Not Feeling Goodmornings in Hammies

i’ve done some goodmornings for 3rm. i seemed to feel it most in the lower back, whereas i think the hams should be targeted the most. am I doing something wrong or is this normal?
any good article/vid that teaches goodmornings well? nowadays it’s a rare exercise.

Imagine someone has a string tied to your bum and is pulling your hips directly backward. That should be the motion, not simply a bend at the waist, which will be all erectors.

I like good mornings, but I would recommend leaving a little bit in the tank at all time when performing them. In other words, a 3 rep set probably shouldn’t be a true 3RM. Go a little low just to play it safe.

Also, I mainly feel it in my glutes, which is how I believe it should be.

damnit. how much do i bend me knees then? i’m doing it with little bend so the only way i can go down is by bending 0.0

I think you misunderstood what he meant. For me it always helps to just think of pushing my hips back. i dont think of it as bending over at all. Just keep pushing them back and you’ll get into position. If i cheat and bend at my waist i dont feel it as much in my hamstrings, but if im pushing my hips back i get a really tight stretch. SO just keep pushing the hips back.

Just think of doing an RDL with the bar on your back.

you’re bowing down thats why its in your lower back.

like any hip exercise, shoot your bum back and sit back while keeping your core tight.

Your hips should act like a lever to lower the torso like your going into a squat.

Besides what everyone else had said about pushing your hips back, dorsiflexing your toes inside your shoes so you are on your heels always seem to help me, in RDL and SLDL’s too.

You might feel it more if you lighten the load and do more than three-rep sets.

Thanks guys I think the problem was bending at the waist and not thinking SLDL style.
what is the difference between SLDL/RDL and GM’s then, other than bar position?

An SLDL with the bar on your back is what it sounds like you’re doing atm (ie just bending over at the waist).

With an RDL you push your hips BACK and as a result the weight will stay close to or touching your body the entire time.

The hips going BACK and NOT just bending over is what you wanna be doing with GMs.

Just remember to keep your lower back arched (not rounded) as hard as possible. Check out this video on elite. Has some good information in it.
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=66463&tid=

This applies to good mornings, sldl, and rdls.

thanks hanley. never knew that about sldl (thought rdl/sldl were almost same.)

jake, that’s a good video :slight_smile:

[quote]kickureface wrote:
thanks hanley. never knew that about sldl (thought rdl/sldl were almost same.)

jake, that’s a good video :)[/quote]

Hey, no problem. Glad I could help. Remember too when keeping a solid arch, it is hips pushed back and abs and chest pushed out.

[quote]Jakebambeeno wrote:
Just remember to keep your lower back arched (not rounded) as hard as possible. Check out this video on elite. Has some good information in it.
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=66463&tid=

This applies to good mornings, sldl, and rdls.[/quote]

bingo. You can do them with a rounded/flat back but it’s going to hit the lower back more than the hammies. For lower back I like seated GMs better than rounded/flat back GMs. Rounded/flat back GMs may be better for wrestlers or strongman, where and arched back may not be best or posible in the lift.

so i tried it today, as i increased the weight i noticed myself not pushing back as much (because there was less hamstring tension than with just the bar). is this a common problem? i did a drop set and tried to do it better.
great info here

Well, as you increase the weight on your good mornings, you are going to have, of course, more downward force. Thus, your hamstrings should be less likely to resist because there is more force upon them. Just check out some videos on youtube of people doing good mornings with 400lbs plus.

This should give you an idea of what you should be doing. When you do good mornings, do you place the bar at the base of your neck? If so, try to get the bar place lower on your back. This will allow you to use more weight. More weight used will generally equal muscle fibers stimulated.

This will help on your squats too. Keep your form in check though.
Let us know how it goes.

I pushed my GM weight up a bit today but also tried to explode as hard as possible from the bottom. I really felt it alot more in my hamstrings this way. And crazily enough, down at my knees!

[quote]Hanley wrote:
I pushed my GM weight up a bit today but also tried to explode as hard as possible from the bottom. I really felt it alot more in my hamstrings this way. And crazily enough, down at my knees![/quote]

Have you ever tried suspended good mornings? I was doing them about a month back, and my hamstrings would get sore sore that it would be painful to touch them.

I like to use the cambered bar because you can really stack on the weight on it is easier on your shoulders. I was able to get up to 535lbs, but it was kind of a combination between a quarter squat and a good morning. I have noticed this exercise has helped my deadlift and rows a lot.

I personally don’t believe in adding considerable weight on Good Mornings,my back feels prone in this position as it is.
The most I would do is 20kg (44lbs.)-its enough that its just out of my comfort zone on the last few reps.

I always go for higher reps on this one though,I feel building endurance is very important in the muscles involved and often neglected-after all,the lower back is engaged for most of the day,even when sitting down.
In my experience,this has worked better with myself and clients than a low-rep,heavy weight approach.

For strength,I prefer a hyperextension bench,progressively adding heavier weight plates held to the chest.

There is a story I read about Bruce Lee severely injuring his back while doing Good Mornings-

He loaded a barbell with 135 pounds (approx. 61kg) which was his approximate body weight at the time.

He did 8 reps and on the last rep felt a twinge in his lower back and a “pop”.
He had damaged the fourth sacral nerve in his lower back.

He suffered from intense back pain for the rest of his life.

Bruce did not blame this on the exercise,he blamed it on the fact he did not warm up first.
However,in retrospect he noted-

‘Doing weighted Good Mornings was stupid of me.All you need is just the bar itself’

One thing I wil say is I didn’t feel it in my hamstrings until I started wearing Converse All Stars (or ‘Chucks’ as they are affectionately known,especially amongst lifters!) to the gym.

I always go for the high-top boot as well,not the low-cut ones-you get some ankle support without them being too restrictive.
You get a better stretch in the Hammies with your feet on the floor.

Also good for deadlifts,squats,etc.-most cross-trainers just don’t cut it…