Exercise guide
Dumbbell Good Morning
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Rep-based
- Back
- Lower legs
- Upper legs
The Dumbbell Good Morning is a powerful posterior chain exercise that emphasizes the hamstrings and glutes through a deep hip hinge while challenging the upper back and core for stability.
Reviewed by the Crucible Fit team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Setup
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
- Hold a dumbbell horizontally across your upper back, resting it on your traps (not your neck), and grip both ends firmly.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down to create a stable shelf for the weight and engage your core.
How to do it
- Inhale and hinge at the hips, pushing your glutes straight back while keeping your shins vertical and your back perfectly flat.
- Lower your torso until it is nearly parallel to the floor or until you feel a maximum stretch in your hamstrings.
- Exhale and drive your hips forward to return to a standing position, focusing on pulling with your hamstrings.
- Maintain a controlled tempo, taking 2-3 seconds to lower and 1 second to return to the start.
Form checklist
- Keep your spine neutral from head to tailbone; do not allow your lower back to round.
- Ensure the movement comes from the hips, not by bending at the waist.
- Keep the dumbbell pinned tightly against your traps to prevent it from shifting forward.
- Maintain a constant, slight bend in the knees without letting them collapse inward.
Pro tips
- Think about 'pushing the wall away' with your glutes to maximize the eccentric stretch on the hamstrings.
- Keep your gaze slightly forward and down to maintain a neutral cervical spine throughout the hinge.
Make it harder
- Perform the movement with a 3-second pause at the bottom of the hinge to increase time under tension.
- Transition to a staggered stance (B-stance) to shift more load onto a single leg.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the dumbbell good morning work?
- The dumbbell good morning primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings, and also works the erector spinae as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the dumbbell good morning?
- The dumbbell good morning uses dumbbell.
- Is the dumbbell good morning good for beginners?
- The dumbbell good morning is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.
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