Good Morning Vs Deadlift (Which Is Better?)

Good Morning Vs Deadlift (Differences Compared)

Muscles Worked 

As mentioned above, both good mornings and deadlifts target the posterior chain muscles (the muscles situated on the back of the body).

However, when looking at the differences in the muscles worked, deadlifts work a larger variety of muscles than good mornings. Let's take a closer look at each muscle group below: 

With Which Exercise Can You Lift More Load?

While both exercises are limited by the amount of weight that you can lift, you'll be able to lift heavier weight when doing deadlifts than when doing good mornings.

A good rule of thumb to follow when loading the barbell for good mornings is to load 60% of what you deadlift.

With that said, correct form is far more important than the weight load. If you’re not able to perform with optimal form when lifting by the 60% guideline, go lighter and work at perfecting your form before increasing the weight. Similarly, for deadlifts, you should ensure good form before increasing your weight.

Related Article - T-Bar Row Vs Barbell Row

Which Is Better For Muscle growth?

When it comes to overall full-body muscle gains, both good mornings and deadlifts are effective in building muscle, but deadlifts target a wider variety of muscles.

If you’re specifically after general muscle growth, deadlifts offer better overall hypertrophy of muscles, including the hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves.

However, if you're looking to specifically target your hamstrings alone, good mornings will be better suited for this.  

Deadlifts will also work your lats, traps, and forearms, where good mornings don't. Where deadlifts can be seen as a primary exercise for muscle hypertrophy, good mornings are an excellent secondary/supplementary exercise that can be done to further assist with growth.

Which Is better For Power & Sports?

If overall power/strength is the goal, particularly for sport, then deadlifts are best suited.

Competitive fitness sports like powerlifting and strongman use the deadlift as an indicator of strength. Jump over to our guide on powerlifting vs weightlifting to learn more.

This means that you’ll not only be required to execute the exercise, but you’ll need the power required to lift the barbell off the ground. As the barbell rests on your shoulders when doing good mornings, you won’t be able to improve your strength in this regard.  

In contrast, those involved in Olympic weightlifting may prefer good mornings for their benefit in strengthening spinal extension and assisting in the positioning needed for squats, snatches, cleans, and jerks.

 However, good mornings won't replace deadlifts but will instead be a complementary exercise. 

Which Is More Difficult?

Both exercises are fairly simple to execute in theory, but in practice, it can be tricky to perfect your form.  Additionally, deadlifts target more muscle groups than good mornings do, making them an overall harder exercise.

Good mornings involve only a simple hip-hinge movement to conduct, whereas deadlifts involve 3 different phases: the setup, the pull, and the lockout.

Although both of these exercises rely on you not rounding your lower back in order to avoid injury, a deadlift is likely more challenging to execute based on its more complex movements.

Conversely, when doing good mornings, the shifting of gravity caused from hinging forward and back means it’s more difficult to execute in terms of maintaining form and balance.

Related Article - RDL Vs Good Morning

Injury Risk 

Any weightlifting comes with a risk of injury. While there may be divided opinions regarding the safety of both good morning and deadlift exercises, the injury risk increases when not performed correctly or responsibly.  

Ego lifting (lifting excessively heavy weight purely to try to impress others) is a fast and easy way to injure yourself [4]. Although Bruce Lee infamously injured himself while doing good mornings, this was a result of not warming up adequately beforehand.

A great way to maintain the correct form during both exercises is to keep your chin up and have a focal point. This helps to prevent your back from rounding, potentially causing injury.

Technique Differences Between Good Mornings And Deadlifts

While both good mornings and deadlifts rely on the correct form in order to safely perform the exercise and avoid injury, there are some differences in technique for each exercise. The most significant technique difference involves barbell placement.

For good mornings, the bar rests on your shoulders for the duration of the workout, throughout each set.

 Whereas for deadlifts, the starting and ending position of the bar for each rep is on the ground. This means that you don’t have to bear the weight of the bar throughout the set and only need to bear the weight during each rep, with a break between reps.

Having the bar resting on your shoulders throughout the duration of the set may place too much strain on the spine for people struggling with pre-existing back pain. In this case, deadlifts may be a better alternative for you.  

Another key difference involves the movement of the barbell itself. With good mornings, the barbell starts in an elevated position and is brought down and back up through each rep.

However, when performing a deadlift, the barbell starts in a low position and is lifted up and back down through each rep.

Good Morning Overview

A good morning is an exercise that involves placing a barbell on the upper back (like you would for a barbell squat).

From there, you’ll lean forward and hinge at the hips, ensuring a straight back and flexed hamstrings. This exercise gets its name from the way it resembles the bowing action used for greetings in some cultures. 

Good mornings are similar to deadlifts in that they are a compound exercise. This means that they target more than one muscle group at once. In this case, good mornings primarily work the hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae, and lower back muscles.

While both exercises work the posterior chain muscles (the muscles along the back of the body), good mornings focus on fewer muscles than deadlifts do [5].  

When it comes to safety, there is a divided opinion on good mornings. While the mechanics of the exercise can increase the risk of injury if done incorrectly, this is true for nearly all weight lifting exercises.

When performed correctly, good mornings are an excellent exercise for growing your hamstrings and building a foundation of strength required for deadlifts. This makes them ideal for people just starting out at the gym who want to eventually progress to deadlift exercises.

Added to this, good mornings don’t require the same forearm grip strength needed for deadlifts. Since this exercise helps strengthen your lower back and core muscles, it's ideal for people who sit for long hours a day (such as office workers).  

The downside to good mornings is that you’re not able to load the barbell as heavy as you would be able to when doing deadlifts. Additionally, it’s harder to achieve progressive overload safely when doing good morning exercises.

Due to the greater risk of back injury involved when hinging at the hip, you should preferably use a light to medium weight and a full range of motion when doing this exercise. 

Benefits:

• Uses a full range of motion to work your hamstrings.
• Doesn't require a lot of weight. 
• Excellent for more advanced lifters.

How to do it:

1. Place a loaded barbell on a rack. 
2. Grab the barbell with a shoulder width overhand grip. 
3. Rest the barbell on your upper traps (not your neck). 
4. Lift the barbell from the rack and tack 3 steps back.
5. Slightly bend your knees so your legs aren't locked.
6. Keeping a neutral spine, hinge from your hips, leaning forward until your body is parallel to the floor. 
7. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Deadlift Overview

Originally called a "Dead Weight Lift" and then shorted to just "Deadlift," this exercise gets its name from how you lift a dead weight off the ground.

A deadlift is an exercise that involves placing a barbell on the floor and lifting the weight up off the ground. Once the lifter is standing straight, they will lower the weight back down to the floor in a controlled movement. 

Put simply, a deadlift involves picking up a heavy object and placing it back down. This makes it a very easy and simple exercise to execute, even for beginners. However, it’s important to ensure the correct form when doing this exercise.

Oftentimes, if the weight is too heavy for the lifters' strength level, they will round their lower back and can cause injury to their spine. 

Related Article - 5 Day Split Dumbbell Workout

Deadlifts, like good mornings, are also a compound exercise that works the posterior chain muscles. However, deadlifts target nearly every major muscle in the body. This includes the quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, adductors, calves, core, lats, traps, erector spinae, and forearms.

When it comes to safety, deadlifts are safe when done with the correct form. It’s best to start with a lightweight and perfect your form before increasing the weight. As a highly effective exercise for increasing functional strength, deadlifts should be incorporated into every workout routine.  

The downside to deadlifts is that they place significant strain on the lower back. Studies show that, along with incorrect form and heavy weight, fatigue is also a leading cause of injury when deadlifting [6]. This means you should ideally perform your deadlifts first thing, right after your warm-up.

Benefits:

• It's a compound exercise.
• It develops your posterior chain. 
• Brilliant for muscle development.

1. Stand over a loaded barbell with a hip width stance.
2. Bend your knees (but keep your hips higher than your knees) and maintain a neutral spine.
3. Grab the bar with a shoulder width overhand grip.
4. Brace your core and lift the barbell from the floor, straightening your body. 
5. Pause at the top of the movement and lower back to the starting position. 
6. Repeat and complete your set.

Good Morning Versus Deadlifting FAQs

Conclusion

That wraps up our comprehensive guide to good morning vs. deadlift exercises. We hope that all of your questions and concerns were addressed.

Now that you know what the differences between the two exercises are and which one is best for you, you'll be able to achieve your muscle-building goals in no time!  

References:

1.https://www.physio-pedia.com/Erector_Spinae

2.https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/gastrocnemius-muscle

3.https://www.verywellhealth.com/soleus-muscle-anatomy-4684082

4.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7417116/

5.https://www.melbourneosteopathycentre.com.au/blog/training/what-is-the-posterior-chain/

6.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6059276/