# Standing Wide Good Morning - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/8774/standing-wide-good-morning/ - Media ID: 8774 - Primary muscle: Hips - Body part: Hips - Equipment: Body Weight - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/8774/standing-wide-good-morning.mp4 ## Description The Standing Wide Good Morning is a bodyweight hip hinge performed with the feet set much wider than hip width, which shifts the emphasis toward the adductors along the inner thigh while the glutes and hamstrings handle the bulk of the hip extension. You stand tall, place your hands lightly behind your head or at your hips, and fold forward by pushing the hips back until the torso approaches parallel with the floor, then drive through the heels to stand back up. No bar or load is needed, which makes this version a clean way to learn the hinge pattern before adding weight. The wide foot position is what separates this from a standard good morning. With the legs spread, the adductor muscles sit in a lengthened position at the top of the movement, and they work hard to stabilize the pelvis and control the thighs as you hinge. The glutes and hamstrings then take over as the primary movers on the way back up. Because the arms stay relaxed and the spine stays neutral, the erector spinae in the lower back works isometrically to hold your torso position without being compressed by an external load. This exercise suits anyone who wants better hip mobility and hinge mechanics: lifters preparing for barbell good mornings, squats, or deadlifts, people who sit long hours and feel tight through the inner thighs and hips, and those rebuilding confidence in a bent-over position after time away from training. It is also a useful warm-up drill, since the wide stance opens the groin area while grooving the exact hip drive you need under a bar later. Setup matters more than most people expect. A stance that is only moderately wide turns this into an ordinary hinge, while a stance so wide that the heels lift or the knees collapse inward removes tension from the adductors and stresses the knees. Aim for roughly one and a half shoulder widths, toes turned out slightly, and keep the weight balanced over the whole foot throughout the rep. A soft but not deeply bent knee lets the hips travel backward instead of the torso simply dropping toward the floor. Execution comes down to pace and spine position. Initiate the fold by moving the hips back rather than rounding forward, keep the chest proud and the neck in line with the spine, and stop when you feel a strong stretch through the inner thighs and hamstrings or when your torso can no longer stay flat. Return by squeezing the glutes and pulling the hips forward, exhaling on the drive up. Move deliberately; the bodyweight version rewards control and range, not speed. As with any hinge, protect the lower back by bracing the abdominals before every rep and refusing to let the spine round at the bottom. If you feel the work shifting into the lower back instead of the hips and inner thighs, reduce your depth and narrow your stance slightly until your mobility improves. Common uses include pre-workout hip preparation, adductor mobility work on lower-body days, and as a teaching progression for loaded good mornings. Two to three sets of ten to fifteen slow reps work well for most trainees, either before heavy leg training or as standalone hip work on easier days. ## Instructions 1. Stand with your feet about one and a half shoulder widths apart, toes turned out at a slight angle, and let your arms hang briefly to settle your balance. 2. Place your hands lightly behind your head with the elbows flared out, or rest them at your hips, whichever lets you keep your chest open. 3. Set your weight evenly across both feet, then brace your abdominals as if bracing for a light push to the stomach. 4. Soften the knees slightly and pull the shoulder blades back so the spine is long and neutral before you move. 5. Push the hips straight back and fold forward over your wide stance, letting the elbows stay open and the chest lead with a flat back. 6. Continue until your torso is close to parallel with the floor or until you feel a firm stretch across the inner thighs and hamstrings, keeping both heels planted. 7. Pause for a beat at the bottom without relaxing the brace or rounding the lower back. 8. Drive the hips forward by squeezing the glutes and exhale as you return to a full stand, finishing tall with the hips under the shoulders. 9. Reset your brace at the top, take a breath, and begin the next repetition at the same controlled tempo. ## Tips & Tricks - If your knees drift inward as you hinge, shorten your stance by an inch or two on each side; the adductors only stay loaded when the knees track over the toes. - Rounding at the bottom usually means you went past your available hip range. Stop a few degrees earlier and build depth gradually over weeks rather than forcing parallel on day one. - Keep the heels glued to the floor. If a heel lifts, the stance is too wide for your hips and the fold is coming from the ankles instead of the hips. - Think 'hips back, chest forward' instead of 'bend down.' People who cue bending tend to fold from the waist and lose the flat back. - Keep the hands behind the head as a frame, not a pull; yanking the neck forward to lift the torso turns the rep into a spine movement instead of a hip movement. - The stretch you feel along the inner thigh should be even from left to right. If one side dominates, check that your feet are genuinely even in width and your hips are not shifting sideways as you descend. - Slow the lowering phase to two or three seconds. Most of the adductor benefit in this exercise comes from controlling the descent, not from how deep you go. - Warm the hips first with a few bodyweight squats or leg swings. Going into a deep wide hinge cold often produces a pinching sensation at the front of the hips that disappears once you are warm. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What muscles does the Standing Wide Good Morning work? The adductors on the inner thigh are the highlighted movers because the wide stance lengthens them, while the glutes and hamstrings drive you back upright. The lower back and core work statically to hold a neutral spine throughout the fold. ### How wide should my stance be for the Standing Wide Good Morning? Roughly one and a half shoulder widths works for most people, with toes turned out slightly. Narrow it until both heels stay flat and your knees track over your toes; a stance that is too wide only pulls tension away from the hips. ### Is the Standing Wide Good Morning safe for beginners? Yes, because it is bodyweight and the range is self-selected by your own mobility. Beginners should keep the depth shallow, prioritize a flat back, and treat the exercise as a hinge lesson before ever loading a barbell version. ### Why do I feel the Standing Wide Good Morning in my inner thighs instead of my lower back? That is the intended effect. Spreading the feet puts the adductors under stretch and makes them stabilize the pelvis during the hinge, so they become the standout muscle while the lower back only holds an isometric position. ### Can I do the Standing Wide Good Morning every day? It is low-load enough to appear frequently, especially as a warm-up, but the adductors still need recovery after demanding sessions. Two to four times per week is a sensible rhythm for most people. ### What is the most common mistake in the Standing Wide Good Morning? Rounding the lower back to reach greater depth. Once the spine curves, the hinge stops loading the hips and the stretch shifts to the back. Fix it by stopping earlier, bracing harder, and keeping the chest open. ### How is the Standing Wide Good Morning different from a regular Good Morning? The regular version typically uses a barbell and a narrower stance, loading the glutes and hamstrings heavily. The wide, bodyweight version trades load for range, emphasizing the adductors and making it better suited for mobility and technique work. ### What can I use instead of the Standing Wide Good Morning if the wide stance hurts my hips? A standard bodyweight good morning with feet at hip width keeps the hinge pattern while removing the inner-thigh stretch, and a deep sumo-style squat to a bench offers a similar adductor lengthening with support. ### Should my knees stay straight or bend during the Standing Wide Good Morning? Keep a soft, slightly bent knee rather than locked or deeply bent legs. A small knee bend lets the hips shift backward, which is what creates the stretch across the inner thighs and hamstrings. ### How deep should I hinge on the Standing Wide Good Morning? Go only as far as your torso stays flat, usually somewhere near parallel to the floor. The moment your back rounds or your heels lift, you have passed your useful range for that day.