on the floor about 6 – 8 feet in front of you. Maintain this focal point throughout the exercise to help keep a flat back and neutral spine at your neck. Begin with your weight through the center of your foot. Bend over while keeping your low back flat (I like to think of tipping from the bottom of my hips rather than the top of my hips). As you bend over, shift your weight behind your heels, while still keeping the entire foot in contact with the ground. As you push your hips behind your heels and you begin to bend over, be certain that the bar stays directly above the arch of your foot. The main focus while doing good mornings is to shift your weight over your feet. The bar will have a vertical path over your feet as you bend over and return to standing. You will feel some stretch in your hamstrings and glutes. Perform the good morning very slowly.
Here are 3 key steps to think about while doing a good morning:
- Begin standing with a very tightly flexed belly.
- Move your hips to a position behind your heels as you bend over.
- The bar must always stay in a vertical path over your feet.