Stiff-Leg Good Morning
Trains the Spinal Erectors.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set a light barbell in a rack at upper-chest height and rest it across your upper back.
- Unrack it and step back, feet hip-width apart.
- Straighten your knees almost fully, leaving only the smallest bend — this is what distinguishes it from a normal good morning.
- Brace your stomach and set your back flat.
- Push your hips back and hinge forward, keeping the legs nearly straight and the back flat.
- Lower until the hamstrings stop the movement, then drive the hips forward to stand back up.
Common mistakes
- Using anything close to a normal good morning weight. Straightening the legs removes the knee's contribution and shortens the range the hamstrings can allow, so the usable load drops sharply.
- Bending the knees as it gets hard, which quietly turns it back into a standard good morning.
- Rounding the back to reach further down. The end of the range is set by the hamstrings, and pushing past it by rounding the spine changes what is being loaded.
- Chasing depth. How far the torso can travel with straight legs varies a great deal between people and is not something to force.