Exercise guide
PVC Good Morning
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Rep-based
- Back
- Lower legs
- Upper legs
- Waist
The PVC Good Morning is a foundational hip-hinge movement designed to prime the hamstrings and glutes while teaching proper spinal alignment. It effectively builds the mind-muscle connection required for heavier movements like deadlifts by emphasizing posterior chain engagement without external load.
Reviewed by the Crucible team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Setup
- Place the PVC pipe across your upper traps, holding it with a wide grip to keep your chest open and shoulders retracted.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing straight ahead or slightly outward.
- Unlock your knees slightly to maintain a 'soft knee' position, ensuring they remain stationary throughout the movement.
How to do it
- Inhale and initiate the movement by pushing your hips straight back as if trying to touch a wall behind you with your glutes.
- Lower your torso while maintaining a flat back until it is nearly parallel to the floor or until you feel a significant stretch in your hamstrings.
- Exhale and drive your hips forward to return to the starting position, focusing on pulling with your hamstrings and squeezing your glutes at the top.
- Maintain a controlled tempo, taking roughly 3 seconds to descend and 1 second to return to the start.
Form checklist
- Maintain a neutral spine from your head to your tailbone; do not let your lower back round.
- Keep your weight distributed through your heels and mid-foot rather than shifting to your toes.
- Ensure the movement occurs at the hip joint, not by increasing the bend in your knees.
- Keep the PVC pipe firmly pressed against your traps to ensure the upper body moves as one rigid unit.
Pro tips
- Focus on the 'stretch-reflex' in your hamstrings at the bottom of the movement to signal when to begin the ascent.
- Think about 'closing a car door with your butt' to master the horizontal hip displacement required for a perfect hinge.
Make it harder
- Add a 3-second isometric pause at the bottom of the hinge to increase time under tension and stability.
- Slow the eccentric (lowering) phase to 5 seconds to further challenge hamstring flexibility and control.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the pvc good morning work?
- The pvc good morning primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings, and also works the erector spinae and obliques as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the pvc good morning?
- The pvc good morning uses dumbbell.
- Is the pvc good morning good for beginners?
- The pvc 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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