Getup

1 Exercise That Checks All The Boxes

November 18, 2022 By Nick Lynch 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!

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

Kettlebells in the Clinic

October 25, 2022 By Paul Britt, DC 1 Comment

If it wasn’t for kettlebells, I would not be a chiropractor today. I started out with the RKC in 2006 and attended the CK-FMS in 2010. The CK-FMS was the movement program that was based off of the FMS and was taught by Gray Cook and Brett Jones of FMS. It introduced me to movement screening and how to help clients move better, feel better and live better pain free.

I ran my gym based on what the FMS taught. We used the Functional Movement Screen as part of our onboarding program. I loved the results we were getting in members that could not/did not move as well as they should. It started my journey from Law Enforcement/Gym Owner to attending Chiro school. I knew that there was more that I could do to help people with the right credentials, and being a Chiropractor was something that I knew would allow me to help more people achieve even better outcomes.

The ability to look at and screen movement helped tremendously in Chiro school. It allowed me to look at everyone through a movement lens versus just looking at the injury that brought them in. I attended the Selective Functional Movement Assessment certification while in school. That is the clinical variation of the Functional Movement Screen. It allowed me to narrow in on the root cause of the patient’s dysfunction. The RKC/FMS gave me a leg up in the Rehab and improving outcomes.

Fast forward a few years and I am still helping people with better movement and decreased pain with kettlebells. Kettlebells are a significant part of our rehab program. They take up little space and can be used by everyone. The allow us to engage our patients in their rehab due to the challenge and the fun of using the kettlebell. Everyone that walks in wants to try and pick up the 106lb…

We use the skills taught at the Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC) as our base for rehabilitation and strengthening. You will often hear that the swing, Get Up and squat pretty much fix what ails you. Guess what? It is true. We find that if our patients have those three exercises down, their activities of daily living as well as any extracurricular activity can be performed with little to no dysfunction. Can we fix everything? No, but we can help them improve their lives and make them more injury resistant.

One of our patients, a CrossFit competitor, had to undergo shoulder surgery for a tear. Once we were able to load and stress the shoulder, we started out with the unweighted get up. We started out with rolling to the press. This allowed us to help connect her core to the rest of her body core after six weeks of being sedentary. We performed the movement of rolling to the press without weight. She would lay on her side in the fetal position, roll to supine and press from the floor.

Once she owned the movement, we move to shoulder packing. We use the supine press position and showed her how to pack the shoulder. We accomplished this by lightly pushing and pulling the arm up and down int the press position. This allowed her to feel the movement and perceive what it should feel like when doing correctly. We also showed her to rotate her fist in the press position for movement in the joint. This was for getting fluid moving as well as allowing the body to feel what the shoulder should be doing when functioning correctly.

We like to work the standing to half kneeling after teaching the shoulder packing to get to half kneeling and help with stability. I find that this is often easier to teach than having patients work into the post and to the heist and windmill before they can safely move through the mid-range movements. There is no set number or time frame. We have had one patient work through the parts of the get up unloaded for 6 months before they were allowed to use any weight. Time practicing the get up is never wasted time.

The athlete worked through the rest of the get up without weight and then started with low loads. We moved from 25% internal rotation and 50% abduction to 100% pain free in both ranges of motion in 12 weeks after surgery. She is back to competition weights without pain or dysfunction.

The swing can be used in the same manner. We find the parts of the swing that will benefit patients and work from there. The power of the teaching process and the techniques are often greater than the sum of the swing. For back pain, posterior chain strengthening has been shown to be superior to general exercise and walking programs for treating chronic low back pain. (1)

The swing is a great tool for working with patients with issues in the back. For back pain we start with the basics, breathing. We start with crocodile breathing as taught in the HKC and RKC. A large problem that we find with low back pain and other injuries are breathing dysfunctions. A large portion of our patient base breathe in the upper chest, using traps and accessory muscles to breathe versus the diaphragm. Breathing has been shown to help inhibit the paraspinal muscles and help with spasms. Proper breathing patterns help with balance, pain and the ability to access full strength in a patient. (2)

Proper breathing is essential for being able to develop the ability to use tension and relaxation to get the most out of swings. What do we do, we work on teaching them how to breathe properly. Once they understand how to breathe, it becomes an alert system for us. If they lose the ability to breathe well during an exercise, we have either fatigued them or selected the wrong exercise to use.

The deadlift, the deadlift drag, and the pendulum swing are three of the swing teaching tools that we use a lot. “Deadlifts have been shown to improve low back pain as effectively as low load motor control drills.”(3) That basically says that if the patient is ready, deadlifts are at least as effective as bands, stick drills and similar movements that do not require loads.

Why not make them stronger if it is clinically available to the patient. There is a lot more buy in from the patient when they have that visceral response from lifting real weight and getting stronger each session.

The deadlift drag is a great tool for strengthening the posterior chain and connection it with movement. The set up is deadlift hinge with the bell in front. The kettlebell is moved along the ground in a drag utilizing the lats, rhomboids and other muscle of scapular control as well as erectors and glutes. It has helped us to improve scapular control and function in patients that have scapular dyskinesia.

I have personally used the pendulum swing in my own rehab journey. I suffered a disc injury several years ago that kept me from performing standard exercises. I was able to move into a hip hinge but could not move through the full deadlift pattern with weight. I found that the low position was pain free and I was able to swing a kettlebell in that position. I would get into the hip hinge at a position that did not hurt or worsen my symptoms and perform pendulum swings.

Our end goal with swings is to move through two handed to one-handed swings. Research has shown that this is a great way to help mitigate current back pain as well as help decrease future problems. The one hand swing engages the opposite side spinal erectors and same side external obliques leading to greater stabilization in the back and core.(4)

A specific end user for the Kettlebell Swing as a rehab tool is our Post ACL reconstruction patients.(5) The research has shown that kettlebell swings help decrease the risk of non-contact injuries from high risk to a lower risk profile after 6 weeks of training. We teach them the Get Up, before we allow them to swing. The Get Up is used as a strengthening and screening tool to ensure the patient can load the knee safely before transitioning to the swing. The improvements are due to posterior chain strengthening, the semitendinosus and hamstrings.

The squat as taught in the HKC/RKC are useful in several ways. We like the squat as the end game for connecting the dots of the rehab program. It requires mobility and stability to perform and control of the breathing and tension. We use Bottoms Up Squats to test for connectivity of the core with the movement pattern. If the Bottoms Up Squat cannot be performed, there is a leak in the pattern.

We want to make sure that our elderly patients can get off the floor and the toilet. If they can do that, we have increased their quality of life and survivability. We have found that patients that have gone through the program have reached those goals.

This is a quick look at how you can implement kettlebells in the clinic to help your patients move better, feel better, live better pain free. It does not have to be complicated to work.

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Paul Britt DC is a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician and Senior RKC based in Gulf Breeze Florida. His practice, Integrative Chiropractic Solutions utilizes kettlebells as rehabilitations tools to help his patients achieve their goals.

Tataryn N, Simas V, Catterall T, Furness J, Keogh JWL. Posterior-Chain Resistance Training Compared to General Exercise and Walking Programmes for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med Open. 2021 Mar 8;7(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s40798-021-00306-w. PMID: 33683497; PMCID: PMC7940464.
Stephens RJ, Haas M, Moore WL 3rd, Emmil JR, Sipress JA, Williams A. Effects of Diaphragmatic Breathing Patterns on Balance: A Preliminary Clinical Trial. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2017 Mar-Apr;40(3):169-175. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2017.01.005. Epub 2017 Mar 1. PMID: 28259495.
Aasa B, Berglund L, Michaelson P, Aasa U. Individualized low-load motor control exercises and education versus a high-load lifting exercise and education to improve activity, pain intensity, and physical performance in patients with low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015 Feb;45(2):77-85, B1-4. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2015.5021. PMID: 25641309.
Andersen V, Fimland MS, Gunnarskog A, Jungård GA, Slåttland RA, Vraalsen ØF, Saeterbakken AH. Core Muscle Activation in One-Armed and Two-Armed Kettlebell Swing. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 May;30(5):1196-204. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001240. PMID: 26473519.
Zebis MK, Andersen CH, Bencke J, Ørntoft C, Linnebjerg C, Hölmich P, Thorborg K, Aagaard P, Andersen LL. Neuromuscular Coordination Deficit Persists 12 Months after ACL Reconstruction But Can Be Modulated by 6 Weeks of Kettlebell Training: A Case Study in Women’s Elite Soccer. Case Rep Orthop. 2017;2017:4269575. doi: 10.1155/2017/4269575. Epub 2017 Jan 18. PMID: 28197354; PMCID: PMC5286491.

The Getup: Trendy or Essential?

March 26, 2022 By Rebecca Codi 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.

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Rebecca Codi, MA, RKCII, CFSC

Fine-Tuning the Get-Up

January 27, 2016 By Andrea Du Cane 14 Comments

Master RKC Andrea Du Cane Get-Up Lead Photo

How and when to use the high bridge and when to use the “step-across” instead of the “windshield wiper”

At every HKC and RKC, I’m asked why we test the low sweep instead of the high-bridge. I also get a lot of questions regarding the “windshield wiper” vs. the “step-across” to transition in and out of the kneeling windmill to the lunge position. It’s time to explore each movement and gain a deeper understanding of some of the benefits of the get-up.

When I first became certified and started teaching the get-up, it was referred to as the “Turkish get-up”. Here’s the criteria that was given and tested at that time:

Keep both shoulders packed.
Keep the wrists neutral at all times.
Keep the elbow locked at all times.
Keep your eyes on the kettlebell.

Oh and well…. get-up! That was it, get up anyway you can.

Let’s just say the get-up has come a long way, baby. It’s transitioned from having very little explanation and direction to (for a time) elaborate direction, with a focus on corrective uses and advanced movement patterning.

You can say that now we have found a happy medium, erring on the side of explanation and points of movement. But, we have also found a good balance and an easier way to teach the get-up to newer kettlebell instructors and users.

The High Bridge or the Low Sweep

One area of confusion with the get-up is whether to use the high bridge or low sweep.

First, let me explain where the high bridge came from, and why it was initially introduced as a teaching and testing skill. The high bridge came from the FMS concept of using movement as a screen. When it was first introduced into the RKC curriculum, the high bridge was used as a screen for tight hip flexors. However, we began to notice that when people were doing the high bridge, their lumbar spine was actually in hyper-extension instead of full hip extension. I remember discussing this with Gray Cook, and he agreed with that it was one problem with using the high bridge as a screen, since it is easily cheated. It does not actually demonstrate whether the person is in full hip-extension or hyper-extension of the lumbar spine.

Secondly—and more importantly—you would not put a client, with a kettlebell in their hands, into a high bridge and then say, “Aha! You have tight hip-flexors”. Of course not. Long before they do that high bridge, you have deduced that they have tight hip-flexors from other screens. And from a safety perspective, you would not let someone perform a high bridge until they had opened up their hip flexors and could perform the movement correctly without a kettlebell.

Since one of the end goals of the get-up is to go heavy, for the purpose of safety and efficiency, you will want to pull your leg back and get your hips under the load as quickly as possible. The high bridge takes unnecessary risks with a heavy load during the transition.

That said, the high bridge is great with a moderate to light weight for a more advanced kettlebell user. Done correctly, it demonstrates shoulder stability, hip flexibility and control.

Master RKC Andrea Du Cane Get-Up Kneeling Windmill

Performance Tip: Think of the high bridge and sweep through as a tall side plank. When moving into a high bridge, post over towards the side, your shoulders should be stacked over each other. The hips will rotate slightly upwards, but the shoulders and t-spine are stacked vertically. Practice lots of side planks from the elbow and tall side planks, before moving onto the high bridge.

The “Step Across” Variation

Moving on to the next modification, using the “step across” instead of a windshield wiper. As stated earlier, the body needs to transition from the tall-sit position smoothly and with control all the way to lunge. That means the hips need to get under the kettlebell as quickly and safely as possible—this includes the sweep through and transitioning to the lunge.

From the kneeling windmill position, the torso is moving from a horizontal position to upright, as the hips are coming under the torso and kettlebell. The hips need to fully extend with the glutes tight as you move into the lunge position. That’s a LOT of movement happening at the same time. The more stable and connected to the ground the body is, the safer and smoother the transition.

That is why the windshield wiper is taught and tested. Both legs remain firmly on the ground and the hips easily and fully extend.

Performance Tip: think about finishing at the top of a swing. The glutes contract hard and fast and the hips fully extend, allowing your body to find stability in the lunge position as soon as you hit it.

A potential problem with this movement is the pressure and friction placed on the knee. Obviously, if the knee is feeling pain, this could jeopardize the movement. The ground you are training on becomes an issue, and individual knee sensitivities should be taken into account as well.

One way to solve the issue is to use the “step-across” modification. From the kneeling windmill, you simply lift your torso up and then step your loaded foot across into a lunge position. This will take the windshield wiper out of the movement and “save” the knee.

The downside to this modification is the inherent lack of stability as you lift your loaded leg up and step it across. You are also changing the orientation of your head and body, which can also cause us to lose stability and control. Lastly, it is much harder to keep your glute and hip tight and contracted as you move the leg, leading to another possible loss of control.

As we say in the RKC, “safety trumps performance”, so if you have sensitive knees or are training on a hard or rough surface, the step-across is a modification you can use to protect your knee and stay in control.

My personal recommendation is to buy a $20 pair of knee pads or have your clients purchase them for training. I do a lot of kneeling training and take knee pads with me everywhere to use for all kneeling training and stretching. $20 knee pads are a cheap and easy way to protect your knees and increase the effectiveness of your kettlebell training.

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Andrea Du Cane is a Master RKC Kettlebell Instructor, CK-FMS, CICS, and RIST, ZHealth certified, she has a BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and is also a Pilates instructor. She is the author of several books and dvds including The Ageless Body, The Kettlebell Boomer, and The Kettlebell Goddess Workout. She has over twenty years of aerobics, weight training and fitness experience, with an additional background in… Read more here.