Great Tips for a Good Morning

Before I share my exciting news, head over to my FitDeck giveaway and enter to win while there is still time!

I have exciting news today! I have teamed up with Chelsea from This Grand Adventure to bring you our two versions of a perfect "Good Morning".

Chelsea is a fabulous food and lifestyle blogger from Wisconsin, and like me she's sick of the weather.  To help herself, and us cope with what's left of the Winter she came up with an amazing smoothie recipe perfectly named, "Sunshine in Glass".  Full of fresh fruit, good fats and jammed packed with flavor this smoothie is sure to tide you over until warmer temperatures arrive.  When you're done reading about my Good Morning, head over to her neck of the woods to see how she starts her day!

I, on the other hand, have a different "Good Morning" to share with you.  Yes, the exercise!  The good morning, when executed with proper form is a great exercise for strengthening your posterior chain including your hamstrings, glutes and core. It is often used in assistance work to build strength for the squat and deadlift.

Although it may look like a simple move to perform, the good morning can be dangerous without proper technique.  Here is a review of good form:

1.  Use a barbell or a weighted body bar and position the bar across the back of your shoulders as you would to squat.

2.  Step out of the rack standing tall.  Feet shoulder width apart with a slight bend in the knees.

3.  While keeping everything tight (shoulders pinched back, and together, core engaged), begin to hinge back from the hips lowering your chest towards the floor.

4.  Lower yourself until your chest is parallel to the floor.  (For those of you who are less flexible reaching parallel may be difficult, ease into it).

5.  Engaging your hamstrings and glutes extend through your hips to raise back to standing.

Take a look at my awesome video where I demonstrate how to do a proper good morning with a Swiffer broom.

Some common mistakes to avoid would include rounding of the lower back and/or bending from the knees instead of or in addition to the hips.

As always, when trying any new exercise for the first time I'd encourage you to perfect your form before adding additional weight.  Bodyweight versions of a good morning work well too!  Simply perform the move as listed in the steps above just without the bar.

Add this great backside exercise to your back or leg day to help increase core, glute, hip and hamstring strength.

Now that you know how to do a good morning, head over to This Grand Adventure to see how to make the perfect start to a good morning.

Your turn:  What's your perfect "good morning" look like?