Hamstrings exercise
Smith Machine Good MorningHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Hamstrings, Lower back
- Also works
- Glutes
- Equipment
- Smith
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Smith Machine Good Morning?
- Set the Smith bar at shoulder height and rest it high on your upper back.
- Stand with your feet hip-width, a little in front of the bar, knees soft.
- Unlock the bar and push your hips back as your chest lowers, back flat.
- Stop when you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, about halfway to the floor.
- Drive your hips forward to stand tall.
Cues
- Hips back, not down.
- Flat back, chest proud.
- Squeeze the glutes to stand.
Common mistakes
- Rounding the lower back to go lower.
- Turning it into a squat.
- Feet right under the bar, so the hips can't travel back.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
A good morning in the Smith machine. The bar runs on the machine's fixed vertical track, so the hips must travel back as far as keeps the bar on it: the feet stand a little in front of the bar line and the legs lean back as the hips go back.
Starting position
Set the bar at shoulder height, step under it and rest it high on the upper back (on the traps). Grip just outside the shoulders. Feet hip-width, about 10 cm in front of the bar line, toes out a little, knees soft.
The movement
Unlock the bar, brace, and push the hips back while the trunk hinges forward with a flat back; the knees bend only slightly (to about 18°). Go to about 50° from vertical, as far as the hamstrings allow with a flat back, then drive the hips forward to stand tall. The bar moves straight down and up on the track.
Breathing
Breathe in and brace before the hinge, hold through the bottom, breathe out near the top.
Tempo
About 2.2 s down, a brief pause, about 1.6 s up, a pause standing.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trunk from vertical at the bottom | 50° | 40–60°, back flat | |
| Knees | 5° standing → 17–18° at the bottom | ≤ 25° (not a squat) | |
| Feet | 10 cm in front of the bar line | 5–15 cm | |
| Shins at the bottom | leaning back 22–26° (knees behind the ankles) | follows the bar line | |
| Hips behind the ankles at the bottom | 39–43 cm | far back | |
| Bar path | vertical on the track (0 cm drift) | 0 cm |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Smith Machine Good Morning is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- ExRx.net, "Smith Bent Knee Good-morning" (bar on the back in the Smith machine, a hip hinge with the back straight; the erectors work isometrically; a straight-leg version leans more on the hamstrings)
- REP Fitness, "Smith Machine Good Mornings" (hamstrings the main focus, glutes drive hip extension, erectors hold the spine)
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016), ch. 15
- ACE Exercise Library, "Good Morning" (hip hinge, neutral spine, neck in line)
