Good Morning exercise is almost the most famous of all movements for the lower back muscles. This is due to its high efficiency and versatility. Good Morning can be done both in the gym and at home. Unlike hyperextension, this exercise does not require a simulator. Moreover, when performing it, you can use any weights: dumbbell, barbell or other improvised means. In this article, we will take a detailed look at this exercise.
What is a Dumbbell Good Morning?
Dumbbell Good Morning is a complex exercise that involves several muscle groups simultaneously in various ways. It helps to strengthen the muscles of the legs, back and buttocks. However, this movement is often ignored for fear of getting a back injury.
This exercise got its name because it looks like a bow down. For this, many people do not like him, because from the outside it seems that something just went wrong during the squat. Some people are afraid of the execution technique.
Of course, if you do it carelessly, you can earn a serious injury. However, in order to overcome the plateau in strength training, Good Morning exercise is ideal.
What Muscles Do Dumbbell Good Morning Work?
First of all, during the performance of Dumbbell Good Morning, the muscles of the back of the thigh are involved. They work together with the hamstrings and provide mobility to the knees. The strength of the muscles of the back of the thigh is important for many sports and in everyday life.
Also active are the so-called synergistic muscles that work together with others. These include gluteal muscle and adductor magnus muscle. The gluteal muscle is responsible for stretching, rotating the hips, and moving them to the side. The adductor magnus muscle is a small muscle that is also involved in all hip movements.
Good Morning is an exercise that also involves small but very important muscles that straighten the spine, which contributes not only to a strong back, but also to a healthy posture and correct gait.
Injury Risk
As with any other physical activity, despite all the benefits and active work of different muscle groups, there are always risks.
Good Morning is an exercise that is great for working out the back of the thigh and back, but with the wrong technique, it is also the most dangerous of all. Especially if you use barbell.
The risk of injury is highest when the body is closest to parallel with the floor. In this case, the barbell puts maximum pressure on the spine. With the wrong technique and not strong enough back muscles, this is a direct way to the hospital.
If you are a beginner, then do not rush to perform Good Morning exercise with a barbell. Use dumbbell to thoroughly learn the technique.
It should also be remembered that this is not a movement where you calisthenic shoulder workout should experiment with extremely heavy weights. In this case, the main thing is technique, and if you want to show off strength, then there are many other safer options for the back.
How to Do a Dumbbell Good Morning?
Dumbbell Good Morning seems pretty simple to perform, but it’s still important to remember a few simple rules:
- First of all, you need to learn how to do the tilt correctly.
- Take the dumbbell with both hands and place it behind the neck. This will make the exercise safer.
- Do not bend straight to parallel with the floor or below. It is enough to stop about 15 ° above the parallel.
- First use a light weight, and then gradually increase the load.
- Do not perform the exercise on straight legs. This will create excessive pressure on the lower back.
Dumbbell Good Morning technique is very similar to squats:
- The beginning is similar to squats. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place the dumbbell behind your neck. Take a deep breath and tighten your abdominal muscles.
- Begin to take your hips back, slightly bending your knees. Continue to bring your hips back, lowering your torso to almost parallel with the floor. At the lowest point, the shins should remain perpendicular to the floor and the knees should be slightly bent.
- Slowly bring your hips forward and lift your torso to the starting position.
The exercise is quite simple to perform. However, we recommend filming your technique on video so that you can analyze the mistakes.
Variations
There are several variations of Good Morning exercise:
- Barbell. This is the most efficient option. It allows you to create a lot of stress on the muscles. Place the barbell on the back of the deltoids.
- Resistance band. This option minimizes the load on the spine and allows you to effectively work out the buttocks and biceps of the thigh.
- Isometric. Slowly lower yourself to almost parallel with the floor. Then hold this position for 2-10 seconds and return to the starting position. Isometric exercises are the best way to build strength quickly.
- On one leg. This is a harder version of the exercise. It allows you to increase strength and train your sense of balance. But be extremely careful.
Good Morning can also be performed with any other weighting agents: chains, weight plates, and so on.
Conclusion
Dumbbell Good Morning is an exercise that effectively targets the gluteal muscles, hamstrings and lower back. However, extreme caution should be exercised when performing it, as failure to follow the technique can result in serious injury.
If you cannot do this exercise in any variation, then you can still put enough stress on the target muscles with barbell squats or deadlift.