PVC Good Morning
A fundamental mobility drill using a lightweight PVC pipe to teach the hip hinge pattern. It targets the hamstrings and lower back, helping beginners master spinal alignment before adding heavy load.
Iridium classifies this strictly as a mobility drill, meaning it contributes zero volume toward your weekly landmarks and does not negatively impact your recovery scores. If you have enabled dynamic warmups in your settings, Iridium programs this movement to prime your hip hinge mechanics before heavy lower-body sessions. This ensures your nervous system is prepared for compound lifts without introducing pre-exhaustion to the erectors or hamstrings.
Form Cues
- Place the PVC pipe across your upper traps, keeping your chest open
- Unlock your knees slightly before initiating the movement
- Drive your hips straight back toward the wall behind you
- Keep your spine neutral and your core braced throughout
- Squeeze your glutes firmly to return to a standing position
- Don't round your lower back as you hinge forward
- Don't lock your knees completely straight
- Don't squat down; this is a hip movement, not a knee movement
- Don't look straight up; keep your neck in line with your spine
- Don't rush the descent; focus on feeling the hamstring stretch
Common Mistakes
- Rounding the lumbar spine
- Turning the movement into a squat
- Hyperextending the neck
- Placing the pipe too high on the neck
- Not engaging glutes at the top
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the erector spinae and hamstrings, teaching these muscles to lengthen under tension while maintaining a rigid spine. The glutes act as the primary mover to extend the hips back to the starting position, making it an excellent activation drill for the entire posterior chain.
Primary
Secondary
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