Good Morning

The Good Morning is in my opinion one of the best non-explosive exercises that an athlete can do. When it is performed correctly you will work essentially every muscle from you calves all of the way up into your traps. I would call that a full body exercise. In addition we are working the muscles that we use in sprinting and jumping, our glutes and hamstrings. Now to begin this exercise, un-rack a barbell just as you would for a squat, or simply place the bar on your upper back where it is comfortable. Due to the amount of hip flexion you will want a high bar placement. Set up your feet so they are slightly wider than shoulder width. Get into a tight position with your back arched and shoulder blades pulled together; I call this “bullet-proofing” your back. Knees should be straight or slightly bent and your abs contracted. If you choose to have some bend in your knees, make sure that the angle of the knee joint stays the same throughout the entire movement. From this starting position slowly bend forward at the waist until your back begins to round or hump, as soon as this happens reverse the movement to return to the starting position. Your goal is to have a straight or slightly scooped back throughout the entire movement. Never let your head drop and back round, as this can lead to injury.
The first time that you do this you will probably be a bit sore the next day so ease it into your workouts. Once or twice a week is sufficient to bring up the posterior chain. In the future I will add some other variations to the good morning to keep some variety in your workouts.