How to do a Good Morning
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands behind your head.
- Soften your knees and brace your core.
- Push your hips back and hinge your torso forward.
- Keep your back flat and chest proud as you fold.
- Lower until you feel a hamstring stretch, torso near parallel.
- Drive your hips forward to return upright.
Keep in mind
- Hands on your head or crossed on your chest, elbows wide.
- Push the hips back and let the chest travel forward as one piece.
- Keep a soft bend in the knees throughout.
- Feel the stretch in your hamstrings, and stop there.
Common mistakes
- Bending at the waist instead of hinging at the hips — think 'hips back', not 'chest down'.
- Locking the knees straight — leave them soft.
- Going past a flat back — those last few degrees come from the spine, not the hips.
Breathing
Breathe in as you hinge forward, out as you stand up.
Take care
Unloaded, this is a good way to learn the hinge — but stop at once if you feel a pinch rather than a stretch.
Easier and harder
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