Good Morning (Seated, Barbell)

A seated variation of the hip-hinge movement that removes leg drive to isolate the lower back and glutes. This exercise targets the spinal erectors and helps improve hip mobility and core stability.

How Iridium Helps

The seated good morning places significant demand on the erector spinae, a muscle group prone to cumulative fatigue. The AI analyzes your recovery metrics, such as HRV and recent lifting volume, to ensure your lower back is ready for this load. By tracking your RPE and performance trends, the app can detect if you are grinding reps—a high risk for this movement—and adjust the weight or volume in real-time to keep you in a safe, effective training zone without compromising spinal integrity.

Form Cues

Do
  • Sit with feet flat and wider than shoulder-width to allow space for your torso.
  • Place the barbell across your upper traps, keeping your upper back tight.
  • Hinge at the hips, keeping your spine neutral and chest up as you lower.
  • Descend until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor or you feel a deep stretch.
  • Drive back up to the starting position by extending your hips and squeezing your glutes.
Don't
  • Don't round your lower back at any point during the movement.
  • Don't let the weight pull your neck forward or down.
  • Don't relax your core tension at the bottom of the movement.
  • Don't jerk the weight up; maintain a controlled tempo.

Common Mistakes

  • Rounding the lumbar spine
  • Using excessive weight
  • Descending too quickly
  • Looking down excessively
  • Lack of core bracing

Muscles Worked

This exercise primarily targets the erector spinae along the spinal column, serving as an intense strengthening movement for the lower back. By sitting down, you reduce hamstring engagement compared to the standing version, forcing the lower back and glutes to perform the majority of the work to extend the torso.

Primary

Erector Spinae

Secondary

HamstringsGlutes

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