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I tweaked my elbows recently, and need to layoff pullups and deadlifts for a little while until things heal. I'd like to substitute goodmornings as a hip-hinge exercise until I can return to deadlifting. What kind of training frequence do people usually use with goodmornings?

From what I've read of the popular 5x5 programs, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on getting the right rep range for a given exercise. Full deadlifts are recommended for 5x1, once a week. Power cleans are recommended for 5x3, if I recall correctly. How do people usually program goodmornings?

I was thinking a 3x5 plan, twice a week, trying to make 5-10lbs improvements between sessions as I can. I'm planning on doing the workout in a full power cage, so I can adjust the safety pins so dumping the weights isn't a problem. Does anyone see a problem with this approach?

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    I am not proficient in good mornings, but I would urge caution with a 5-10lb linear progression and 3-sets-of-5 rep scheme with this exercise. I think many consider good mornings as something to use perfect form and moderate weight with, not to challenge yourself with at near-maximal weights.
    – Dave Liepmann
    Commented Oct 26, 2012 at 17:36
  • oh. okay. hmmm. Would it just be smarter to do a bodyweight exercise on a GHD machine, combined with the low bar back squats I've been doing, until things improve?
    – DavidR
    Commented Oct 26, 2012 at 18:04

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I am not proficient in good mornings, but I would urge caution with a 5-10lb linear progression and 3-sets-of-5 rep scheme with this exercise. Many lifters consider good mornings as something to use perfect form and moderate weight with, not to challenge yourself with at near-maximal weights.

Per Rippetoe and Kilgore's Starting Strength 2nd edition, page 247:

Be careful about using lots of weight and generating high velocities; the goodmorning is an assistance exercise, not a primary lift, and it must be respected for both its usefulness and its potential for injury. The smartest of the strongest men in the world never use more than 225 lbs. for the goodmorning, and since it is just an assistance exercise, they use sets of 8 to 10 reps.

There will never be a good reason to use more than 35% of your squat for sets of 8-10, and there is no reason to do them at all until 35% of your squat is 95 lbs.

If squats don't bother your elbows, definitely keep squatting. I wouldn't see as huge a problem as Rip might with finding a tough-but-very-safe weight for good mornings and doing that.

Glute-ham developer work sounds like a great idea, as are weighted back extensions, but I haven't played with those very much.

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