Dumbbell Good Mornings to Sculpt Your Legs and Booty (+ Barbell Version)

“Good mornings” are one of my favorite exercises. You can do dumbbell good mornings or barbell good mornings and it’s an exercise that works the hamstrings, the glutes and the lower back/core. Some people hate them but I love them. Form is very important when you do these because it’s easy to injure yourself.

If you’re a beginner I would definitely start out with dumbbells and check out the videos below. To get a feel for the movement you might even want to try a few without using any weight. It’s very helpful if you have a mirror to check yourself.

Always use caution when performing lower back exercises, along with all other exercises. A lot of people neglect exercises that strengthen their lower back/core so it’s important to use caution and not lift too heavy when you are first starting out. Back injuries are nothing to fool around with!

How to Do Dumbbell Good Mornings

There are actually two variations of dumbbell good mornings that I’ve seen. You can either use a single dumbbell (generally a heavier dumbbell held with your hands on either side) or use two lighter dumbbells (one in each hand) for dumbbell good mornings.

Equipment needed:

• One large (medium to heavy weight) dumbbell
• OR two small (light weight) dumbbells

Here are my favorite dumbbells that I use and recommend.

To execute dumbbell good mornings:

• If using a single dumbbell, hold one dumbbell with your hands on either side and bring the dumbbell in close to your chest OR if using two dumbbells, hold them up at the shoulders with your palms facing towards you.
• Stand straight up with your feet hip-width to shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
• Inhale and bend over at the hip lowering your torso until your back is almost parallel to the ground. Some people go to parallel but I don’t go quite to parallel to prevent added stress on my spine.
• Exhale and then slowly raise your torso back up so you’re in a standing position again.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Using a dumbbell is perfect if you like high reps and/or are a beginner to the exercise.

Once you get stronger you can definitely move up to barbell good mornings. I’d definitely try with a naked bar first — no added weight. These are fun!

How to Do Barbell Good Mornings

Equipment needed:

• Olympic barbell
• Lighter barbell (cheaper)

Here are the barbells that I use and recommend.

To execute barbell good mornings:

• Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip
• Bring the bar over your head and rest it on your upper back, where it feels most comfortable. I tend to rest the bar just below my neck on the back of my shoulders. You definitely don’t want the bar resting on your neck or directly on your shoulders. It’s very similar to how you’d position the bar for a back squat.
• Stand straight up with your feet hip-width to shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
• Inhale and slowly bend over at the hip lowering your torso until your back is almost parallel to the ground. Some people go to parallel but I don’t go quite to parallel to prevent added stress on my spine.
• Exhale and then slowly raise your torso back up so you’re in a standing position again.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Kettlebell Good Mornings

If you don’t have a barbell another option is to use a kettlebell.

If you aren’t too comfortable with performing the barbell or dumbbell good mornings properly, or just don’t want to, here are a few alternative exercises that will work the same major muscle groups:

• Back raises or hyperextensions
• Stiff-legged deadlifts
• Glute hamstring developers

Depending on what equipment you have to work with, those are a few variations of good morning exercises you can try for sculpting your legs and your booty. My favorite are barbell good mornings of course!

xo Mindi