Good Mornings: Training Around Old Hamstring Injuries

Good mornings are one of the ways I've adapted my training after tearing both of my hamstrings.

With the load resting across my upper back instead of hanging in my hands, I can still train the hip hinge and strengthen my posterior chain while changing how the force is distributed through my hips and hamstrings.

I'm also standing on a wedge. Changing the angle of my feet changes my base and slightly changes how I move through the hip hinge. For me, this allows a little more mobility and lets me work around the "soft spots" left behind by my old hamstring injuries.

That doesn't mean it's the best setup for building maximum strength. From a biomechanical standpoint, it's not the most efficient position for lifting heavier loads. It's a modification that works for my body, not a trick to make the exercise better.

Because of that, I don't rely on heavy good mornings or Romanian deadlifts to build my hamstrings. Instead, I use exercises that let me train hard without aggravating old injuries, such as Nordic curls, short-range hip hinges, and other variations I've developed over the years.

I don't believe there's only one "best" exercise. The best exercise is the one that lets you keep building muscle while respecting the body you have today.

Your body changes. Your training should too.

Don't force your body to fit an exercise. Find the exercise that fits your body.