RKC School of Strength

Official blog of the RKC

get up

1 Exercise That Checks All The Boxes

By 1 Comment

The Turkish Get Up is an exercise that checks all the boxes. This exercise is still a mystery to me after all these years of teaching it. Every time I teach it, do it, and watch others do it, I learn something new. It checks every box I can think of as a strength coach.

The boxes I’m talking about are:

  • Power
  • Balance
  • Mobility
  • Flexibility
  • Explosivity
  • Posture
  • Core
  • All planes of motion
  • Therapeutic
  • Meditative
  • Mentally challenging

10-minutes of practicing this exercise in a way that’s right for your body is a powerful experience and it pairs well with others too, meaning it’s an easy exercise to superset. My favorite combination is TGUs and single arm swings.

Here’s a video illustrating all the most important elements to take into account when performing the Turkish Get Up:

I’m a busy person, I live a blessed life. My days are full — as I foster children, I have children, I’m married, I run a couple of businesses, I’m an active parishioner at my church and participant at my men’s group. I’ve got a lot going on! This means what I don’t have is a lot of time to workout. So for me, finding exercises that maximize potential and results are important.

It’s already known that when kettlebells are properly trained and programmed, they are the highest caloric output form of conditioning and they have little to no impact. They’re very safe and effective.

This way I don’t need to spend too much time foam rolling, stretching, meditating etc. I can just set a timer for 20 minutes, do 1 TGU per side, stand up and do 10 swings per arm and repeat. After the 20 minutes, I’m smoked in all the right ways yet energized to move forward into the day and serve.

Have you tried spending the time to learn how to do a proper TGU? And from there how to program it into your routine? And from there stick to it for a few years on a daily basis? I highly recommend it!

***

Nick Lynch, Founder Superb Health and Performance www.superbhealthmke.com

The Getup: Trendy or Essential?

By 1 Comment

Rebecca Cody leading a kettlebell get-up class

Recently, Men’s Health published an article about the Turkish getup. The article started by saying that the Turkish getup may be “trendy and stylish,” but that’s it’s overrated and not the best use of training time. And that “it’s nearly impossible to establish a mind-muscle connection with this move.” Here are some of my thoughts.

I looked into the origin of the Turkish getup. There are a few theories, but all of them reveal that the Turkish getup is centuries old. Hardly trendy.

Also, I have a little bit of an issue with criticizing exercises for being cool and trendy. Who made movement exploration illegal?

Then there’s the issue of mind-muscle connection. When you’ve got a ball of iron over you face, it’s ALL mind muscle connection. Yet, the Men’s Health author compared it to the mind muscle connection only required to perform biceps curls. Hmmm. Ok.

Here’s a funny thing: I taught a workshop on the Turkish getup to 16 adults a few weeks ago, and not one of the participants mentioned that they felt a lack of mind-muscle connection. But, every single one of them left the workshop moving better, and with a new tool for their training toolbox.

RKC-II Rebecca Codi leading group through learning the kettlebell get-up

It crossed my mind that there were so many steps that maybe getups weren’t the best choice for a group setting. That’s why we BREAK IT DOWN. Oddly enough, everyone was able to perform a get-up by the end of the workshop…and really well too. Some people used weights, some not. A few participants needed extra time, but with enough patience, we got to where we needed to be.

We really need to stop treating people like they’re frail and inept.

I can tell you that when I use getups in my own programming, my press gets heavier. It probably has something to do with having a heavy weight in the locked out position over my head for a good amount of time. And the fact I don’t bang up my shoulders with a lot of pressing volume. Just my guess. Either way, I get a kick out of pressing heavy weights and it makes me feel empowered.

I can tell you that simply performing a getup with a heavy kettlebell is exciting. Getups give me and my clients a ton of confidence which spills over into other areas of our lives.

I can also tell you that when I give my gen pop clients a bunch of getups in the beginning of their workouts, they move better and have more access to certain ranges of motion throughout the session. Not a bad thing.

Look, I’m not going to say that the movement is for everyone. And I’m also not going to criticize using the individual components of the getup on their own, there’s gold in those movements. And I’m also not throwing shade at biceps curls. I love a curl.

But in a world where most people don’t move enough, I wish we could change the conversation to include more movement opportunities, rather than continuously taking things away with “do this, don’t do that” kind of articles.

Rebecca Codi leading a group with kettlebell get-ups

Programming towards a goal is important. Being really intentional with your time makes sense. But there’s always room for a little bit of movement exploration. Maybe not for professional athletes, but that’s the minority.

Most of my adult clients aren’t even looking to “max out” if I’m being honest. Most want to move well and feel great. That said, I will continue to teach the get-up any chance I get.

***

Rebecca Codi, MA, RKCII, CFSC

The Turkish Get Down Press and the Road to Windmills and Bent Presses

By 2 Comments

Dan John Performs a Kettlebell Get Down Press

Let me cut straight to the point, something I rarely do: the Turkish Get Down Press (TGDP) has allowed me to speed up the teaching process of three of the most difficult kettlebell exercises to teach and master:

  • The Turkish Get Up
  • The Windmill “Family”
  • The Bent Press

Actually, the TGDP has helped me speed up the teaching of the entire pressing family, too, but I like my world to fit neatly in threes. Certainly, you may know the exercise, but like The Rock’s world in Jungle Cruise, there seems a whole lot more to discover

I liked the movie. Just saying.

Committing to a few rounds of this lift might save you a lot of time and energy later trying to explain the hows and whys of doing the movement.

If you know how my brain works, you also know that this “all starts with a story.” We, my morning training corps (my Intentional Community), were having a typical gym discussion about what to do next in the workout. For the record, not EVERY thing we do in training is computer generated perfection.

Actually, the BEST things we do are usually cobbled together. Not every group can handle a Jazz Improv training program but it seems to work with us as we are a mix of ages, occupations and experience.

I had just returned from a workshop. At said workshop, someone asked about having a workout with just a single kettlebell and a basic knowledge of Tim Anderson’s Original Strength. (I include an example at the end) and we talked about how much I love, love I tell you, doing the Half-Kneeling Press for home trainees. Including me.

Done correctly, with the 90-degree angles at the knees and a tall position of the body, the Half-Kneeling Press stretches, mobilizes, and strengthens a host of bodyparts and “just feels good.”

And, of course, the question came up.

“Which hand with which knee?”

You see, with this press varietal, you have some options. You can press with one arm…or two. You can have your left knee down or your right knee. As you know, in lifting there are three knees:

  • The Left Knee
  • The Right Knee
  • The Hiney

I crack myself up. By the way, spellcheck does NOT like my spelling of “hiney.” For your illumination, I give you the dictionary explanation of my awful joke:

The first records of hiney come from the first half of the 1900s. It is derived from words based on the root word hind, meaning “the back,” as in behind (another euphemism for the buttocks) and hindquarters. The suffix -y or -ie is used to add an endearing or euphemistic quality to words—to make them cuter or more familiar, as in granny and doggie.

Dan John Demonstrates part of the Get-Down Press Sequence with a light kettlebell

We came to a decision as a group that the left knee should be down if pressing with the right hand and the right knee should be down if pressing with the left hand.

Why?

The Turkish Get Up!!!

Actually, one would learn this doing a correct Turkish Get Down. And, for total candor, it is the Turkish Get Down Press that got us thinking of this reason.

You don’t know the Turkish Get Down Press? Let me say this: for speeding up the teaching of the TGU, I have yet to find anything better than the TGD Press. It’s very simple:

At each step of the TG Down, add a press. I am telling you this now also: go lighter than you think.

Simply, here you go:

  1. I suggest snatching the bell up to the top. You can certainly clean and press but that adds an additional press to a lot of presses.
  2. Standing tall, press the bell.
  3. Step back with the foot opposite the bell into what I call the Cross Country Ski Position. For the record, the “key” to the TGD is a longish step back as it gives you space to move later. The knee will get close to touching the ground, but don’t let it touch. Press the kettlebell.
  4. Bring the knee down to the Half-Kneeling position. Press the bell.
  5. Windshield Wiper the front foot. I recommend pressing the bell here, too.
  6. Hinge back and bring the free hand to the floor. The hand, knee and foot should all be in a line. The knee should bisect that line. Press the bell.

(It should feel like a warmup for the Bent Press because it is a warmup for the Bent Press) Look, an asterisk: * (See Below)

  1. Sweep the butt through to the Tall Sit Position. Press the bell.
  2. Roll to the elbow. Press the bell.
  3. Roll to the floor. Press the bell.
  4. With BOTH hands, bring the bell down, cuddle it, roll to the side and release the bell safely to the floor.

*Position Six is called the Kneeling Windmill and will be the focus of the next article in this series.

Let’s watch someone demonstrate it. The model seems to know what to do.

That’s eight presses. That’s a lot of presses. Moreover, as you will discover, the press grooves were different almost every press. I find that my shoulders feel better after this exercise. This movement can be done for mobility work and this is what I use the move for in my own training.

The TGDP can also be done for hypertrophy. If you did three rounds of both sides for eight total reps per round (24 total presses per hand), I’m just guessing something good would happen. Perhaps you would get those “shoulders that are the envy of your friends” that I used to read about in the muscle magazines. My friends envy my naturally curly hair (with a nod to Peanuts).

So, yes, this exercise is a great exercise. For my work with kettlebells, there are other values to this movement.

First, I’m not sure there is a better way to teach the Turkish Get UP. The Turkish Get DOWN with presses stops the participant at several key points and holds these positions in place. If you can’t get the press groove, there is a good chance the bell is in the wrong place. Most of the little troubling positions and points of the TGU are cleaned up with this simple drill.

Second, and it was only at the most recent RKC II that I realized this as clearly as I do now, this drill is gateway to the Windmill and Bent Press family.

Next time, we will dissect the Kneeling Windmill and show you how this single position can teach so much, so fast to so many.

The simple program I promised you.

One KB only mixed with Original Strength.

A1. Left Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
A2. Prone Neck Nod

B1. Right Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
B2. Prone Find Your Shoes

C1. Goblet Squat
C2. Six Point Rock

D1. March in Place with Load in Left Hand (Suitcase Carry)
D2. Six Point Rock with Left Leg in wide position (Kickstand)

E1. March in Place with Load in Right Hand (Suitcase Carry)
E2. Six Point Rock with Right Leg in wide position (Kickstand)

F1. Swings
F2. Egg Rolls

“Maybe” Day One:

Super set with Sets of Eight (Three Rounds)
A1. Left Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
A2. Prone Neck Nod

B1. Right Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
B2. Prone Find Your Shoes

Superset with Sets of Eight (Three Rounds)
C1. Goblet Squat
C2. Six Point Rock

Superset for maybe Thirty Seconds each
D1. March in Place with Load in Left Hand (Suitcase Carry)
D2. Six Point Rock with Left Leg in wide position (Kickstand)
E1. March in Place with Load in Right Hand (Suitcase Carry)
E2. Six Point Rock with Right Leg in wide position (Kickstand)

Five Rounds of 15 Swings and appropriate Egg Rolls
F1. Swings
F2. Egg Rolls

“Maybe” Day Two

Three Sets of Eight
A1. Left Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
A2. Prone Neck Nod

Three Sets of Eight
B1. Right Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
B2. Prone Find Your Shoes

Three Sets of Eight
C1. Goblet Squat
C2. Six Point Rock

Three Rounds of Thirty Seconds Each
D1. March in Place with Load in Left Hand (Suitcase Carry)
D2. Six Point Rock with Left Leg in wide position (Kickstand)
E1. March in Place with Load in Right Hand (Suitcase Carry)
E2. Six Point Rock with Right Leg in wide position (Kickstand)

“Up to 100 Swings”
F1. Swings
F2. Egg Rolls

“Maybe” Day Three

The entire circuit for three rounds of eights and thirty seconds as appropriate.

  1. Left Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
  2. Prone Neck Nod
  3. Right Hand Press (Stand or Half-Kneeling)
  4. Prone Find Your Shoes
  5. Goblet Squat
  6. Six Point Rock
  7. March in Place with Load in Left Hand (Suitcase Carry)
  8. Six Point Rock with Left Leg in wide position (Kickstand)
  9. March in Place with Load in Right Hand (Suitcase Carry)
  10. Six Point Rock with Right Leg in wide position (Kickstand)
  11. Swings
  12. Egg Rolls

There you go…off the top of the head but pretty good.

***

Master RKC, Dan John is the author of numerous fitness titles including The Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge: A Fundamental Guide To Training For Strength And Power, the best selling Never Let Go and Easy Strength. Dan has spent his life with one foot in the world of lifting and throwing, and the other foot in academia. An All-American discus thrower, Dan has also competed at the highest levels of Olympic lifting, Highland Games and the Weight Pentathlon, an event in which he holds the American record.

Dan spends his work life blending weekly workshops and lectures with full-time writing, and is also an online religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. As a Fulbright Scholar, he toured the Middle East exploring the foundations of religious education systems. For more information visit DanJohn.net

The Kettlebell Get-up in Detail Part 1

By 1 Comment

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

 

 ***

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

How Long Should It Take To Do One Kettlebell Get-Up?

By Leave a Comment

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Coaching Getup Practice

Occasionally, trainees ask me how long a get-up should take when they’re first learning how to do one. I think it’s a really great question and I’m glad when they ask it—because it means that they are probably starting to really dig kettlebell training. But, my answer always seems to surprise them just a bit. When I tell them that a solid get-up takes at least 30 seconds per side, they start to realize that this exercise requires patience.

My best get-ups tend to take around 36 seconds (clearly, I love to time things). It seems to take about 36 seconds for me to feel like I am owning each stage of the get-up while taking my time.

Each stage of the get-up is equally important and demands equal attention. If one stage is rushed or not performed well, that weak link may negatively impact the rest of the movement. There’s nothing worse than trying to adjust your position while holding a heavy hunk of iron over your head.

I’ve found that going back to naked (no weight) get-ups or using a very light kettlebell with a 3-5 second pause at each stage for several reps is a great drill for reinforcing patience. These drills also allow you or your client to get very familiar with how each stage of the get-up should feel.

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and Master RKC Michael Krivka demonstrate the get-up at a recent HKC workshop in Gathersburg, MD.
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and Master RKC Michael Krivka demonstrate the get-up at a recent HKC workshop in Gaithersburg, MD.

My intent in writing this blog post was to create a discussion and learn what other kettlebell instructors and enthusiasts think about the timing of a get-up. Have you found an optimal time for the get-up? How long do you think a kettlebell get-up should take? Please leave your answers in the comments section at the end of this post.

I feel that being patient with kettlebell training pays off big time in the long term. In a time when people want to do more exercises faster and faster, sometimes slowing down is actually the best approach.

Performing one repetition of the get-up masterfully is far superior to performing ten sloppy reps. Really, this can be said for any exercise—quality over quantity. If you take your time and master the basics, the rest will fall into place.

All of my best kettlebell lifts and personal goals have come years after I first picked up a kettlebell. I’m in this for the long haul and sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down.

Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Stay Strong.

***

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Instructor, CK-FMS, is a life-long athlete who can’t imagine sitting behind a desk. He enjoys sharing his passion for fitness and spreading the RKC knowledge. Ryan provides online kettlebell training and in-person training in the DC Metro area. You can reach him at ryan@rjkettlebell.com or through his website rjkettlebell.com.

How and Why to Practice Slow Motion Kettlebell Get-Ups

By Leave a Comment

Shari Wagner Slow Motion Get-up

At a Dragon Door workshop back in 2010, a Senior RKC taught us how to do slow motion get-ups and my life was forever changed!

In theory, slowing down a get-up sounds simple enough—but you know what they say about “simple but not easy”! When I tried a slow motion get up for the first time, I noticed that I wanted to go through it way too fast. At the workshop, we were instructed to try and take a full minute to get from the floor to standing, and then another full minute to get back to the floor.

I was amazed. Simply slowing down the pace of the get-up amplified every nuance of each step and each movement. The weight is also amplified. At the time, I was able to do a solid get-up with a 16g kettlebell—and sometimes a 20kg. I scoffed when they told the women to use an 8kg kettlebell. Quickly, I realized that when moving slowly, an 8kg kettlebell is no joke! Time under tension is increased—and the whole move is much more difficult.

I found that certain parts of the get-up were excruciatingly had to do slowly—and that the steps requiring mobility in areas where I was tight were the most difficult of all. This slow motion drill was a great lesson. It taught me where I needed to improve my mobility, and where my strength and movement quality needed help.

Shari Wagner kettlebell Get-upSlow motion get-ups are different than doing a get-up at a regular pace and pausing at each step. Perform a slow motion get-up as though you’re watching yourself on video, frame by frame. Definitely pause at each step to check yourself (just as you would in a regular get-up) but move in super slow motion from one step to the next. At first, you may want to try slow motion get-ups with no weight. It’s surprising how challenging this drill can be!

If you find a step where you aren’t able to move in slow motion or where you naturally speed up, then that’s an area that needs some work. You may need to mobilize your hips, shoulders, and/or your thoracic spine. Or, it may be that an area needs more strength and stability. Attack the issue from all angles, but if you feel like your body is stuck, then it’s usually because of a mobility issue.

Another way to improve your technique is to take note of asymmetries in your movements from left to right. These movement asymmetries can also be caused by immobility or lack of strength and/or stability.

Improve Mobility Challenges With These Drills:

When practicing the half get-up (at the elbow or posting to the hand) insufficient thoracic mobility can cause people to slump forward or be unable to get into a tight position with the shoulders packed and the side of the body straight. Another compensation for poor thoracic mobility is compensating by arching the lower back.

Here’s one of my favorite drills to improve thoracic mobility:

Rotational thoracic mobility is also important for the get-up, since the half get-up and half windmill phases are in the transverse plane. Here’s a helpful drill:

For shoulder stability, I love the simplicity of a good waiter’s walk. During the drill, really focus on using your lats to hold your arm overhead. Think about drawing your entire arm and shoulder down into the socket.

The “standing bird dog” is a great drill that delivers a double whammy of shoulder stability, core stability and strength in both areas. Dan John describes it in detail in the Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge. Start by pressing the kettlebell overhead. Set the arm and shoulder in place, as in a waiter’s walk. Then, lift the leg on the same side (raising the knee up) and hold. When you can no longer keep your balance, put your foot back on the ground and then raise the other leg. Hold then switch the kettlebell to your other arm and repeat the drill.

Good luck with the slow motion get-up and these mobility drills. Please leave your comments below if you’ve tried them before, or if you try the drills for the first time now!

****

RKC Team Leader Shari Wagner, RKC-II, PCC, CK-FMS owns Iron Clad Fitness in Denver, Colorado. She can be contacted through her website at IronCladFit.com, email: info@ironcladfit.com or by phone 720-900-4766. Follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/IronCladFitness and Twitter: twitter.com/IronCladFitness.

Rubik’s Get-Up

By Leave a Comment

Annie Vo Get-Up Rubiks Cube
When I first learned to perform a get-up, I was unsure of its purpose. It seemed almost like a series of random movements, ultimately resulting in getting off the floor. Of course, being able to get off the floor safely has its advantages, but even when progressing with resistance, it was still somewhat of a mystery to me.

Sometimes in order to understand new information, it is helpful to liken it to something old. The use of analogies in teaching has been shown to have a positive impact on the way we process new data. Analogies foster learning by highlighting the similarities between what we already know and that which we seek. The mind is complex.

Over the years I have come to think of the get-up like a Rubik’s Cube.

The Rubik’s Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the goal is to align all of the color-coded squares on each side through a series of pivots. The shifts of the cube are smooth, tracking on an internal core track until the final destination is reached. The cube is considered incomplete if the sides are not aligned appropriately.

Although it is widely misreported that Dr. Rubik created “the cube” to be a teaching tool to help his students understand 3-D objects, his actual purpose was to solve the structural problems of moving parts independently—without the entire mechanism falling apart! In many ways, the get-up has the same goal.

Each movement in the get-up is a pivot from the body’s core joints—the hips and shoulders. The pivoting should be smooth. Once the position is established, all “sides” of the get-up cube should also be aligned. The spine must be straight throughout the get-up. The body’s center of gravity must be balanced between the limbs. The angles of the hips and shoulders positioned to provide maximum support and stability. Each limb, joint and muscle must be arranged and coiled underneath the weight overhead to create a solid foundation.

As you develop your technique, you are likely to discover information about how you move, including strengths and weakness, balances and imbalances, and which areas should be developed. Your get-up is your sculpture. It is constantly evolving. The way you perform each pivot, swivel and shift can reveal or obscure what is truly beneath the surface. If you rush it, then you’ll miss the point.

As a Senior RKC Instructor, I’ve had the privilege of teaching the get-up to hundreds of coaches and kettlebell enthusiasts, spanning a multitude of backgrounds. Throughout my tenure, I’ve noticed that there are three common places in the get-up where symmetry and alignment tend to get neglected, even among experienced get-uppers. Here they are:

Initial Shift to the Elbow

The get-up begins in a lying position and is initiated by rolling up to your (unloaded) side. It is to be performed without any jerking or momentum. Imagine your trunk is one unbending steel rod that must be adjusted by wedging between the hip and shoulder. The result is a straight, stacked vertical line from the ground to overhead—a track as clear as the pathway of a Rubik’s Cube’s axis.

However, often the shoulder of the planted arm is forgotten in the pursuit of this vertical line, and sags forward. This is usually the result of not knowing how to find the alignment, and overcompensating. In short, it may feel like it’s lined up but it isn’t. If this is the case, there is unnecessary pressure on the front of the shoulder. To avoid this, make sure to preserve your vertical line by employing the support of the greatest shoulder stabilizer you have—the lat.

Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded and relaxed.
Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded and relaxed.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is aligned and lat is packed.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is aligned and lat is packed.

Shift to the “Tall Sit”

When moving from the elbow to the straight arm seated position, the support shoulder has a tendency to rotate forward, therefore “exposing” itself and falling out of alignment. The support arm is arguably the most important part of the “tall sit” portion of the get-up because it determines whether you will be able to support your overhead weight (and bodyweight) while your legs swing under you. The support arm (and opposite leg) are responsible for supporting the body as it is lifted and rotated like a Rubik’s Cube.

To perform this transition with the greatest mechanical advantage, make sure your shoulder is in line with your planted hand and also rotated back and down, to ensure that the lat muscle is engaged.

Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded forward.
Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded forward.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded back and in line with the hand.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded back and in line with the hand.

Leg Sweep (both directions)

From the “tall sit” position, rotate your leg under your body, and place your knee on the ground. Sometimes people don’t bring the leg far enough under, on the way up. Remember, the angle of your hips should be roughly 90 degrees. Picture how difficult it would be to twist Dr. Rubik’s contraption if its sides were unaligned.

Conversely, a common mistake on the way down is to place the supporting hand (rather than the knee) out of alignment. It’s important to keep your grounded hand extended just beyond the knee.  A visible, vertical line should begin from the grounded hand, up through both shoulders, and overhead, ending in the kettlebell held firmly at the top.

Problem knee position—The knee is not drawn underneath far enough creating a less than 90 degree angle at the hip.
Problem knee position—The knee is not drawn underneath far enough creating a less than 90 degree angle at the hip.
Problem hand position—The hand is placed out of alignment from the knee.
Problem hand position—The hand is placed out of alignment from the knee.
Proper hand, knee, shoulder alignment—Hips are at 90 degrees and a vertical line is created from grounded hand to KB.
Proper hand, knee, shoulder alignment—Hips are at 90 degrees and a vertical line is created from grounded hand to KB.

These are time-tested tips to help improve your get-up. You’d be surprised how often revisiting these basics can help improve overall performance. Do not lose sight of the fact that your training is constantly evolving and never be afraid to revisit your foundation.

“Mind the edges of the cube or else Hell will literally break loose”
“Mind the edges of the cube or else Hell will literally break loose”

***

Annie Vo, Senior RKC, PCC Team Leader is a personal trainer, fitness writer and presenter in New York City. Contact her through her website annievo.com.

How To Improve Your Golf Game With Kettlebell Training

By Leave a Comment

William Sturgeon Kettlebell Get-Up Kettlebells for golf

Whether you’re a golf athlete or enthusiast, there’s always room for improvement in your sport. While there are plenty of things you can do to improve your golf game, nothing is as powerful as strengthening your body. Strengthening and mobilizing your body will improve the quality and power of your swing. Kettlebell training can take your golf game to a new level!

Why Kettlebell Strength Training Can Improve Your Golf:

Kettlebell training has the ability to improve sports performance in many ways. Increasing your overall strength can lead to greater power for your golf swing. Strength training can help you achieve greater speed and more control over your swing. Training with kettlebells also helps you manage fatigue. Since golfers are typically in a fixed bent-over position for many hours at a time, they are at risk for a lot of stress on the lumbar spine. Lastly, kettlebell training can reduce the risk of injury and increase your playing longevity.

Common Golf Injuries:

Low Back Pain

Golfers commonly deal with low back pain. The repetitive rotational motion through the lumbar spine is often a major cause of low back pain in golfers. Having a weak low back can be dangerous since golf requires a lot of flexion and rotation through the lumbar spine. Mobilizing and strengthening the low back can reduce the risk of injury in this area.

Rotator Cuff

The rotator cuff is located within the shoulder and consists of four small muscles—the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis—which stabilize the shoulders. Shoulder impingement is a common injury amongst golfers. Shoulder impingement occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff become inflamed and irritated as they move through the subacromial space. If the shoulders are not mobilized or strong enough for the repetitive motion of the swing, then compensational movement patterns will occur. These compensational patterns cause weak, immobile shoulders and injury.

Elbow Tendonitis

The two most common instances of elbow tendonitis with golfers are tennis elbow (the outer tendon is irritated and inflamed) and golf elbow (the inflammation and irritation of the inner tendon). These injuries can be caused by the repetitive swinging motion in golf. To heal these injuries you will need to hang up the clubs for a little while to allow for a quicker recovery. But, by adding kettlebell training to your routine, you will be able to help strengthen and mobilize the shoulders and the thoracic spine to help reduce the risk of this injury.

Why Kettlebell Training?

Kettlebell training has been shown time and time again to be a very effective training modality. A single kettlebell can be used for strength training, mobility training, rehabbing injuries, and conditioning. You can even train with kettlebells at home, and at any time that fits with your schedule.

Kettlebell training for improved performance in golf does not have to be complicated or rigorous. Strength training is best kept simple and effective. At my facility, we train our “7 big rocks”: single leg, squat, hinge, trunk, mobility, upper push, and upper pull. These movement categories cover a full body approach and ensure we cover every plane of motion in our training. Full body training with kettlebells allows you to utilize your time more effectively and basically train anywhere.

Kettlebell Swings for Golf William SturgeonMy Top Five Kettlebell Exercises for Golf:

Swing

The kettlebell swing creates powerful and explosive hips. It has been known to aid in reducing low back pain. The swing strengthens the low back and increases the strength of the glutes–the powerhouse of the hips when applied to your golf swing. Stronger, more explosive hips will aid in a stronger swing with greater distance potential.

Get-Up

The get-up is a powerful exercise that serves many purposes at once. Benefits of practicing the get-up include: scapular stability, trunk stability, cervical and thoracic mobility, upper and lower body strength, and grip strength. The get-up teaches you how to control yourself under the weight of a kettlebell, move through different ranges of motion, and gain greater stability. The get-up is great for strengthening the shoulders and trunk while mobilizing the whole body.

Bottom-Up Press

The bottom-up press is great for repairing and strengthening the shoulders and rotator cuff. When the kettlebell is in the bottom-up position, a majority of the pressure is held within the palm. This takes tension away from the shoulder and places the elbow in a better position. The challenging bottom-up press forces you to have greater core stability throughout the movement. During this press, the scapula moves through its full range of motion while requiring great control throughout the exercise.

Bottom Up Half Kneeling Kettlebell Press

Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is the best way to load the squat if you are a novice lifter. The goblet squat is user-friendly because it doesn’t force the lifter into a fixed position. By comparison, the barbell back squat requires a lot of mobility. The goblet squat strengthens the glutes, and quads along with the core. The goblet squat can benefit the golfer by strengthening the tendons and joints in the lower body which can get irritated or injured in golf.

Farmers Carries

Farmers carries build grip strength, trunk strength, and create better posture. Golf involves a lot of flexion throughout the spine. Farmers carries require extension from the spine and shoulder retraction. With the head in a neutral position, the trunk is engaged, and the kettlebells are carried at the side in neutral position as well. Practicing farmers carries can offset the typical positions required for playing golf.

A Final Word…

If you are an avid golfer who wants to increase your athleticism, begin to learn and use kettlebells in your strength training sessions. Not only will this improve your ability as a golfer, it will allow you to keep playing long term. If you are considering training with kettlebells make sure to find the nearest RKC instructor in your area to show you how to properly and effectively use them.

 

****

William Sturgeon, 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

The Get-Up

By 6 Comments

The Get-Up

When in doubt, I pull John Jesse’s classic book, Wrestling Physical Conditioning Encyclopedia (printed in 1974), off my shelf. Jesse collected the history and wisdom of every strength, conditioning and wrestling coach and compiled it into a rare book that covers all the bases of strength training.

The first lesson one learns when reading Jesse is humility. In case you think YOU invented something, flip through the pages to find:

  • Swings
  • Sandbags
  • Circuit training (including mixing bodyweight work with barbells)
  • Rehab, prehab, tendon and ligament work
  • And, many, many more ideas involving equipment, movement and training
  • Oh…and the get-up

On page 154, we meet Otto Arco. He was the model for many of Rodin’s sculptures and we remember him for his skill in one particular exercise:

Arco, at a bodyweight of 138 pounds, could do a one hand get-up with 175 pounds. The get-up was his “secret” to all around body strength, body power and body composition. Arco wrote this in his book, How to Learn Muscle Control:

The main purpose of muscle control is self-mastery. Muscle control involves far more than the mere ability to make the muscles contract. It teaches you to relax, which is sometimes even more important than contraction. It gives you a selective control, and therefore the ability to single out those muscles necessary to the work to be done, and only those muscles; leaving the antagonistic, or non-helpful, muscles relaxed.

Arco, over a century ago, singled out the core and keys to the Hardstyle system: “selective control.” This is the ability to turn to stone when necessary and to relax…when necessary! It is the secret behind Bruce Lee’s one-inch punch and the ability to hit a golf ball far. We find the get-up in Jesse’s chapter 13, “All Around Strength and General Power Exercises,” where we also discover the ballistic exercises like the swing, the jerk and what we would now call “snatches” in the kettlebell world.

Arco maintained a honed physique that he modeled well into his sixties by focusing on an understanding of muscle-control. While the swing and goblet squat will illuminate the role of flicking the switch of hard/tight and fast/loose, the get-up will demand something best summarized by Jesse (155):

The athlete, in projecting his total body strength in competition, must mold the strength of localized areas into a total coordinated body effort.

The get-up, sometimes called the Turkish get-up was named after the great tradition of Turkish wrestlers using this move as an entrance test. It has enjoyed a rebirth in the new millennium due to the efforts of members of the RKC. At its simplest, the get-up is simply getting up off the floor with a load and returning back down. It can be done to exacting measures with fourteen or more separate steps up and fourteen or more back down. Somewhere in the middle is how we will teach the get-up.

Although the true benefits are “a total coordinated body effort”, when you observe the get-up, you find that many isolation movements are present, too:

Basic rolling

Press

Hinge

Lunge

Loaded carry (waiter walk)

We also find the “four knots”. The hips and shoulders must be both tight enough and loose enough to roll, slide and adapt through the positions as we move from the ground to standing. Both shoulders are engaged during the full movement at a variety of angles and loading parameters. One needs to be tight and loose throughout as we flow through the positions.

The get-up teaches the ability to remain stiff and tense through movement. When discussing reps of the get-up, I always err on the side of fewer. There are two reasons:

  1. Safety is part of performance.
  2. Trashing doesn’t help tuning.

The first point is the key to the RKC Code of Conduct. Don’t trip over a kettlebell haphazardly left on the floor. Don’t let go of a swing and hit someone in the face with a kettlebell. Don’t go out of your way to be stupid just to become (in)famous on the internet.

Those are all tenants of the “safety is part of performance” idea. With the get-up, a kettlebell is held directly above your skull. The kettlebell will win in a collision, so don’t drop it on your head.

More to the point, the get-up teaches total body coordination and total body strength. Like the Olympic lifts—the barbell snatch and barbell clean and jerk—it takes a level of focus to perform a get-up correctly. A single heavy get-up reflects the training base of perhaps months or years to get the movement “right.” Like the Olympic lifts, one doesn’t see the months of training and preparation that allow one to perform—and, yes, perform is the right word—a heavy get-up.

I keep the reps low to insure concentration, focus and optimal performance. As an Olympic lifting coach, I rarely get over ten reps in either lift with good lifters. With the get-up, I have found that few people can maintain the high levels of mental and physical coordination beyond about ten reps, too.

Get-up Kneeling Windmill

The second point is hard for many of our hard-charging brothers and sisters to understand: getting trashed is something a college freshman or someone who really doesn’t understand training does. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone online doing Tabata get-ups some day (twenty seconds of get-up, ten seconds rest for four minutes) or some kind of “get-ups to failure.”

This kind of nonsense is an issue in the fitness industry. Sadly, it is what most people “hear” when we say the phrase “training session”.

Even though I want to make you move better and move more, most people’s ears tell them that I want you to puke in a bucket and lay in a sweaty mess on the floor.

No!

The get-up is all about tuning the body. The words “tune” and “tone” come from the same root. When we train people, we should be trying to tune them up. If you sit too much, stretching the hip flexor family and strengthening the glutes will do much more together.

When someone struggles in a get-up or cheats a position a bit, it tells us that something is going on today. I use the get-up and variations of it to access what is going on with a person that day. An unusual hitch in movement or a lack of mobility here or there can be addressed instantly if we see the get-up as a tuning exercise rather than a trashing movement.

Speed can mask problems. The get-up highlights weak links and poor linkage. My old training partner, John Price, used to always remind me, “An athlete is only as good as the weakest link.” The get-up is a different movement after a trip over ten time zones. The get-up is a different movement the day after an American football game.

But, a few minutes of intelligent corrective work, and tuning the body, allows us to get back into the game.

Stu McGill, the famous Canadian back specialist, offers trainers and coaches a challenge for every workout and program: after the exercises and rep scheme, write a column to explain why each exercise and rep is included.

When it is not included in a workout, we should ask why the get-up is NOT there.

***

Master RKC, Dan John is the author of numerous fitness titles including the best selling Never Let Go and Easy Strength. Dan has spent his life with one foot in the world of lifting and throwing, and the other foot in academia. An All-American discus thrower, Dan has also competed at the highest levels of Olympic lifting, Highland Games and the Weight Pentathlon, an event in which he holds the American record.

Dan spends his work life blending weekly workshops and lectures with full-time writing, and is also an online religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. As a Fulbright Scholar, he toured the Middle East exploring the foundations of religious education systems. For more information visit DanJohn.net

Getting Strong Fast: Four Effective Overhead Kettlebell Exercises

By 12 Comments

Sebastian Muller Overhead 40kg kettlebell press

Kettlebell exercises are much more common in fitness these days because of the RKC, CrossFit, strongman and functional training. But, only truly strong athletes will be able to lift heavy kettlebells overhead without risking injury.

When I began my training a few years ago, I hated it. No matter where I looked, everybody was stronger than me—at least that’s what I thought when I saw what others were lifting. But, the further I went down the path of strength training, I discovered a real secret. I learned why—after months of training—I still lifted lighter weights than the other guys (and girls).

The difference was that I pressed the weights with very strict form. I would clean a kettlebell and then press it until my arm was straight overhead. While this is an extremely effective way to train your body, it is not really useful for lifting very heavy weights.

If you want to move big kettlebells, you have to be creative. You’ll need to look for effective exercises and movements that allow you to use more of your muscles. This post will outline the four best exercises I’ve found for this purpose.

1. The Get-Up

Turkish wrestlers and aspiring athletes who trained with them used this exercise to prepare for the hard and demanding sport-specific wrestling training. If an athlete couldn’t “get up” with at least half of his body weight, he wasn’t allowed to participate in wrestling training. Being able to lift a lot of weight is just one advantage of the get-up. Your body will learn to work as a unit, and every muscle is involved with this movement. When I first did the get-up with a kettlebell, I chose the same weight I was using for strict presses. After a few weeks, I increased that weight by 100%.

Since one arm is holding the weight straight overhead during the entire get-up exercise, it strengthens and stabilizes your shoulder muscles. When you’re able to do the movement correctly and smoothly, then the goal of using half your body weight is absolutely realistic.

Sebastian Muller 40kg Get-Up

Performing the Get-Up

  • Start on your back, lying on the ground.
  • Safely pick up the weight, and extend your arm to press the weight overhead.
  • Push with your supporting leg to the side and roll up on your elbow.
  • Sit up straight.
  • Bring the knee of the extended leg under your hip.
  • Be sure your upper body is upright, and rotate it straight forward.
  • Stand up into a shoulder-width stance.

2. Bent Press (Advanced)

Old time strongmen and athletes of the 19th century did tremendous feats of strength with this exercise. You don’t see it very much these days, despite its many advantages. (The bent press is a very advanced exercise and should only be attempted when the kettlebell lifter is ready. Find an RKC-II instructor near you for help and coaching with this movement.)

But, if it is safe and appropriate for the trainee, the carryover from the bent press to other movements is gigantic. It also enormously improves hip and thoracic spine mobility. Another special thing about the bent press is that it has no “perfect form”. Everyone does it a bit differently. Although the process is always the same, there are three options: hip dominant (similar to the windmill), thigh dominant (closer to a squatting pattern), or a version that incorporates both movement patterns.

Sebastian Muller Bent Press 40kg

Performing the Bent Press:

  • Bring the weight up to the chest safely (the “rack position”).
  • Position your arm onto your big back muscles and let it remain there.
  • “Sit” under the weight by opening or hinging the hip and rotating the upper body until the arm holding the kettlebell is completely straight.
  • Straighten the hip and legs to return to the standing position.

3. Push Press

The push press bears the most resemblance to the strict press. But with the push-press, the upper body muscles only start to work when the kettlebell is already on its way up. The force of the push press comes from the legs and the hips. A small knee dip followed by an explosive hip extension transfers the force to propel the kettlebell overhead.

Sebastian Muller Push Press Bump with 40kg kettlebell

Performing the Push Press:

  • Bring the weight up to the chest safely (the “rack position”).
  • Hinge the hips and bend your knees slightly (about one quarter of a squat).
  • Explosively extend legs and hips (“bump” see the photo above).
  • Straighten the arm. After the bump, the handle of the kettlebell should be at about the height of your forehead, before you straighten the arm.

4. Jerk

The jerk is an exercise to bring up the most weight overhead with two kettlebells. It takes the upper body muscles responsible for the press almost completely out of the game. Everything in the jerk is similar to the push press up until the bump. When the kettlebells are forehead height, you have to do another dip with the knees and hips—and simultaneously extend both arms.

This exercise is super complex, but also allows you to use a lot of weight.

Performing the Jerk

  • Safely clean the kettlebells up to the chest (the “rack position”).
  • Hinge the hips and slightly bend your knees (about one quarter of a squat).
  • Explosively extend your legs and hips (“bump”).
  • Bend your knees and hinge your hips again when the kettlebell reaches your forehead. Simultaneously extend your arm.
  • Extend your legs and hips to stand up straight with the weight overhead.

Prerequisite Requirements for Safely Lifting Heavy Kettlebells Overhead:

Before you try these exercises, there are prerequisite requirements for lifting heavy kettlebells overhead—which include a certain level of mobility and stability to prevent overtraining or injury.

Sebastian Muller Overhead Reach Test

Test your overhead lockout position:

  • Stand with your back facing a wall with your heels about 5cm (about 2 inches) from the wall.
  • Your buttocks, upper back, shoulders and back of your head are touching the wall.
  • Hinge the hip so that you ‘’pinch’’ your hand to the wall. The pressure on the hand should be there during the entire exercise.
  • Put your other hand straight up overhead.

When the wrist of your fully extended arm touches the wall while your back remains stable, you will have fulfilled the mobility requirements. If you’ve run into trouble here, first work on your thoracic spine mobility and shoulder joints. To safely lift heavy kettlebells overhead, you will also need stable shoulder joints and a strong core musculature. You should have also mastered the basic kettlebell movements: swing, get-up, clean, press, squat, snatch.

The get-up is the best exercise to prepare your shoulders for heavy weights. When you master the get up, you will build a strong foundation for lifting heavy kettlebells. You can even increase the effectiveness of the exercise by adding overhead walks to your get-up sessions. For example, walk with the kettlebell overhead every time you are in the standing position of the get-up.

When a get-up with half your bodyweight is no problem for you anymore, and you are safe in the kettlebell basics, you are ready for the bent press, push press and jerk.

When Training with Heavy Kettlebells, Movement Quality is Essential

The movement patterns of the get-up, bent press, push press and jerk are complex. Many joints and big muscle groups have to work together perfectly. Before you can load these movement patterns with heavy kettlebells, you should master the movements. You simply can’t afford to stop and think about what you have to do next while you are holding a heavy kettlebell. The best way to avoid mistakes is to do everything correctly from the start. Be a professional and learn the exercises from a qualified coach.

Sebastian Muller Rack Position 40kg

How to Use These Exercises:

The movements we’ve discussed in this blog post can be divided into two categories: skill and power. Skill and power exercises belong at the beginning of your training routine. They require high focus, and we want to lift heavy kettlebells with these exercises. It’s a bad idea to tackle this combination while fatigued.

The get-up and bent press are in the skill category. They are complex movements that involve many muscle groups and joints. They are also performed slowly and under high tension. After warming up, do perfect repetitions in turns, always starting with your less strong side. One to a maximum of five sets will do a fine job. After ten total repetitions (five for each side), move on to other exercises.

The push press and jerk are power exercises. While these movement patterns are less complex, you need a lot of explosiveness and power. After warming up, do perfect repetitions in turns, always starting with your less strong side. One to a maximum of five sets will do a fine job. After ten total repetitions (five for each side), move on to other exercises.

Important Rules:

  • Be sure to fulfill the stability and mobility requirements for the overhead movements before attempting them—especially with heavy kettlebells.
  • Master the basics!
  • Learn all of the described movements from a qualified coach.
  • Always practice while fresh, with high focus. Aim to improve a little at every training session.

If you follow these rules, you will surely draw the admiration of others and have the best workouts of your life. Now that you know four exercises for lifting heavy kettlebells, go and lift your training skills to the next level.

 

***

Sebastian Müller, RKC Team Leader, and PCC Instructor is a personal trainer in Erfurt (Germany) and teaches seminars all over Germany. After 16 years of training he founded the first kettlebell studio in his federal state. He is the head coach of KRABA Erfurt (“Strength and Movement Academy”) and a passionate blogger. His focus lies on what he enjoys the most: to inspire people for simple training and making it an important part of their lives!  Translation by Martin Breternitz HKC, KRABA Erfurt