# Smith Bent Knee Good Morning - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/11386/smith-bent-knee-good-morning/ - Media ID: 11386 - Primary muscle: Hamstrings - Body part: Thighs - Equipment: Smith Machine - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/11386/smith-bent-knee-good-morning.mp4 ## Description The Smith Bent Knee Good Morning is a hip hinge performed with the bar held across the upper back on a Smith machine. Because the machine's fixed vertical path removes the need to balance a free barbell, you can concentrate fully on hinging at the hips with soft, bent knees while the hamstrings and glutes load through a deep, controlled stretch. It takes a classic posterior-chain builder and makes it more accessible and easier to coach. This variation suits lifters who want strong, flexible hamstrings and glutes without the stability demands of a free-weight barbell. Because the knees stay bent rather than locked, the hamstrings work from both the hip and knee joints, which keeps consistent tension on them through the whole range. The glutes drive the return to standing, and the lower back works hard to hold a neutral spine under load. Setup matters more here than in most machine exercises. The bar rests on your traps just as it would for a squat, but the movement is a hinge, not a squat: your hips travel backward, your torso tips forward, and your shins stay close to vertical. Set the bar at roughly mid-chest height so you can unrack and rerack it without rising onto your toes or rounding over. To execute it well, plant your feet about hip-width apart with the bar square across your upper back, brace your core, and push your hips back as if reaching for a wall behind you. Let the bar travel straight down along the machine's rails while your chest lowers toward the floor. Stop when you feel a strong hamstring stretch or your torso approaches horizontal, then drive your hips forward to stand tall, squeezing the glutes at the top. Common use cases include hamstring-focused accessory work on leg day, glute-building programs, and posterior-chain strengthening for lifters who struggle with the balance requirements of a barbell good morning. Keep the load modest at first and prioritize a smooth, controlled hinge; this exercise rewards precision far more than it rewards heavy weight, and letting the lower back round under load is the main risk to avoid. ## Instructions 1. Set the Smith machine bar at about mid-chest height and load a light to moderate weight on each side. 2. Step under the bar and rest it across your upper traps, gripping the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width with elbows pointing down and back. 3. Unrack the bar, take one step forward so the bar can travel freely on its rails, and set your feet hip-width apart with weight spread across the whole foot. 4. Keep a slight bend in the knees and hold it there throughout the set; do not lock the knees or squat deeper. 5. Brace your core, pull your shoulder blades back, and tuck your chin slightly so your spine stays neutral. 6. Push your hips straight back and hinge forward, letting the bar travel down the vertical rails as your chest lowers toward the floor. 7. Stop at the bottom when you feel a deep hamstring stretch or your torso nears horizontal, whichever comes first. 8. Drive your hips forward and press the floor away to return to standing, squeezing the glutes at the top without leaning back. 9. Exhale as you stand up and inhale at the top before each rep; after the final rep, step back under the bar and rerack it securely. ## Tips & Tricks - The most common mistake is turning the hinge into a squat by letting the knees travel forward and the hips drop; think hips back, not down. - If your heels lift at the bottom, you are hinging too far for your hamstring flexibility; shorten the range rather than reaching with your upper body. - Keep the bar pressed into your traps with your hands pulling it down into the shoulders so it does not roll toward your neck as your torso tips forward. - Because the Smith machine bar moves only vertically, standing too far forward or back relative to the rails changes the feel of the hinge; find the foot position where the bar seems to follow your hips naturally. - Rounding the lower back at the bottom is the failure point to watch; if your spine starts to round, stop the rep there and rebuild the range gradually over weeks. - Do not hyperextend or lean back at the top; stand tall and let the glute squeeze finish the rep instead of pushing the hips past neutral. - Keep the knee bend consistent from rep to rep; if the knees straighten as you fatigue, the emphasis shifts away from the hamstrings. - Start with body weight on the unloaded bar or very light plates until the hip pattern feels automatic, then add load in small increments. - Slower lowering phases, around two to three seconds, work well here because the stretch position is where the hamstrings get the most stimulus. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which muscles does the Smith Bent Knee Good Morning work? The hamstrings are the primary movers, working through a loaded stretch as you hinge forward. The glutes drive you back up to standing, and the lower back works isometrically to keep the spine neutral. ### Why keep the knees bent instead of straight in this version? A bent-knee position reduces tension on the back of the knee and lets the hamstrings lengthen at the hips more comfortably, while still keeping them under load because they cross the knee joint. Many lifters find it friendlier to both the hamstrings and lower back than the stiff-legged version. ### Is the Smith Bent Knee Good Morning good for beginners? Yes, the fixed bar path makes it one of the safest ways to learn the hip hinge pattern. Start with just the unloaded bar or light plates and focus on the hips-back movement before adding meaningful weight. ### How far down should my torso go? Lower until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings or your torso approaches horizontal, whichever happens first. Pushing deeper at the expense of a neutral spine defeats the purpose of the exercise. ### Where exactly should the bar sit on my back? Rest it on your upper traps, the same shelf used for a high-bar squat, with your hands gripping just outside shoulder width. If it slides toward your neck as you hinge, you are not actively pulling the bar down into your shoulders. ### Why does my lower back feel this exercise so much? The erector spinae hold your spine neutral against the load of the bar for the entire set, so some fatigue there is normal. Sharp pain or a rounded lower back at the bottom, however, means the weight is too heavy or the range is too deep. ### What can I use instead if my gym has no Smith machine? A barbell good morning with a lighter load is the direct substitute, though it demands more balance and control. Dumbbell or kettlebell good mornings, holding the weight at your chest or behind your shoulders, are easier options for learning the hinge. ### How many sets and reps should I do? Two to four sets of eight to twelve controlled reps fits most hamstring and glute programs. Because the stretched position is demanding on the hamstrings and lower back, prioritize clean reps over chasing heavy loads. ### Should I place my feet directly under the bar or slightly forward? Start with feet hip-width apart roughly under the bar, then adjust slightly forward or back until the bar glides down the rails in line with your hips. A position that is too far from the rails will pull you off balance or shift the bar toward your neck.