Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
A beginner compound movement that trains the lower back with a barbell.
Force Type
Push
direction of effort
Difficulty
Beginner
training level
Variations
4
equipment swaps
Muscles
3
primary + secondary
The verdict
Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning has 6-step instructions, among the most thoroughly documented of the 27 lower back exercises PlainExercise catalogues.
Ranked against the 27 lower back exercises PlainExercise currently catalogues, not the full exercise-science literature.
Catalog lens
Two ways this record sits in the source corpus
These are placement measures for the documented record, not a score for exercise quality, safety, or suitability.
Instruction steps
#152 of 868
More thorough than most
Numbered source steps, ranked across every documented exercise.
Instruction text
#127 of 868
More thorough than most
A separate character-length placement prevents step count from standing in for explanatory detail.
Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning vs every catalogued exercise by instruction-text length
Where this record's instruction-character count sits among all 873 Free Exercise DB exercises with instructions, not a rating of the movement itself.
975 126th of 873 higher than 746 of 873 exercises
All exercises, banded by instruction-text character count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more exercises. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Free Exercise DB · 2026-07-10
Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning is documented from the Free Exercise DB (CC0) extract, last ingested July 2026. Classification, muscle roles and instruction text are source facts; the placement and cohort measures on this page are computed by PlainExercise and are not a rating of the movement.
What the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning Data Reveals · DEEP · PUSH/COMPOUND
Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning stands out on force direction, the first filter on this record.
Longer step lists usually mean finer setup cues, not a harder movement by themselves.
Across 27 catalogued lower back movements, the average instruction record is 646 characters and 3.7 steps; 17 of those (63.0%) clear the same ≥500-character rich bar used here. This page ranks #4 of 27 by instruction-character length (1.51× the cohort average).
Among the 170 exercises that also use a barbell, average instruction length is 896 characters; 51 of those peers are longer than this record. Equipment-matched peers are the honest comparison when you are choosing a substitute implement for the same pattern.
Other well-documented lower back movements (same ≥500-character bar):
- Hyperextensions (Back Extensions) (6 steps, 1,211 chars)
- Hyperextensions With No Hyperextension Bench (5 steps, 1,208 chars)
- Barbell Deadlift (5 steps, 1,020 chars)
- Reverse Band Deadlift (5 steps, 921 chars)
- Deadlift with Chains (4 steps, 901 chars)
Context matters: taxonomy (level, mechanic, force, musculature, equipment) does not account for individual biomechanics, joint history, or recovery. Common-mistake framing below is derived from classification fields, not case-specific coaching. Not medical or personal-training advice. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting, especially with injuries, cardiovascular conditions, recent surgery, or pregnancy.
Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning catalog footprint
Among 27 exercises whose primary muscle is lower back, Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning ranks #1 by catalogued variation count. The upstream file attaches 2 images to this slug. See the step-count ranking for lower back for peer documentation depth.
Muscles worked
The Free Exercise DB classifies each muscle as primary or secondary. It does not measure activation, so we show involvement, not percentages.
Source: Free Exercise DB primary/secondary muscle classification. Actual recruitment varies by load and form.
Intensity context
For reference, here is where common activities sit on the MET intensity scale. Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning does not have a measured MET in the source data, its intensity depends on the load and effort you use. Estimate calories for any activity with the calorie calculator.
MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011). A general reference scale, not a rating of this specific movement.
How to do it
- This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes. To begin, first set the bar on a rack that best matches your height. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
- Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
- Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance. Keep your head up at all times as looking down will get you off balance and also maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position.
- Keeping your legs stationary, move your torso forward by bending at the hips while inhaling. Lower your torso until it is parallel with the floor.
- Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by elevating your torso back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Common mistakes
- Rushing through reps before the pattern is grooved - at this stage, a slow, controlled tempo (2-3s down, 1-2s up) on Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning teaches the nervous system the movement far faster than speed does.
- Cutting the range of motion short - moving the lower back through its full safe range on Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning is what most reliably separates effective reps from wasted ones.
- Treating a compound lift like an isolation movement - Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning recruits multiple joints; bracing the core and engaging stabilizers matters as much as the prime movers.
- Flaring elbows excessively on push movements, tucked elbows protect the shoulder joint and transfer more force into the target muscles.
- Breathing out of sync with the lift on Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning - brace and inhale during the lowering phase, exhale on the exertion, especially important with a barbell where control matters most.
Who this is for
- People new to resistance training who want to build a foundation in the movement pattern
- People who want to train the lower back and secondarily glutes, hamstrings
- People who have access to a barbell
Who this is NOT for
- Anyone with acute pain in the joints or muscles involved, pain is a stop signal, not a soreness signal
- People with unresolved injuries in the loaded joints, seek clearance from a physical therapist first
- Anyone with a recent surgery, cardiovascular limitation, or pregnancy complication without physician clearance
Progression path
Once Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning feels comfortable with your current load, progress by (a) adding reps until you can complete 12+ per set, (b) increasing resistance by 2.5-5%, (c) moving to harder variations such as single-limb or longer lever versions, and eventually (d) stepping up to intermediate-level movements that train the same muscle.
See the Progression guide for a full framework on when to advance, and the Compound vs Isolation guide to decide when to prioritize this movement in your program.
Safety notes · BARBELL · PUSH/COMPOUND · FLOOR
- On PUSH/COMPOUND lower back work, warm up 5–10 minutes before loading Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning; keep first sets light until the path feels automatic.
- Sharp or joint pain is a stop signal. Muscle soreness during sets is normal; pain is not.
- Beginners on BARBELL gear: cut volume before cutting form, drop a set rather than rush reps.
- General information only. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program.
Variations
Alternate versions of this movement with different equipment.
Curated workout appearances
Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning is not currently featured in one of the 186 curated workout routines on this site.
Nationwide exercises with similar documentation depth
Two Free Exercise DB peer sets for Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning, drawn across all muscles (not the lower back-only related list below). Each metric produces a different neighborhood.
Similar instruction step count
Nearest catalog records by numbered steps.
Similar instruction text length
Nearest catalog records by upstream instruction characters.
Using the stiff leg barbell good morning
Three ways to put it to work.
- Train the lower back 2–3 times a week with 48+ hours between hard sets; pair this with other lower back movements for balanced development. All lower back exercises
- No barbell? The documented variations swap the implement without changing the movement pattern. See variations
- As a compound lift, this trains several muscles at once, anchor your session around it before isolation work. Compound vs isolation
Form before load. If a movement causes sharp or joint pain, stop and substitute a safer alternative, this is general information, not medical or training advice.