RKC School of Strength

Official blog of the RKC

Archives for February 2021

The Kettlebell Get-up in Detail Part 1

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Ryan Jankowitz Get-Up Setup, Elbow, Tall Sit

If you’re doing Kettlebell Turkish Get-ups, then you’ve clearly invested time and energy in your health and strength.

The get-up is one of the best exercises you can do for total body strength and to prolong your life. Studies have shown that older adults who can “get up” off the floor easily will more likely avoid falls and live longer than adults who need help getting up from the ground.

There are many steps to learn with the get-up, but once you’ve learned the basic movements you can dive deeper and fine tune the exercise for greater strength and safety.

In order to communicate all of the information I want to share with you, I’ve decided to make this a 3-part series:

    1. Set-up, roll to elbow, tall sit (this post)
    2. Leg sweep to windmill and lunge, stand up
    3. Get back down through all transitions, parking the kettlebell, switching sides, and eye position

This post will be a dive deep into the set-up, rolling up to your elbow and the tall sit position. Improving movements will help take your get-ups to the next level.

The get-up actually starts from the fetal position with both hands wrapped around the kettlebell handle. Use the weight of your body to roll into position while bringing the kettlebell with you. Don’t try to “arm wrestle” the kettlebell.

Ryan Jankowitz kettlebell-Get-Up beginning at fetal position

Once you’ve pressed the kettlebell over your chest and locked out your arm, you must put your limbs opposite the kettlebell in the right spot on the floor. Place your unloaded arm (not holding the kettlebell) on the ground about 45 degrees from your body. This will ensure that when you come up to your elbow, your elbow will be right under your shoulder. From there, you will give you a strong base to work from.

Ryan Jankowitz Turkish Get-up unloaded limbs

Your legs should form the letter “V”. Bend the leg that is on the same side as the kettlebell and place your foot on the ground.

Now that you’re setup, you can focus on generating tension. Most of the tension you create will be on the side of the kettlebell. You will pack your shoulder supporting the kettlebell by pulling your shoulder down away from your ear and squeezing your armpit. This will also keep the tension out of your neck.

Next, you will start to crunch your obliques on the side that’s holding the kettlebell. The bent leg can then start contracting the glute and hamstring as you push your foot into the floor—this will help roll you up to your elbow.

Finally, push through your heel and flex your quad on the straight leg, which will help keep the leg down on the ground as you sit up to your elbow.

Okay, now that you’re set up, it’s time to roll up to your elbow. Think of this movement as a diagonal crunch where you’re trying to bring your shoulder closer to your opposite hip.

If you’ve set up correctly, then your shoulder should be stacked over your elbow when you roll up. This will give you a solid base to work from.

In this position, make sure to squeeze your shoulder blades together and push your chest up to the sky. This will help keep the tension out of your neck.

RyanJankowitz Get-Up to elbow

Once you’ve established a solid position on your elbow you can then sit up to your hand. This is known as the tall sit position.

I like to rotate my hand back slightly as I transition to my hand because it allows me to open up my chest and squeeze my shoulder blades together, which will prevent shrugging the shoulder up to the ear and putting tension in the neck.

Ryan Jankowitz Get-Up tall sit

Make sure to lock out your elbow. Imagine flexing your triceps and then pinching your triceps and lat together to create a solid base.

To see all these steps in action, please watch this video:

If you take the time to incorporate these tips into your kettlebell Turkish get-ups, then I know you’ll feel the changes taking place.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for the next blog post in my get-up series.

Stay Strong,
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II

 

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Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and owner of RJ Kettlebell, lives in Maryland with his wife and two dogs. They love to go hiking and spend time on the beach. When he’s not telling his dogs to stop chasing squirrels, Ryan enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others how to train with kettlebells. Try his 2-week advanced kettlebell plan: https://rj-kettlebell.ck.page/b59325e156

Stop Using Machines and Start Using Kettlebells

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William Sturgeon Double Kettlebell Front Squat

I am going to ruffle a few feathers with this post, but I want to challenge the way you’re currently thinking about your training. Training with machines isn’t bad, but it isn’t the best way. Machines often take up too much space and don’t really develop true strength. Gyms are filled with machines because they are easy to use, are self-limiting, and users do not require guidance.

The other issue with weight machines is that they often used in a seated position, which does not require the user to create core stability. For example, compare a kettlebell goblet squat to a machine leg press—there’s a BIG difference in the number of muscles that are working. The goblet squat requires you to use your core to keep your body in a neutral position. The lower body controls the movement, and the upper body maintains the movement. With the leg press, all of these challenges are removed by being in a seated/fixed position.

Another issue with machines is that they can forcibly stretch a joint beyond its range of motion. For example, if you do not get your arms in the right position in a pec deck machine, you will overextend the shoulder before loading it. Compare this to a traditional push up which is limited to a full range of motion without force.

Compared with machines, the kettlebell is a better tool to build strength, mobility, and aerobic capacity. The kettlebell requires the exerciser to use proper body mechanics in order to gain these benefits. And a kettlebell is just one single piece of equipment which can be stored in one foot of space.

Let’s dive deeper into why you should start using kettlebells and forget machines

Kettlebells Help Create Ballistic Power

The swing is one of the most popular exercises people associate with kettlebells. A kettlebell swing is a ballistic movement that generates a great amount of force. It is important that we train the body to be explosive. The swing movement shares a lot with sprinting mechanics. The quicker and more explosive we are with heavier kettlebells, the more this aspect will carry over to other movements and aspects of life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnnpEZG5QU0

Gain True Strength

One of my favorite exercises and tests of true strength is the kettlebell front squat. This exercise requires you to load the body structurally, while moving through a full range of motion. The ankles, knees, hips, and spine are loaded at a higher demand. The core is further challenged to maintain the upper back with weight loaded in front of the body for the complete movement.

https://youtu.be/VTdgZWLW1Yw

Increase Your Range of Motion

The get-up is an amazing exercise that engages the full body, multiple joints, and the core. It develops mobility and strength. This exercise begins on the ground, progresses to standing, then returns to the ground—all while the exerciser holds a load overhead. You must have an adequate range of motion in the ankles, hips, and shoulders to perform this exercise. The progressions leading to the full get-up can act as mobility drills to prep the body for the complete exercise

William Sturgeon Kettlebell Get-up

Increase Your Aerobic Capacity

Have you heard of the dreaded RKC Snatch Test? It’s 100 kettlebell snatches which must be completed in under 5 minutes at a prescribed weight. This can get the heart rate high and cause puddles of sweat. I use single arm swings and snatches to increase my aerobic capacity up and have noticed that it transfers to other areas of my fitness.

https://youtu.be/0LCwk8eFG2s

Don’t rely on machines, become a machine! Begin by working with a kettlebell instructor. You can do more and benefit more while training with just one kettlebell.

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William Sturgeon, RKC Team Leader, RKC II trains clients at his gym, Restored Strength. Contact him through his website at RestoredStrength.com or follow him on Facebook: facebook.com/restoredstrength