Barbell High-Pin Good Mornings

Set your pins or spotter arms in a power rack so that when the bar is rested on the pins, your back is near a 45 degree angle. Position yourself under the bar and put the bar lower on your back than normal. I prefer to have 5 fingers of each hand over the top of the bar as opposed to having the thumb tucked under. Squat the bar up first if you need to do set up your position. Once you are standing, bend the hips and fold forward with a slight bend in the knees until the barbell rests on the pins. Engage your hamstrings, lower back, and glutes to lift the bar off the pins until you are standing.

A good morning is a hip hinge and not a squat so the bar path should be changing as you perform the repetition. Imagine you are bowing at someone in front of you. We are doing these on high pins so that way we can do them with heavy weight in a safe, limited range of motion. It is not uncommon for a 400lb squatter to do these with 200lbs or more. When done properly these are great for building up lower back strength to avoid injury during a squat or deadlift.

Trainer Tip: If the weight is heavy, you can keep your eyes facing forward the entire time with the neck extended. This will protect the cervical vertebrae from hurting from the weight of the bar by making a “Muscle pad” with your neck and trap muscles.