Hamstrings
Smith Machine Good Morning
The Smith Machine Good Morning is a strength exercise in a Smith machine for your hamstrings. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: spinal erectors (lower back) 24%, gluteus maximus 21% and hamstrings (biceps femoris) 21%.
How to do it
- Set the smith machine bar at upper chest height and step under it, resting it on your upper back.
- Grip the bar just outside the shoulders, set the feet hip-width slightly in front of the bar and unhook it.
- Unlock the knees slightly and brace the core.
- Push the hips back and hinge forward with a flat back until the torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
- Drive the hips forward to stand tall again.
Tips
- Place the feet slightly forward so the vertical bar path matches your hinge.
- Set the safety stops just below your lowest point.
Common mistakes
- Standing directly under the bar so the hips cannot move back.
- Rounding the back to go deeper.
- Squatting down instead of hinging.
Muscles worked by the Smith Machine Good Morning
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
The bar on the back makes the lever longer for the spine (Vigotsky 2015). Hinging at the hips with nearly straight knees loads the hamstrings in a long position together with the glutes; the erectors hold the spine neutral.
Smith Machine Good Morning alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
Easier
No equipment
Make it harder
Make it easier
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Smith Machine Good Morning work?
Mainly the spinal erectors (lower back), gluteus maximus, hamstrings (biceps femoris) and hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus). The adductors assist.
Is the Smith Machine Good Morning good for beginners?
The Smith Machine Good Morning is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Band Good Morning first and build up from there.
What is a good alternative to the Smith Machine Good Morning?
For example the Band Good Morning, Cable Good Morning and Band Romanian Deadlift. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
How do you make the Smith Machine Good Morning harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Single Leg Good Morning and Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift.
Sources
- Bourne et al. 2017, Br J Sports Med 51(13):1021-1028 (hamstring exercise selection)
- Vigotsky et al. 2015, PeerJ 3:e708 (good morning)
Log your sets in Zulta
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