Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Barbell Seated Good Morning: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The barbell seated good morning is a strength exercise that targets the glutes, with secondary emphasis on the hamstrings and lower back. It involves sitting on a bench with a barbell on your upper back, hinging forward at the hips, and returning to the upright position.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Hamstrings
Equipment
Barbell
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the barbell seated good morning
Front view: muscles worked by the barbell seated good morning. Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the barbell seated good morning. Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the barbell seated good morning

  1. Step 1: Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and a barbell resting on your upper back.
  2. Step 2: Keep your back straight and your chest up.
  3. Step 3: Slowly hinge forward at the hips, lowering your torso towards the ground.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the barbell seated good morning by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Barbell Seated Good Morning alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

More glutes exercises

See the best glute exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.