Banded Good Morning

I was teaching a seminar at Shire Speed and Strength in my first weekend in Australia when Shannon Green started talking about the banded good morning. He was suggesting them to an attendee who competed in MMA. In a world of deficient posterior chains, I fell in love with this movement immediately.

The banded good morning is done by wrapping a band around the base of the neck (not on the front, you can do it that way when you’re in your bedroom) while the other end is attached to the bottom of a rack several feet in front of you. It’s also possible to place both feet on the band, yet I think they are less useful this way. The exercise works the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and adductors), lumbar spine, upper back, and cervical spine. The only other neck assistance work specifically targets the area (neck harness extensions and neck bridges on a bench), so this is an excellent way to work the neck while training the posterior chain. After your first exposure, you’ll be sore in most of the area above the scapulae. I’ve pre-measured my neck to see if it increases the thickness over time.



When the band is on a rack, the force vector is downward and forward, which changes the trainee’s balance forward. The hips are pushed back with a neutral lumbar (this would be “extension” for tight people, “neutral” for very mobile people) to place tension on the hamstrings. Regardless of band loading, the trainee shouldn’t bend down so far that their lumbar unlocks or flexes; if the lumbar flexes, then the hamstrings slacken. This is a common error in the barbell GM or RDL; the trainee lowers the back below horizontal and flexes the lumbar or knees. In the banded GM on the rack, the trainee will only need to achieve a 45 degree back angle (or slightly more) to achieve good hamstring tension.

Also notice the emphasis on speed out of the bottom by driving through the band with the base of the neck. This can add an explosive component to the exercise — one that is also severely lacking in most trainees. This exercise can be used as a strength movement to increase the size, speed, and explosiveness in the posterior chain, but can also be used as a finisher to help aid recovery and improve muscular balance. Use 3 to 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps for strength, power, or muscle development. They are an excellent rehabilitation tool when used with lighter bands and higher reps (i.e. 3 to 5 sets of 20 to 30 reps).

Trainees can benefit from varying the GM’s in the same way that Westside Barbell varies their lifts. Use wide stance, close stance, point the toes out, change the speed (but do them explosively at least 75% of the time) and use different band tensions and placements. My only criteria would be to maintain band tension at the bottom of the movement. If you’re in a pinch, or want a variation, try the version in which you stand on the band. I’ve done them this way, but I think they are better when attached to a rack because it provides a unique angle of tension.

Again, this is an excellent exercise that I am in love with. If I could marry and divorce an exercise, this would be it. It can be thrown in at the end of any type of training day. They are perfect for CrossFitters given that CF often results in a very anterior dominant trainee (developed quads, no posterior chain). I would suggest their inclusion at least once a week, but they can be done up to 3 times a week (depending on when/if you pull). If you don’t regularly deadlift, then use a higher frequency. Lastly, the balance is weird when performing them, so be careful that you don’t do a fucking header into the rack. I’d like 70’s Big to remain death free.