10 Best Barbell Seated Good Morning Alternatives for Glute Strength

If you can’t do the Barbell Seated Good Morning, use hip-hinge and hip-extension substitutes that target the glutes and hamstrings. Top swaps include Romanian deadlifts, barbell hip thrusts, standing good mornings, single‑leg RDLs, and cable pull‑throughs. Cue a neutral spine, hinge from the hips, and drive the hips into full extension to load the glutes.

Original Exercise: Barbell Seated Good Morning

Barbell Seated Good Morning
Primary Muscle
Glutes
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Advanced
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back
How to Perform Barbell Seated Good Morning
  1. Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and a barbell resting on your upper back.
  2. Keep your back straight and your chest up.
  3. Slowly hinge forward at the hips, lowering your torso towards the ground.
  4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Barbell Seated Good Morning Alternatives

Best Match
Barbell Stiff Leg Good Morning

1. Barbell Stiff Leg Good Morning

81.7% Match
Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Hold the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps.
  3. Keeping your back straight, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your glutes back.
  4. Lower your torso until it is parallel to the ground, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings.
  5. Engage your glutes and hamstrings to return to the starting position.
Seated Good Mornings

2. Seated Good Mornings

79.4% Match
Erector-spinae Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Set up a box in a power rack. The pins should be set at an appropriate height. Begin by stepping under the bar and placing it across the back of the shoulders, not on top of your traps. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your elbows forward, attempting to bend the bar across your shoulders.
  2. Remove the bar from the rack, creating a tight arch in your lower back. Keep your head facing forward. With your back, shoulders, and core tight, push your knees and butt out and you begin your descent. Sit back with your hips until you are seated on the box. This will be your starting position.
  3. Keeping the bar tight, bend forward at the hips as much as possible. If you set the pins to what would be parallel, you not only have a safety if you fail, but know when to stop.
  4. Pause just above the pins and reverse the motion until your torso it upright.
Lever Seated Good Morning

3. Lever Seated Good Morning

77.6% Match
Glutes Lever Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat height so that your hips are slightly higher than your knees.
  2. Sit on the machine with your back against the pad and your feet flat on the footrests.
  3. Grasp the handles or the sides of the seat for stability.
  4. Keeping your back straight, slowly lean forward from your hips until your upper body is parallel to the ground.
  5. Pause for a moment, then slowly return to the starting position by pushing through your glutes and hamstrings.
Barbell Deadlift

4. Barbell Deadlift

76.7% Match
Glutes Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell on the ground in front of you.
  2. Bend your knees and hinge at the hips to lower your torso and grip the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Keep your back straight and chest lifted as you drive through your heels to lift the barbell off the ground, extending your hips and knees.
  4. As you stand up straight, squeeze your glutes and keep your core engaged.
  5. Lower the barbell back down to the ground by bending at the hips and knees, keeping your back straight.
Barbell Romanian Deadlift

5. Barbell Romanian Deadlift

76.7% Match
Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
  2. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
  4. Lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping it close to your body.
  5. Feel the stretch in your hamstrings as you lower the barbell.
Barbell Glute Bridge Two Legs On Bench (male)

6. Barbell Glute Bridge Two Legs On Bench (male)

76.4% Match
Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by sitting on the edge of a bench with your upper back resting against it and your feet flat on the ground, hip-width apart.
  2. Place a barbell across your hips, holding it securely with both hands.
  3. Engage your glutes and core muscles, then press through your heels to lift your hips off the bench, creating a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, squeezing your glutes.
  5. Slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
Barbell Hip Thrust

7. Barbell Hip Thrust

76.4% Match
Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Begin seated on the ground with a bench directly behind you. Have a loaded barbell over your legs. Using a fat bar or having a pad on the bar can greatly reduce the discomfort caused by this exercise.
  2. Roll the bar so that it is directly above your hips, and lean back against the bench so that your shoulder blades are near the top of it.
  3. Begin the movement by driving through your feet, extending your hips vertically through the bar. Your weight should be supported by your shoulder blades and your feet. Extend as far as possible, then reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
Barbell Lying Lifting (on Hip)

8. Barbell Lying Lifting (on Hip)

76.4% Match
Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
  2. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip and position it on your hips.
  3. Engaging your glutes, lift your hips off the bench until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Smith Bent Knee Good Morning

9. Smith Bent Knee Good Morning

74.1% Match
Glutes Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward.
  2. Place the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps.
  3. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  4. Lower your torso until it is parallel to the ground, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings.
  5. Engage your glutes and hamstrings to raise your torso back up to the starting position.
Trap Bar Deadlift

10. Trap Bar Deadlift

72.4% Match
Glutes Trap-bar Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the trap bar on the ground in front of you.
  2. Bend at the hips and knees to lower yourself down and grip the handles of the trap bar with an overhand grip.
  3. Keep your back straight and chest up as you begin to lift the trap bar off the ground by extending your hips and knees.
  4. As you lift, focus on driving through your heels and squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
  5. Lower the trap bar back down to the ground by bending at the hips and knees, keeping your back straight throughout the movement.

Why You Might Need a Barbell Seated Good Morning Alternative

You may substitute the Barbell Seated Good Morning for several reasons: lower‑back pain, limited barbell availability, mobility limits, or a desire for greater glute hypertrophy. The seated version reduces spinal shear but restricts hip range; standing RDLs increase eccentric hamstring loading, while hip thrusts bias glute max concentric force. For example, if lumbar tolerance is the issue, choose a barbell hip thrust and cue posterior pelvic tilt at top to emphasize glute contraction. If you lack a barbell, a heavy kettlebell or loaded single‑leg RDL preserves the hip‑hinge pattern and posterior chain activation.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Match the substitute to your limiting factor, training goal, and equipment. For strength and overload use barbell Romanian deadlifts or hip thrusts and progress load, sets, or tempo; cue a slight knee bend and push the hips back to emphasize hamstrings. For rehab or low spinal load, pick banded hip bridges or supported single‑leg RDLs and keep a neutral spine. If you want unilateral stability, choose single‑leg RDLs and keep hips square. Consider range of motion, ability to load progressively, and which exercise best reproduces hip extension torque for your goal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Barbell Seated Good Morning work?

The Barbell Seated Good Morning primarily targets the gluteus maximus and hamstrings through hip flexion/extension torque. It also recruits the lumbar erectors and core for spinal stability; cue a neutral spine and feel the posterior chain lengthen through the eccentric phase.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Seated Good Morning?

A single‑leg Romanian deadlift (bodyweight) closely replicates the hip‑hinge pattern while adding stability demands. Hinge at the hips with a slight knee bend, keep hips level, and reach toward the floor to feel hamstring and glute loading.

Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Seated Good Morning?

Yes. You can build glute and hamstring mass with exercises like barbell hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, and progressive‑overload single‑leg RDLs. Focus on loading, sufficient volume, and controlled tempo to maximize time under tension and muscle activation.

More Exercise Alternatives

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Use the exercise substitution finder to compare ranked alternatives for your available equipment and training preference.

Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →