Hanging Bar Good Morning

Also called suspended good morning, chain good morning and hanging good morning.

Works

Hamstrings, plus abs, glutes and lower back

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Intermediate

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Begin with a bar on a rack at about the same height as your stomach. Suspend the bar using chains or suspension straps.

1. Bend over underneath the bar and rack the bar across the rear of your shoulders as you would a power squat, not on top of your traps. At the proper height, you should be near parallel to the floor when bent over. Keep your back tight, shoulder blades pinched together, and your knees slightly bent. Keep your back arched and your cervical spine in proper alignment.
2. Begin the motion by extending through the hips with your glutes and hamstrings, and you are standing with the weight.
3. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position, where it is supported by the chains.

Cues

• Bar hung at stomach height.
• Get under it, back tight.
• Drive the hips forward to stand.
• Lower back to a dead stop.

Common mistakes

• Rounding the back.
• Squatting the bar up.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a cranky lower back. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Easier

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