Choosing between good mornings vs deadlift is often tricky. These two exercises work similar muscle groups, which is why people often use them interchangeably. Still, the workouts are different in terms of setup, bar placement, movements, and grip.
In this article, we explain both exercises, their pros, and cons, and how they would affect your workout regimen. Later on, we’ll also help you choose between stiff deadlift, Romanian deadlift or good morning.
When comparing good mornings vs deadlift, we first have to consider different placements of barbells. With the deadlift, you pull the barbell off the ground with your hands. Good mornings require similar movements to execute, but in this case, you're putting the barbell on your back.

What is Good Morning?
The good mornings are a workout where you put a barbell on your back and hips forward until your torso is parallel with the ground. Although often overlooked, the good mornings can be a fantastic addition to your routine, especially if you want to improve squats and deadlifts.
The good mornings work your core, glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae, having a similar impact as the deadlift. Because of that, people can easily replace these two exercises with each other. Furthermore, many people with grip and shoulder problems often use the good mornings as an alternative to the deadlift.
In terms of weights, it’s best to use 50% of your single repetition maximum. If you want to take it a bit easier, you can go with 40%. Of course, this might vary depending on the number of reps in a workout.
What is Deadlift?
The deadlift is one of the more recognizable workouts and a relatively simple exercise to perform. The main difference between good morning and deadlift is that the deadlift requires more arm engagement. It’s a complete workout that engages numerous muscle groups, and you don’t need a spotter for it.
Besides the core, glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae, the deadlift also improves your lats and grip muscles. There are numerous variations of the workout, so you can always find the one that suits your specific exercise goals.
The deadlift is a perfect exercise for your back that you can do from one to three times a week. According to experts, you should deadlift your weight with each rep. The optimal weight might also vary based on your age.
Good Mornings vs Deadlifts: Compare Exercises and Main Difference
There is a lot to sift through when comparing deadlifts vs good mornings. While these two exercises are seemingly similar, there are numerous things that set them apart.
Here's a breakdown of the main differences between the two:
1. Overall Strength
The deadlift is an exercise used in strongmen and powerlifting competitions. It's a widely accepted workout that helps your entire body and is often used as the primary focus of your training. On the other hand, the good morning is mainly an assistance exercise.
While both of these improve your overall strength, the deadlift has a better whole-body impact. The good mornings, although fantastic in their own regard, are better for isolating certain muscle groups.

2. Muscles Used
3. Transfer
4. Safety
5. Tempo

What Is Better, Good Morning or Deadlift: Summary
Pros of Good Mornings
✅ Accessibility
✅ Strength
✅ Posture
Cons of Good Mornings
❌ Movement
❌ Injuries
❌ Flexibility

Pros of Deadlifts
✅ Strength
✅ Full-Body Workout
✅ Learning
Cons of Deadlifts
❌ Isolation
❌ Injuries
Deadlift Variations vs Good Mornings
1. Good Mornings vs Stiff Leg Deadlifts

2. Romanian Deadlift vs Good Morning

About the Program
Our Deadlift 2.0 program is a 12-week strength plan designed to boost your Deadlift PR.
The program follows a schedule of THREE 60-90 minutes training sessions per week. The training is scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but you can adjust the days to fit your weekly routine, as long as you follow the pattern of one training day followed by one cooldown day, with two days of rest after every third session.
The training is structured into 3 main blocks, with each block lasting for 4 weeks:
Who Is the Program For?
The plan is fit for both male and female athletes and is especially good for Powerlifters and Olympic lifters, but also for fans of deadlifting and strength training. All training requires access to basic equipment.
- Split into 3 block of 4 weeks (12 weeks total)
- 40 unique exercises, with video tutorials
- Pre and post-workout stretch and special warmups
- Mobile friendly PDF version
- LIFETIME access
FAQ
Are good mornings as good as RDL?
While the good morning and RDL affect similar body parts, limited studies indicate that the Romanian deadlift is the better option for building muscles.
Are good mornings effective?
The good mornings are a very effective exercise and an excellent method for improving your posterior chain muscles. You can use it to target glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
Do good mornings help with deadlifts?
Using good mornings can help your deadlift performance by strengthening your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. All these muscle groups are used during the workouts, which is why the two exercises are somewhat interchangeable.
Conclusion
The good mornings and the deadlifts have numerous similarities. They both focus on the posterior chain and, specifically, the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. So, doing one of them will also help when performing the other.
Between the two, the deadlift is a much superior alternative. It's whole-body training that can benefit you in several ways, and you can use it almost every day.
Do you alternate between the good mornings and the deadlifts? How often do you perform these exercises? Share your preferences in the comments below!
Also read:
References:
- Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7046193/
- Between Weight Age and Best Deadlift // ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-relationship-between-weight-age-and-best-deadlift_fig2_336204343
- Effects of load on good morning kinematics and EMG activity // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4304869/
- Narrative review of injuries in powerlifting with special reference to their association to the squat, bench press and deadlift // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6059276/
- Muscle Activation During Various Hamstring Exercises // Journals: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2014/06000/Muscle_Activation_During_Various_Hamstring.11.aspx
Sergii is a professional weightlifter and National team member in the past. Competed in 94 kg w/c, won multiple medals on national competitions.
Nowadays Sergii is responsible for designing training programs, writing blog articles, doing live commentary of international weightlifting competitions, running different sport & fitness educational seminars, including Olympic weightlifting together with Oleksiy Torokhtiy all around the globe.