10 Best Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning Alternatives for Back Strength

The Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning is done standing with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: Seated Good Mornings, the Deadlift With Bands and the Deadlift With Chains.

Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning

The steps for the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Erector Spinae, with glutes, hamstrings · Barbell · Advanced · Compound

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by elevating your torso back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

The 10 Best Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Seated Good Mornings

    1. Seated Good Mornings

    87% match

    Erector Spinae · Advanced · Compound

    The same equipment, done seated instead.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    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.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: good-morning hinge, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
    • Primary muscle: erector spinae, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
    • Body position: seated, not standing
  2. Good Morning

    2. Good Morning

    85% match

    Hamstrings · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it uses the same equipment, but it works the hamstrings rather than the erector spinae.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Begin with a bar on a rack at shoulder height. Rack the bar across the rear of your shoulders as you would a power squat, not on top of your shoulders. Keep your back tight, shoulder blades pinched together, and your knees slightly bent. Step back from the rack.
    2. Begin by bending at the hips, moving them back as you bend over to near parallel. Keep your back arched and your cervical spine in proper alignment.
    3. Reverse the motion by extending through the hips with your glutes and hamstrings. Continue until you have returned to the starting position.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: good-morning hinge, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
    • Primary muscle: hamstrings, not erector spinae
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
  3. Deadlift With Bands

    3. Deadlift With Bands

    82% match

    Erector Spinae · Advanced · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the erector spinae.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. To deadlift with short bands, simply loop them over the bar before you start, and step into them to set up. For long bands, they will need to be anchored to a secure base, such as heavy dumbbells or a rack.
    2. With your feet, and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and bend the knees until your shins contact the bar. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. After the bar passes the knees, aggressively pull the bar back, pulling your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward into the bar.
    3. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: erector spinae, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning

Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning FAQ

What muscles does Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning work?

The exercise primarily targets the erector spinae while also loading the hamstrings and gluteus maximus through the hip-hinge. Biomechanically it creates a large hip extension moment and high posterior chain eccentric tension; cue a slight knee bend and hinge from the hips to emphasize spinal extensors.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Stiff Leg Barbell Good Morning?

A single-leg Romanian deadlift (bodyweight) is the best bodyweight option because it preserves the hip-hinge and forces hamstring and glute activation while minimizing spinal load. Cue: keep hips square, hinge at the waist, and reach your hands toward the mid-shin while maintaining a neutral spine.

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