Good Mornings
Muscle worked: Lower back
Time: 2 minutes

This photo moves! Watch closely to see a demonstration.

This is a perfect exercise to do to warm up your back muscles as you simultaneously tone and shape your lower back, hamstrings, glutes and thighs. As the name implies, you can do these first thing in the morning, as soon as you get out of bed.

A. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your hands behind your head.

B. Bend forward from the waist, keeping your legs straight and your gaze straight ahead. Keep your back flat. Once your body is perpendicular, rise back up as you exhale.

Warm up with a series of these for 30 seconds before moving on to the next phase.

Add a knee bend to the movement.
Do the move as usual, but this time, once your torso is parallel to the floor, bend your knees and lower your butt toward the floor, finishing the movement by straightening your legs and standing up at the same time. The second part of the move -- the knee bend -- must be done slowly and carefully. Make sure to engage your glutes throughout the move by sticking your butt out as much as possible. That will take the pressure off your knees.

Distinctly David: The Good Morning is a basic lower-back warm up that can be used at all levels. At the beginner level, concentrate on getting the form down and focusing on stretching out your lower back and hamstrings. As your level of proficiency improves, you can add weight by placing a pair of light dumbbells behind your head.