The good morning is a barbell exercise where you set the bar across your upper back like a squat, then hinge forward at your hips until your torso gets close to parallel with the floor before standing back up. Your knees stay soft with a slight bend the whole time, so almost all the work comes from your hips bending while your hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors fight to pull you back upright. It’s one of the best exercises for building a strong hip hinge, and 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps at a moderate load builds real posterior chain strength over time.
There are a few solid reasons to look for a substitute. The good morning puts your lower back under load at the exact moment your spine is most vulnerable, at the bottom of the hinge with your torso near parallel to the floor, so any breakdown in form there tends to show up as lower back soreness or worse. Some lifters just don’t trust that position with a loaded bar across their shoulders, and that’s a reasonable line to draw. You might also be sharing a squat rack, training at home without a bar at all, or simply want a machine or cable option that trains the same hip hinge without asking your spine to stabilize a barbell.
I picked the 8 alternatives below for how well they train the hip hinge without putting your lower back at as much risk, how much equipment they need, and how well they build the hamstrings, glutes, and erectors the good morning is known for. A few of these are near-identical swaps for the same slot in your program, and a couple are safer options if your lower back is the reason you’re looking for a change in the first place. Keep reading and I’ll walk you through when to use each one and exactly how to perform it.
Table of Contents
- 1 The 8 Best Good Morning Alternatives
- 2 Reasons to Choose a Good Morning Alternative
- 3 Muscles Worked by the Good Morning
- 4 FAQs
- 4.1 What’s the closest alternative to a good morning?
- 4.2 Can I build a strong lower back without good mornings?
- 4.3 What’s the best good morning alternative for a bad lower back?
- 4.4 What’s the best good morning alternative at home?
- 4.5 Why do good mornings hurt my lower back?
- 4.6 How many hip hinge exercises should I do per workout?
- 5 Key Takeaways
- 6 Other Alternative Exercises
- 6.1 The 9 Best Pendlay Row Alternatives
- 6.2 The 10 Best Front Squat Alternatives
- 6.3 The 10 Best Lat Pulldown Alternatives
- 6.4 The 7 Best Deadlift Alternatives
- 6.5 The 10 Best Bent Over Row Alternatives
- 6.6 The 10 Best Leg Extension Alternatives
- 6.7 The 10 Best Pallof Press Alternatives
- 6.8 The 10 Best Plank Alternatives
- 6.9 The 10 Best Hack Squat Alternatives
- 6.10 The 10 Best Lying Leg Curl Alternatives
- 6.11 The 9 Best Leg Press Alternatives
- 6.12 The 8 Best Decline Bench Press Alternatives
- 6.13 The 9 Best Lunge Alternatives
- 6.14 The 8 Best Ab Rollout Alternatives
- 6.15 The 10 Best Dumbbell Pullover Alternatives
The 8 Best Good Morning Alternatives
- Romanian Deadlift
- 45-Degree Back Extension
- Cable Pull-Through
- Glute-Ham Raise
- Reverse Hyperextension
- Kettlebell Swing
- Stiff-Leg Deadlift
- Nordic Hamstring Curl
1. Romanian Deadlift
When to Perform Romanian Deadlifts
This is the closest swap I’ve got for a good morning. You get the same hip hinge, the same deep hamstring stretch at the bottom, and the same demand on your glutes and erectors to stand back up, just with the bar in your hands instead of across your upper back. Use it when the bar-on-back position is what’s putting you off good mornings, or any time you want that exact hinge pattern with a grip you can feel and adjust. I usually program it for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps in the same slot a good morning would sit in.
How to Perform Romanian Deadlifts
- Stand holding a barbell at hip height with an overhand or mixed grip, feet about hip width apart.
- Unlock your knees slightly and keep that same bend fixed through the whole rep.
- Push your hips back while lowering the bar down your thighs, keeping it in contact with your legs the entire way.
- Once you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, usually around mid-shin, drive your hips forward to stand back up.
Equipment: barbell (dumbbells work too).
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the barbell Romanian deadlift.
Tips for Romanian Deadlifts
- Keep the bar in contact with your legs the whole rep. If it drifts forward, your lower back takes over.
- Only bend your knees a small amount at the start and leave them there. This is a hip movement, not a squat.
- Stop the descent once your back starts to round, not once the bar reaches a specific height.
- Use lifting straps if your grip gives out before your hamstrings do.
For a full breakdown of what this exercise trains, see our Romanian deadlift benefits and muscles worked guide.
2. 45-Degree Back Extension
When to Perform 45-Degree Back Extensions
This is the pick if your lower back is the whole reason you’re avoiding good mornings. The bench supports your hips through the entire range, so your spine isn’t stabilizing a loaded bar the way it has to on a good morning, and you can control exactly how far you go. It’s a great choice for beginners still learning to hinge, lifters coming back from a lower back tweak, or anyone who wants a higher-rep finisher. I run 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps with bodyweight, then add a plate against my chest once that gets easy.
How to Perform 45-Degree Back Extensions
- Set the pad height so your hips sit right at the edge, and lock your ankles under the footpads or rollers.
- Cross your arms over your chest, or hold a weight plate against your chest for added resistance.
- Bend forward at your hips until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat the whole way.
- Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to extend back up to a straight line, stopping there instead of arching past neutral.
Equipment: 45-degree hyperextension bench (a Roman chair works as a substitute).
This video from PriorityStrength shows the proper setup and execution for the 45-degree back extension.
Tips for 45-Degree Back Extensions
- Stop the top of the rep at a straight line. Arching your lower back past neutral adds stress without adding muscle work.
- Move slow on the way down. That’s where your hamstrings and glutes do the most work.
- Hold a plate at your chest instead of behind your head once bodyweight reps stop being a challenge.
- If your hamstrings cramp before your lower back fatigues, try setting the ankle pad a little higher.
3. Cable Pull-Through
When to Perform Cable Pull-Throughs
Reach for this when you want the cable to teach your hips how to hinge instead of loading your spine with a bar. The constant tension pulls you into the hinge rather than sitting on your back, so it’s a great choice if you’re still learning to feel your hips move independent of your lower back, or if you just want a joint-friendly session. I like using it as a warm-up before heavier hinge work, and it holds up fine as a standalone accessory too for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
How to Perform Cable Pull-Throughs
- Attach a rope to a low pulley and stand facing away from the machine, straddling the cable with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Reach back between your legs and grab the rope with both hands, then walk forward until you feel tension.
- Hinge at your hips to let the rope pull your arms back between your legs, keeping your knees soft and your back flat.
- Squeeze your glutes to drive your hips forward and stand up, pulling the rope through to hip height.
Equipment: cable machine, low pulley, rope attachment.
This video from Live Lean TV Daily Exercises shows how to perform the cable pull-through.
Tips for Cable Pull-Throughs
- Let the cable pull your hips back instead of muscling the weight down with your arms.
- Keep your spine in a flat, neutral position the whole set. Your arms are just along for the ride.
- Stand far enough from the machine that you feel real tension at the top of the rep, not just at the bottom.
- Push your hips all the way through to full extension at the top instead of stopping short.
4. Glute-Ham Raise
When to Perform Glute-Ham Raises
Use this when what you actually want out of a good morning is bigger, stronger hamstrings rather than just a hip hinge pattern. It bends at the knee as much as the hip, so it loads your hamstrings through a range a good morning never touches. This one’s demanding, so it suits intermediate and advanced lifters more than beginners, and it needs a glute-ham developer or a partner to hold your ankles. I keep it to 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps, adding a plate behind my head once bodyweight gets easy.
How to Perform Glute-Ham Raises
- Set your feet against the footplate of a glute-ham developer, or have a partner hold your ankles, with your knees on the pad.
- Start with your torso upright and your body in a straight line from your knees to your head.
- Lower your torso forward under control by extending your knees, resisting the whole way down with your hamstrings.
- Curl back up to the starting position by pulling with your hamstrings and squeezing your glutes.
Equipment: glute-ham developer (a partner holding your ankles on a flat surface also works).
This video from Live Lean TV Daily Exercises shows how to perform the glute-ham raise.
Tips for Glute-Ham Raises
- Control the lowering phase. Falling forward and catching yourself defeats the point of the exercise.
- Start with a partial range of motion if a full rep is too hard, and build up the range over time.
- Keep your hips extended and in line with your knees and shoulders throughout, don’t let them pike.
- Loop a band around the base of the pad for assistance until you can do full unassisted reps.
If your hamstrings need more direct work beyond this list, see our guide to growing underdeveloped hamstrings.
5. Reverse Hyperextension
When to Perform Reverse Hyperextensions
This one flips the motion around. Your torso stays fixed on the pad and your legs swing instead, which decompresses your spine rather than loading it under flexion the way a good morning does. It’s my pick when a cranky lower back is exactly why you’re looking for a swap, and it also works well as a lower back warm-up before heavier hinge work or as recovery work the day after a hard deadlift session. I run 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps here, and I don’t chase heavy loads on it.
How to Perform Reverse Hyperextensions
- Lie face down on a reverse hyper machine with your hips at the edge of the pad and your torso supported.
- Grip the handles in front of you to brace your upper body.
- Let the pendulum with your legs attached hang down under control, feeling a stretch through your lower back and hamstrings.
- Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to swing your legs up until they’re in line with your torso, without arching your lower back to get there.
Equipment: reverse hyperextension machine (the end of a flat bench with a light band works as a home substitute).
This video from Dr. Allan Bacon shows how to perform reverse hyperextensions.
Tips for Reverse Hyperextensions
- Let momentum carry the weight only a little. Control both the up and down phase instead of swinging wildly.
- Squeeze your glutes hard at the top rather than trying to arch your back higher to get there.
- Start with just the pendulum, or a light band, if your gym’s machine doesn’t have small enough plates.
- Use this as a lower back warm-up before heavier hip hinge work, not only as an end-of-session finisher.
Looking for more glute-focused options? See our glute bridge alternatives guide.
6. Kettlebell Swing
When to Perform Kettlebell Swings
This is the alternative for when you want speed and conditioning alongside your posterior chain work, not just strength. The explosive hip snap trains the same hamstring and glute pattern a good morning does, just fast instead of slow and under control. It’s also the best no-barbell option on this list for a home or garage gym. I’ll run 3 to 5 sets of 15 to 20 reps, or work in 30-second on, 30-second off intervals when I want more conditioning out of it.
How to Perform Kettlebell Swings
- Stand with feet shoulder width apart, kettlebell on the floor a foot or so in front of you.
- Hinge at your hips to grip the kettlebell handle with both hands, keeping your back flat.
- Hike the kettlebell back between your legs like a football snap, then drive your hips forward hard to swing it up to chest or eye height.
- Let the kettlebell fall back between your legs under control and hinge straight into the next rep.
Equipment: one kettlebell.
This video from Brittany van Schravendijk shows the two-arm kettlebell swing with proper form.
Tips for Kettlebell Swings
- Drive the kettlebell up with your hips, not your arms. Your arms just hang on for the ride.
- Keep the kettlebell close to your body on the backswing instead of squatting it down low.
- Pick a weight you can snap through 15 to 20 reps without your form breaking down toward the end of the set.
- Finish every rep with your glutes squeezed hard and your hips fully extended, not leaning back at the top.
7. Stiff-Leg Deadlift
When to Perform Stiff-Leg Deadlifts
This is the barbell option that puts the most stretch on your hamstrings specifically, since your knees stay almost fully locked instead of softening the way they do on a Romanian deadlift. Reach for it when you’re chasing hamstring flexibility and size in particular, or when you already run RDLs and want a different stimulus in the same training block. Keep the loads lighter than you’d use on a regular deadlift or even an RDL, and stick to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
How to Perform Stiff-Leg Deadlifts
- Stand holding a barbell at hip height, feet about hip width apart, knees almost fully straight with just a slight unlock.
- Keep your knees fixed in that position for the entire rep, don’t let them bend further as you descend.
- Hinge forward at your hips, lowering the bar along your legs until you feel a strong hamstring stretch.
- Reverse the motion by driving your hips forward to stand back up, keeping the bar close the whole way.
Equipment: barbell (dumbbells work too).
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the barbell stiff-leg deadlift.
Tips for Stiff-Leg Deadlifts
- Use less weight than you’d use for a Romanian deadlift. The stiffer knee position limits how much load your hamstrings can safely handle.
- Stop the descent as soon as your lower back wants to round, even if that means stopping well above your ankles.
- Keep a soft, fixed bend in your knees rather than locking them out completely, which protects your knee joints.
- Warm your hamstrings up with a set or two of bodyweight hinges before loading the bar heavy.
Not sure how this compares to a regular Romanian deadlift? Our deadlift vs Romanian deadlift comparison breaks down the difference.
8. Nordic Hamstring Curl
When to Perform Nordic Hamstring Curls
This is the one exception on the list. Nordic hamstring curls work through knee flexion, the same joint action as a leg curl, while the good morning and the rest of this list work through hip extension. Use it when the real goal behind running good mornings was stronger, more injury-resistant hamstrings rather than the hip hinge pattern itself. It’s brutal on your hamstrings, so ease into it with 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 6 reps and expect to be sore the next day.
How to Perform Nordic Hamstring Curls
- Kneel on a pad with your ankles locked under a partner’s hands, a Nordic curl bench, or a loaded barbell under a couch.
- Keep your hips extended in a straight line from your knees to your shoulders the whole rep.
- Lower your torso toward the floor as slowly as you can, resisting with your hamstrings the entire way down.
- Catch yourself with your hands at the bottom and push back up, or reset from the floor if you can’t pull yourself back up yet.
Equipment: a partner or anchored footpad (a Nordic curl bench, GHD, or a loaded barbell under a couch all work).
This video from Citizen Athletics shows proper Nordic hamstring curl technique.
Tips for Nordic Hamstring Curls
- Start with a wall, band, or partner providing assistance. Most lifters can’t control a full unassisted rep right away.
- Focus everything on slowing the descent. The lowering phase is where this exercise earns its reputation for preventing hamstring strains.
- Keep your hips locked in extension. Piking at the hips turns this into a stretch instead of a hamstring exercise.
- Start with 2 sets and build up from there. This is one of the most demanding hamstring exercises there is on the eccentric side.
Reasons to Choose a Good Morning Alternative
There are a few good reasons to swap the good morning for one of the options above, and your lower back is usually the deciding factor. Each one still trains the same hamstrings, glutes, and erectors the good morning is known for, just from a different angle or with different equipment. For more general deadlift swaps beyond this hip-hinge specific list, see our deadlift alternatives guide, and if you’d rather stick with the Romanian deadlift and just want other ways to train it, check out our Romanian deadlift alternatives.
- Your lower back doesn’t trust the position. The 45-degree back extension and reverse hyperextension both support your hips on a pad, so your spine isn’t stabilizing a loaded bar.
- You don’t have a barbell or squat rack free. The kettlebell swing and Nordic hamstring curl need next to no equipment, and the cable pull-through only needs a low pulley.
- You want more direct hamstring work. The glute-ham raise and Nordic hamstring curl bend at the knee as well as the hip, so they hit the hamstrings even harder.
- You’re still learning to hip hinge. The cable pull-through’s constant tension teaches your hips to move independent of your lower back better than a barbell does.
- You want power and conditioning, not just strength. The kettlebell swing adds a speed and cardio component none of the other options bring.
Muscles Worked by the Good Morning
The good morning trains your posterior chain from your upper back down to your hamstrings, and most of its alternatives hit the same muscles from a different angle or equipment setup.
- Spinal erectors: run along your spine and work isometrically on the good morning, the deadlift variations, and the back extension to keep your torso from rounding under load. This is the muscle group most people are trying to strengthen when they pick a good morning in the first place.
- Glutes: the prime mover on the reverse hyperextension and kettlebell swing, and heavily involved in every hip hinge on this list once you drive your hips forward to stand back up.
- Hamstrings: stretched hardest at the bottom of the Romanian deadlift and stiff-leg deadlift, and trained through knee flexion instead on the glute-ham raise and Nordic hamstring curl.
- Adductor magnus: assists with hip extension on every exercise here, though it’s rarely the limiting factor.
- Core and abs: work isometrically to keep your spine from rounding on every barbell variation, and even more so on the cable pull-through, where the cable is actively pulling you out of position.
FAQs
What’s the closest alternative to a good morning?
The Romanian deadlift. It trains the exact same hip hinge and stretches your hamstrings just as hard, the only real difference is you’re holding the bar in your hands instead of across your upper back. If you already run good mornings and just want a change of pace, start there.
Can I build a strong lower back without good mornings?
Yes. Your spinal erectors get trained isometrically any time you hinge at the hips under load, whether that’s a Romanian deadlift, a stiff-leg deadlift, or a back extension. These alternatives still build real lower back strength, they just load your spine differently than a good morning does.
What’s the best good morning alternative for a bad lower back?
The 45-degree back extension or the reverse hyperextension. Both support your hips on a pad instead of asking your spine to stabilize a barbell, so you get the same hamstring and glute work without the compressive load a good morning puts on your lower back at the bottom of the rep.
What’s the best good morning alternative at home?
The kettlebell swing if you own one, and the Nordic hamstring curl if you don’t. Between the two you can train the same hip hinge power and hamstring strength a good morning builds without a barbell or a rack.
Why do good mornings hurt my lower back?
Usually it’s a combination of going too heavy too soon and losing that flat back position at the bottom of the hinge, which is exactly where your spine carries the most load. If you get pain there, drop the weight, stop your descent higher instead of chasing depth, or switch to an alternative like the back extension or reverse hyperextension that doesn’t load your spine at end range.
How many hip hinge exercises should I do per workout?
One heavy hip hinge is usually enough on a day where you’re also squatting or deadlifting, since those lifts already load your hamstrings and glutes hard. On a dedicated posterior chain day, 2 to 3 exercises covering different angles, like a Romanian deadlift, a glute-ham raise, and a reverse hyperextension, will cover the muscle group well without piling on junk volume.
Key Takeaways
If you want the closest swap for the same hip hinge pattern, go with the Romanian deadlift. If your lower back is the reason you’re avoiding good mornings in the first place, start with the 45-degree back extension or the reverse hyperextension instead, since both support your hips and take the compressive load off your spine. Training at home with just a kettlebell, the swing will build the same explosive hip drive a good morning trains, and the Nordic hamstring curl covers you with no equipment at all. Pick based on your equipment and how your lower back feels under load, and progress it the same way you’d progress a good morning: more weight, more reps, or a slower tempo over time. You don’t need to run all 8 in the same program. Two or three that match your goals and your setup will build a stronger posterior chain than trying to cram every option in at once.
Other Alternative Exercises
If you enjoyed this post, check out our other roundups of the best alternatives for other exercises.
