The Good Morning is a fantastic exercise for wrestlers. I’ve written about the various benefits in a number of posts. So, today, I just want to go over the exercise itself as well as variations to consider once you have mastered the basics.
The Good Morning is one of the best ways to strengthen the muscles that are active when you lift an opponent to finish a single leg or high crotch.
Here’s a video to give you an idea of how to perform the exercise.
The hip hinge movement is the same that you would do when performing a Romanian Deadlift. So, if you’re good at RDLs but seem to be struggling with Good Mornings, try to focus on that. I know, it’s different with a bar on your back, but the movement is the same. And, because the weight is on your back, it’s way more functional as far as simulating where the resistance will be when you’re on the mat.
One big thing to keep in mind is to avoid using a weight that causes your technique to breakdown. This is a good rule to follow for any exercise, but it’s especially important with the Good Morning.
In addition to the traditional Good Morning, I like to use different variations of this exercise.
The first is a Suspended Good Morning. This is great at building starting strength, which will have a great carryover to the strength you’ll need to lift your opponent after a leg attack.
Another way to perform this exercise (well, more generally train the Hinge movement), is to perform a Good Morning with a Zercher hold.
Here’s are two examples of what I mean.
One big thing to keep in mind when performing Good Mornings is to avoid turning it into a squat. This is one way your form can breakdown by using too much weight.
If you’re unsure if you’re doing this, you can always film yourself from the side.
You shouldn’t see your hips dip at all. They should stay in a straight line as you drive them forward and back. Make sense?
Hi, I’m Dickie (the author of this blog). Here I am with my good buddy, Kyle Dake. While he doesn't have a nice coat like me, he is pretty good at wrestling. Here's what he said about my training system:
Before I began lifting using Dickie's system my wrestling skills were getting slightly better. I've now been lifting under his guidance for more than 5 months and I have begun to dominating ALL of my competition. At first I had little faith in Dickie and his program, but now I would run into a wall if he told me I would get stronger! I know it sounds insane, but I would. The bottom line is Dickie is an expert and knows what he is talking about. If you want to defeat those kids whom you've always lost to and reach a level you never thought possible, I suggest you start lifting using Dickie's system immediately.
-Kyle Dake, 4X NCAA Division 1 National Champion