turkish get up

Programming the TGU

November 9, 2016 By Jason Kapnick 5 Comments

Programming the TGU by Jason Kapnick

“What sets and reps should I use to make progress on my TGU?”

This is one of the most common questions about programming kettlebell training. Finding the right scheme of sets and reps is especially challenging because the get-up doesn’t follow the same rules as any other exercise in the gym. Because a single repetition of the TGU can take roughly 30-seconds, doing “5 sets of 10” simply doesn’t make sense.

Below are a few of the strategies that I’ve found to be effective for adding the TGU into your strength training program.

1. The “3-Week Wave Cycle”

This first option is intended for intermediate to advanced kettlebell lifters, and it’s my favorite way to use the get-up as a “main lift.” In other words, this option will treat the TGU as a primary exercise. Make sure that you’re relatively fresh in your workout (I would recommend doing get-ups first), leave plenty of time, and don’t plan to do an excessive amount of assistance work afterwards. Simply put, this progression WILL produce PRs.

TGU with partner spotting

Do get-ups once per week, according to the following loading scheme:

Week 1 “Volume Accumulation”: 8-12 get-ups with a medium weight (a good rule of thumb is 60-70% of your best-ever TGU).
Week 2 “Weight Ladders”: Choose three kettlebells, a light kettlebell, a medium-heavy kettlebell (similar or slightly heavier than week 1), and a heavy kettlebell (not quite your personal best). The kettlebells should be evenly spaced about 4-8kg apart (12-16-20, or 24-32-40, for example).Perform 3 rounds of 1 TGU on each side, first with the light kettlebell, then with the medium, and finally with the heavy kettlebell. The idea is that the heavy kettlebell will show you where your technique needs work, then the light kettlebell will allow you to practice and correct technique errors or inefficiencies. The “wavy” load is also useful for learning.
Week 3 “Run the Rack”: On this day, you’ll start with a very light kettlebell, perform a TGU on each side, and keep working up to progressively heavier kettlebells. Once you’ve reached the heaviest kettlebell you can manage for that day (which may or may not be a personal best), work with it for a few sets. Then perform a few slightly lighter get-ups to cleanse your palate. The total number of get-ups per side for the entire workout should be 8-10.
Week 4: Either start at Week 1 (trying to exceed either the previous weight or number of reps from last time), or take a light week to recover.

Heavy kettlebell TGU

Here’s an example of how this program might look over a few months. In this example, the athlete’s previous personal record for the TGU is a 40kg kettlebell:

32kg x 8 reps per arm
(28-32-36) x 3 cycles; 9 total get-ups per arm
3. 16×1, 20×1, 24×1, 28×1, 32×1, 36×1, 40x1x2, 32×1
32kg x 9 reps per arm; Note that this is more than the 8 reps in week 1
5. (28-32-36) x 3 cycles; a chance to drill technique
16×1, 20×1, 24×1, 28×1, 32×1, 36×1, 40x1x3, 32×1; On this day he manages one more rep at 40kg vs. the prior week.
Rest week
32kg x 10 reps per arm; Note that this is more than the 9 reps in week 4
(24-32-40) x 3 cycles; Today he feels strong and increases the top set from 36kg to 40kg, but drops the weight on light and medium bells such that he can still complete the workout comfortably.
16×1, 20×1, 24×1, 28×1, 32×1, 36×1, 40×1, 44×1 PR!, 36kgx1 32×1;Today, he sets a new personal record before dropping down!

2. The TGU as a Warm-Up

Simply perform 3-5 get-ups with a light-medium kettlebell (~50% of your best-ever get-up) before your scheduled workout. This is a great option if you’re working on a more involved bodyweight or barbell program, and don’t have the bandwidth or desire to fit a lot of get-ups into your program. This option also emphasizes the idea that the get-up is not just training, but also assessment.

A note on the get-up as assessment: While we use the TGU as a stimulus for adaptation, the TGU also has a useful role as a form of assessment. By mindfully practicing the get-up and noticing where the challenges are and how they evolve, you can gain important insights into the quality of your movement. For example, if I’m in a heavy powerlifting cycle involving high-volume bench pressing, and the “low sweep” of my get-up starts becoming challenged, I might conclude that my pectoral muscles have become tight, and that I need to spend some time mobilizing my overhead position.

TGU in group fitness

3. 10-15 Minute Practice Blocks

Simply set a timer for 10-15 minutes and practice the TGU until the time is up.

This is our preferred way to teach the get-up to novices in a personal training or semi-private training scenario. While this program works great for those working with a coach or trainer, it’s also an excellent option for self-coached kettlebell lifters. When learning, it can be useful to remove the pressure of hitting a certain weight or number of reps, and let the athlete simply explore the movement and work on technique. We usually program this towards the end of a training session.

TGU partner spotting

4. 10-15 Minute Work Capacity Blocks

This option uses exactly the same parameters are #3, except with a different purpose. Now, the goal is to perform as many get-ups as possible within the time interval, while never sacrificing quality for quantity. Record your results, and look to improve each week. This is a great option for losing weight while also improving movement quality, or for conditioning and building work-capacity.

An appropriate weight for this option is anywhere from 50-75% of your best get-up.

****

Jason Kapnick is the co-founder of Catalyst SPORT, one of New York City’s top kettlebell training facilities. He has made multiple Elite powerlifting totals, with best lifts of 545/355/660 in the 198lb weight class, and achieved the Beast Tamer Challenge at his RKC in April 2013. He can be contacted through catalystsportnyc.com .

Getting the Most Out of Your Turkish Get-Up

March 11, 2015 By Sebastian Müller 10 Comments

Sebastian Muller Kettlebell get up

The Turkish get-up… beginners hate it and experienced kettlebellers praise it. The TGU is one of the most fundamental movements because it progresses from lying to standing with a kettlebell. Along with the Hardstyle kettlebell swing, the TGU is one of the basic exercises which will prepare you well for all of the other exercises of the RKC training system.

My earlier post about the get-up was more philosophical and discussed the five things the get-up teaches you about life. Today’s post focuses more on the practical aspects of this movement pattern and how you can implement it in your training to get the most out of it.

Your body learns to work as a whole unit when performing a Turkish get-up.

This exercise integrates every muscle in your body. If there’s a weak spot somewhere, you will find it very quickly—this is also one of the reasons why beginners especially have a hard time with the TGU. The same goes for athletes who are used to training isolated muscles. I have seen many trained 100 kg guys struggling to do their get-ups with a 12 kg kettlebell.

But, this is also what experienced kettlebellers love about the TGU: when you take the time to learn this movement pattern and can flawlessly perform get-ups with a 24 kg kettlebell, many good changes have already happened within your body. The TGU creates flexibility and mobility in the joints along with the basic strength you need to playfully get up from the ground with weight.

Over 200 years ago, Turkish wrestlers already knew that the TGU could prepare them for many things in life. Back then, wrestlers were required to get up while holding half of their body weight in one hand before they could even consider participating in training specific to wrestling. This is also why the get-up is often called the Turkish get-up.

The TGU Consists of 9 Positions, Making It a Complex Exercise.

Take a look at this video of Gini, one of our coaches, doing a 32kg (50% of her body weight) TGU:

What will you gain from frequently practicing and performing Turkish get-ups?

Improved shoulder stability and flexibility
The ability to train the whole body as one unit
A strengthened mid-section improving the reflexive stability of the core, and providing improved injury prevention
Improved interaction of the muscular chains, intramuscular coordination, and improved interaction between the brain and muscles
Improved fat burning capacity as large muscle groups are activated causing high calorie demands

Gray Cook, physical therapist and co-founder of Functional Movement Systems refers to the Turkish get-up as “Loaded Yoga”.

There are Tons of Possibilities for Using Turkish Get-Ups in Your Training.

Performing the TGU without weight or with a light weight is a perfect warm-up exercise, or as a component of active recovery/regeneration days. Performed under heavy load, the TGU is one of the best full body strengthening exercises on the planet. For men, a goal of 50% body weight and for women 33% of body weight are absolutely realistic. But as you saw in the video above, these guidelines are relative and can be exceeded!

Another thing that I really like about the get up is how it allows you to lift a weight overhead that you might not be able to press yet. Here is a get-up variation that can help you prepare for heavy presses: choose a weight you can’t (yet) press and bring it over your head by performing a Turkish get-up. Now go take a walk with the weight overhead. By doing this, your body gets used to the weight being in lock-out position overhead and will automatically learn how to stabilize it.

There are tons of get-up variations which provide different focuses on many training aspects. Another variation is performing a bottom-up Turkish get-up to challenge and improve your grip. Hold the kettlebell in a pistol grip (the bottom of the kettlebell will be pointing at the ceiling) and get up from the ground. This is also a great variation for using kettlebells which would ordinarily be too light for your training.

Finally, I have a variation perfect for everyone who has just learned the TGU. This variation will help to “grind” the single positions—it is called the Pyramid. You’ll only need a light kettlebell for it, because you will perform each position repeatedly. Also, be sure to always move into each single position perfectly, and always work in a very controlled manner.

Generally, the Turkish get-up is About Working Slowly and Controlled, Eventually Under a Great Load.

Maybe the get-up is simultaneously so loved and hated is because it can help you get a great deal better, stronger and healthier while rigorously pointing out issues that still need work. Together with the Hardstyle kettlebell swing, it can help you to constantly get constantly stronger, more flexible and even improve your overall endurance.

Hopefully my examples have shown you what an incredibly versatile exercise the TGU is, and that it’s always a good thing to continue improving your get-up.

***

Sebastian Müller, RKC Team Leader, PCC Instructor, FMS, and Primal Move Instructor, trains and instructs at the KRABA location in Wiemar, Germany. He can be contacted by email at: info@kraba-erfurt.de and his website: http://www.kraba-erfurt.de. His Blog is Vereinfachedeintraining.com

Five Things The Turkish Get-Up Teaches You About Life

January 14, 2015 By Sebastian Müller 7 Comments

RKC Team Leader Sebastian Muller performs a TGU

Try to imagine an exercise that could make your life easier—a “magical” exercise that improves your response to everyday challenges and can make you into a better human being? Would you include it in your training?

That exercise exists, it’s the kettlebell Turkish get-up.

For more than four years, I’ve been doing heavy Turkish get-ups with kettlebells at least once a week. Besides the Hardstyle kettlebell swing, the Turkish get-up is a basic exercise in RKC kettlebell training and one of the reasons I ending up training with kettlebells.

Even though it is pure fun and constantly provides new training stimuli, over time I became aware of the other benefits of the get-up, that also apply to life in general.

You’ll need to be flexible and work on your weaknesses
You’ll learn to set up for the next step, instead of just staying put
The more resistance you encounter, the stronger you’ll get
Consistency and discipline always pay off
Training is life

These are all things you need to realize when working on a solid and strong Turkish get-up and these same ideas also help in everyday life.

Be Flexible and Work on Your Deficits

If you’re thinking about performing a Turkish get-up with half of your body weight, everything must fit. You need to be flexible and stable in your joints, and have the necessary strength—along with a strong will.

If one of these things is problematic, it will pay off in multitudes if you work on that deficit. Otherwise, you’ll probably plateau at some one point or weight weight sooner or later.

Two personal examples:

With Turkish get-ups, my thoracic spine mobility has always been a problem, but now it is almost perfect because I kept specifically working on it for a long time.

Another thing – when I started kettlebell training over five years ago, the English language was a big problem for me. There were practically no articles about kettlebells written in German. Even now, I almost exclusively read in English, and not just about training. Now I have completed many certifications in English and have even held entire training sessions in English. Working on these deficits paid off very well and made me a lot better.

Learn to Set Up for the Next Step Instead of Just Staying Put

Eventually, after the floor press (you’ve pushed the kettlebell overhead with your arm) you need to decide whether you want to stand up or to stay put. If you decide to get up, you have many exhausting steps ahead of you. You’ll need to get up from a prone to standing position with a kettlebell overhead making it difficult for you. There are no exits and no shortcuts.

The same is true in life. Will you stand still or take the next step forward? One thing is for sure, the more resistance you meet, the more it usually pays off if you keep going forward. This brings us to our next point…

The More Resistance You Meet, the Stronger You’ll Get

If you use a heavier weight with your Turkish get-up, you’ll get stronger. “Progressive (Capacity) Overload” are the magic words with this concept. If you keep working with the same weight all the time, you’ll get used to it, and it will no longer be a challenge. Your body won’t receive new stimuli to force it to become stronger. You strength will plateau, because there is no reason for your body to adapt to a new task.

There is some truth to the German saying, “You grow with your tasks”. When you stop facing new challenges in life, you will stop growing. Of course it’s nice and safe in your comfort zone, but that doesn’t mean you should make yourself comfortable in it.

Heavy Turkish get-ups will be mostly outside your comfort zone, and the feeling of accomplishing these challenges is awesome. It’s just the same in life!

Consistency and Discipline Always Pay Off

I want to be straight with you, to conquer a half body weight Turkish get-up won’t happen overnight. You’ll definitely need to be persistent. If you’re not afraid of that, it will eventually pay off, guaranteed! There will be days when it’ll be hard for you, and days when everything will happen easily. The most important thing is to stay persistent. The best part of all this is the journey itself—your way, your personal records, and the moment you realize the little improvements toward your goal.

Sebastian Muller Spotting Student performing a get up

A Turkish get-up with half your body weight is an absolutely realistic aim, but it doesn’t have to stop there!

While you should celebrate your small, but important achievements in training, you should also do the same thing in your life! Focus on your goal, but be aware of all the things you have already achieved on your way to get there. This is an incredibly important thing to do! Be thankful for what you have already mastered, then it will be easier to focus on the bigger goals in the future.

Training is Life

At this point, you should have realized one thing, training is life or should be at least be a regular part of it. You probably also noted that the individual components of training and life have a lot in common, and together they form a bigger picture. Just like the Turkish get-up—where all muscles need to work together as a unit and you need to consider every aspect on your way to more weight—it should be the same in your life. Take a look at the whole picture. Everything is part of your life—work, training, spending time with your family, and the time you’re on your own. If you harmonize these things, nothing in life can stop you.

The Turkish get-up taught me many things during the past few years. Today I train my body as a whole, and according to how I use it in everyday challenges. I train my body because it is a part of me and therefore a part of my life.

***

The RKC–the Perfect Training System?

August 27, 2014 By Mike Krivka 5 Comments

RKC Big Six Kettlebell Exercises — *Graphic: Senior RKC, Robert Rimoczi*

INTRODUCTION

Everyone is looking for the perfect “thing”–the perfect diet, the perfect car, the perfect vacation, the perfect look, the perfect mate (sorry, not going to happen and this isn’t the venue for that conversation), or the perfect workout. Looking to find the “perfect” anything is a fool’s quest but the pursuit of perfection makes champions. This article will explore what I consider to be the almost perfect strength and conditioning program: the Russian Kettlebell Certified (RKC) Kettlebell training system.

PREFIX

To determine if something is “perfect”, you have to either compare it against other similar items or at least have a list of criteria that you can judge it against. Fair enough. In this instance we are looking for the perfect strength and conditioning program and while I’m not going to point fingers or name names, I will define the characteristics that I think make the RKC superior. In my humble opinion for a strength and conditioning program to be anywhere “near perfect” it needs to have (at a minimum) the following components:

It must address the six basic movement patterns:
- Push
- Pull
- Squat
- Hinge
- Carry
- Groundwork (ex. Turkish Get Up)
It must have both Ballistics and Grinds as part of the training program:
- a. Ballistics for strength endurance and impact generation
- b. Grinds for deep strength and tenacity under pressure

Those are the basic criteria for analysis and they are pretty easily defined. The goal of the perfect system should be to enhance the athlete’s or client’s overall strength, mobility, work output and athleticism. Read on to find out why I think the RKC meets these criteria and much more.

SWING (Ballistic)

To say that the kettlebell swing is the foundation that all ballistic movements with the kettlebell are based on would be an understatement. The swing establishes a deep and powerful explosive groove that allows the athlete to generate power from the ground up. It reinforces transitional and positional strength skills as well as developing a fine tuned ability to go from absolute relaxation to absolute tension in a heartbeat (one that is beating very fast as well).

Training the kettlebell swing develops the hugely important hinge movement in a dynamic manner. Most athletes will train the hinge, or something that looks like it, while doing barbell deadlifts. But the kettlebell swing gives the athlete a platform to practice exploding out of the hinge, dynamically loading the hinge, and teaches how to transition quickly and efficiently from loading to unloading while seamlessly applying force when and where it is needed. This is a tremendously valuable skill for anyone involved in contact sports or who has to move fast and recover quickly–like Moms and Dads chasing kids around!

GOBLET SQUAT (Grind)

The squat has been the staple of most strength and conditioning programs since before the invention of the barbell–as well it should be. The squat develops tremendous strength in the legs, hamstrings and glutes. It also requires the athlete to establish and maintain bracing throughout the torso. Understanding how to squat well is one of the foundational movement patterns and one that is overlooked by many athletes; you know the ones – big guns and chicken legs. In the RKC System, the goblet squat is the primary squatting movement for a good reason: most people (even those who have been squatting for years) lack the strength, mobility, and awareness to squat safely and effectively.

The goblet squat establishes a solid structure for loading the posterior chain, reinforcing the anterior chain, and creating alignment in the joints that ensures safe loading and transitions. For some, the goblet squat takes on a more rehabilitative form since it trains the client or athlete to open their hips and use their knees safely and effectively while teaching how to avoid undue stress on the lower back. The only drawback of the goblet squat is that it cannot be loaded to the same extent as a barbell squat. The inclusion of the kettlebell squat with one or two kettlebells makes this point almost moot. Once again, you can’t go to extreme loads but the efficiency but efficacy of the squat with the kettlebell almost makes up for it.

TURKISH GET-UP (Grind)

The Turkish get-up (TGU) or just plain old “get-up” is new to this generation of athletes and has found many ardent followers. The TGU is relatively hard to categorize. Some people consider it to be a pure strength technique while others categorize it as a mobility or pre-hab/rehab tool. Regardless, the TGU is an essential tool in the quest to make athletes move better and develop integrated strength. With modest loads, the TGU can be used as a strength endurance tool; the stresses placed on the athlete getting up and down are phenomenal for conditioning and rival the dreaded burpee for the language they generate. With heavier loads, the TGU can be used to develop transitional and positional strength like no other technique that I am aware of. Mastery of a number of planes of movement, the ability to maintain tension and establish intermediate loading and unloading positions, are all challenges that must be overcome if you are going to be successful at doing the TGU. From a pure movement perspective the TGU is golden and adequately fills in the “groundwork” section of the basic movement pattern requirements.

CLEAN (Ballistic)

The kettlebell clean is often overlooked and under-appreciated when it comes to developing strength. But I will tell you this from the outset–show me someone with a weak clean and I will show you someone who has an even weaker snatch and military press. The clean is the foundation for all of the overhead ballistics and grinds with the kettlebell and it also establishes an efficient and powerful groove that will be reflected in the kettlebell snatch. The clean, just like the swing, is a foundational move that relies on a powerful backswing to get the kettlebell moving. But unlike the swing, the clean requires that the kettlebell be directed upward as opposed to outward. A “swingy” clean is ugly and painful as well as being inefficient. Once the kettlebell has been “cleaned” it is considered to be in the “rack”–and that is where the magic happens. The “racked” kettlebell is now being supported by a complex symphony of tension from the anterior and posterior chains and is ready to be cleaned again or (military) pressed or jerked. The stability of the kettlebell in the clean (racked position) has to be absolute if it is going to be used to grind the kettlebell overhead via the military press or as a ballistic via the kettlebell jerk.

MILITARY PRESS (Grind)

The military press (MP) is the first overhead technique in the RKC System. The MP trains full body tension, bracing or “wedging” of the body under the load, efficient grooving (the path the kettlebell takes), the overhead lockout, and much more. More than just a mindless pressing movement with the kettlebell, the MP trains the client or athlete to drive from the ground up to press the kettlebell overhead, hold the lockout, and then to pull the kettlebell back into the racked position of the clean. The last five decades or so has seen the MP being supplanted in most strength and conditioning programs by a heavy emphasis on the bench press. While the bench press has many and varied benefits the MP is (in my opinion) superior to developing integration with the torso and power from the upper torso that translates over to many sporting and daily functions. The MP can be very frustrating for both sexes as well. Men who have a “big bench” find that they have puny MP’s. Women who have strong legs and good kettlebell swings are stymied by trying to get even a light load safely overhead. With a little practice and some determination, both groups will find their strength improve and will reap the benefits of being stronger overhead (especially when it comes time to snatch the kettlebell).

SNATCH (Ballistic)

The kettlebell snatch is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. It looks so easy and effortless when you watched it done by a well trained practitioner and it can also look like a tragedy in the making when done by someone without the proper coaching. As a ballistic technique it is comprised of many facets that appear to be one smooth and seamless movement (if done correctly). I have heard the snatch described as a “swing that ends up overhead” but I don’t think that is an accurate assessment of the movement. The swing is more like a clean that ends up overhead. I’ve always said that a “clean is a short snatch and a snatch is a long clean”. Why? Because the trajectory of the clean and the snatch are almost exactly the same; one ends up on your shoulder and the ends up overhead. But why is the snatch such an important part of the RKC? Because it trains the client or athlete to develop and master a number of skills and make them appear as one.

To master the snatch you have to be able to generate, manage, and absorb force; you need to be able to manage tension and relaxation; you need to be able to create and demonstrate positional and transitional strength; and so much more. Hopefully you can see why the snatch is held in such high regard and considered by some as the “King of the Ballistics”.

CONCLUSION

Six techniques – that’s it. With those six you have met all of the requirements of the six basic movement patterns with the exception of one: the carry. That’s pretty easy to fix with some farmers’ carries or walking with the kettlebell in the clean (racked position) or held overhead. Okay, okay – the pull is somewhat sketchy as well, although you are getting some great pulling work out of all the kettlebell ballistics. The addition of renegade rows or pull ups will fill that gap nicely as well.

Here’s the thing – there is no “perfect” system but the RKC comes darn close to hitting the basic requirements that any client or athlete needs to improve their movement, their athleticism, and their longevity. A nice balance of ballistics and grinds as well as a series of movements that hit every major muscle (and most of the minor ones as well) makes the RKC system “near perfect” as far as a strength and conditioning program goes – and that’s about all you can ask for in this lifetime.

***

About Michael A. Krivka, Sr. – Senior RKC: Michael A. Krivka, Sr. is a Washington, DC native who has been involved in Kettlebell training for over a decade and is currently an RKC Team Leader and member of the RKC Board of Advisors and the RKC Leadership Team under Dragon Door (where he has been listed as one of the top reviewed RKC’s in the world for the last five years). He is also the author of a bestselling eBook entitled “Code Name: Indestructible” and is in the process of finishing up several other eBooks on Kettlebells, body weight, and the integration of other tools into an effective strength and conditioning program. Mike has traveled extensively throughout the United States teaching Russian Kettlebells to military (USMC, USN, USA and USAF) and law enforcement personnel (FBI, DEA, USSS and CIA)… read more here.

Using DVRT Training to Improve Your Turkish Get-Ups

August 13, 2014 By Steve "Coach Fury" Holiner 2 Comments

Coach Fury Kettlebell Get-Up

It’s time for another fitness tip from your man Fury. The Turkish get-up is one of my all time favorite lifts. The relative simplicity and overall impact of the TGU make it an absolute desert island movement in my book. Few things get me more excited than a beautifully executed TGU (especially when heavy). Sometimes we fall short of beautiful and need to think “out of the box” on how to hit that high standard we strive for. This is where Dynamic Variable Resistance Training (DVRT) and the Ultimate Sandbag (USB) comes into play.

Coach Fury TGU with Human Weight Personally, I find the three hardest parts of a get-up (regardless of weight) to be the initial roll to elbow, the half kneeling to stand and the final roll from elbow to your back. Whether it’s a kettlebell, barbell or the occasional human being (not recommended), I usually know I’ll make it (or come close) if I get to the elbow. The half kneel to stand will usually by my next sticking point. The roll back down from the elbow is often more nerve racking from a self preservation standpoint.

I think most will agree with me on these three positions within the TGU sequence. Here are three DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training exercises that will help the cause.

1. Ultimate Sandbag TGU. In the DVRT TGU, the USB is loaded over the shoulder and it will drape over part of the back and chest as you move. Some key points here. Being shoulder loaded removes the leverage generally provided by the locked out arm of the kettlebell TGU. The USB is literally pushing you directly into the floor while sand in the front and back of the USB is pulling downward too. The USB is doing it’s best to keep you on your back. What’s awesome about this, is that you truly have to develop the rolling pattern to get to the elbow. You are forced to get that proper diagonal roll from the shoulder to opposite elbow. Given proper thoracic mobility and the ability to lockout the arm, a kettlebell TGU to elbow will feel easier after nailing this down. This delivers the same payday on the descending elbow to back roll. The USB TGU also removes all fear of dropping a bell on your head while training the roll to and from elbow. Strength+Safety=Glory.

2. USB Lateral Lunges. Damn you sagittal plane! That half kneeling lunge to stand is a stability monster when you’re doing a TGU. Sometimes, instead of stepping back from a problem it is best to step sideways. There are a bunch of killer USB Lateral Lunge exercises and any of them will help with your half kneel to stand. Training your lunges within the frontal plane (side to side) will help you build some untapped stability. Spend some time with USB Lateral Lunges and watch how your half kneel to stand becomes a thing to be feared.

3. Rotational Lunge. This move delivers similar benefits to the lateral lunges but now we’re moving in even more plains of motions. Transverse much yo! This will bullet proof your TGU. Ever feel those legs and hips wobble under a heavy getup? Get good at rotational lunges with a USB and see how they feel know. The RT adds another killer bonus: by snapping the hips similar to a swing, but within a lunge pattern, you will very likely find it easier to simply stand up a helluva lot quicker in your TGU.

Now those are three ways to use DVRT/Ultimate Sandbag Training to help your Turkish get-up. I’d bet these lifts would help your deadliest, squat and press too. Doubt me? Try it. These aren’t meant to be quick fixes or voodoo tricks. Step away from your TGU for 1-3 weeks and focus on one or more of these DVRT exercises. Then check out their impact on your TGU and smile big in the post PR selfie you just took.

Please keep me posted on your progress.

I suggest digging deeper into the DVRT Training system by attending a workshop or one of our certifications. Click here to find dates and locations. Yours truly will be leading a DVRT Level I Cert and an HKC Kettlebell Cert at Kathy Dooley, Joe Boffi and Jason Kapnick’s place Catalyst S.P.O.R.T. in NYC on November 1 and 2nd. You can register for one or both (big discount on both) through the link.

I hope to see you there.

-Fury out

Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner, DVRT Master Instructor, Senior RKC, Original Strength Instructor, is a proud member of the Ninja Army training staff at Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC. Fury is available for classes, semi-privates, instructor training and programming at MFF. He also has availability for private training at Five Points Academy and Catalyst S.P.O.R.T. Check out www.coachfury.com, facebook.com/coachfury and Twitter @coachfury for more info.

RKC Kettlebell Hinge Analysis

July 2, 2014 By Mike Krivka 5 Comments

OVERVIEW
There are six basic movement patterns : Push, Pull, Squat, Hinge, Carry and Groundwork (i.e. Turkish Get Up, Rolling, etc.). A thorough understanding and utilization of these movement patterns will make you an exceptional athlete, a better rounded coach or trainer, and will allow you to move and grow old gracefully – which are no easy tasks. Tens of thousands of words have been written in regard to Pushing, Pulling, and Squatting; of late the Hinge, Carry and Groundwork have started to get some well deserved attention as well. Among all of the writing there are some real gems of information and guidance as to how to effectively implement the movements and safely execute them. One area that is referenced a lot, but not clearly defined and explained, is the Hinge. The Hinge is the basis for most of the Kettlebell techniques as well as the foundation for the barbell Deadlift. While it is being taught and practiced by athletes and clients every day there are still some issues with executing it safely and efficiently. The following several paragraphs are my attempt to clarify some “gray areas” regarding the Hinge.

A HINGE IS A HINGE… OR IS IT?
There is a lot of confusion as to what a Hinge is and what isn’t. If you spend any time on YouTube (and I do) you will see a wide variety of examples what people are doing that looks like a Hinge but in reality is something completely different. Let’s define the Hinge first and see if we can identify where people go wrong. First – a Hinge is not a Squat (but the Squat has a Hinge component; we’ll get back to this later on). The Squat requires maximum flexion of the Ankle, Knee and Hip and puts the butt parallel or below parallel. Second – the Hinge is not bending over or what some people call “The Sippy Bird”. Bending over requires that the Hip flexes and the head travels forward over the toes. This type of Hinge presents itself with people who are trying to “pull” the Kettlebell or Bar. Third – the Hinge is not done with a straight back – meaning upright, but a flat or neutral spine. When you do the Hinge, the backin its entirety, needs to stay neutral or flat in order to not only protect it but to “stack” is so that you can transfer power through it.

So we have three things that the Hinge isn’t – so what is it? The Hinge is a loading position that allows you to maximally translate energy from the ground via a ballistic extension of the ankles, knees and hips. This ballistic extension can then be translated into movement of the body or a secondary object like a Kettlebell. There are a laundry list of variables that will affect the volatility of your Hinge (and yes it should be a “violent” extension” but I’m going to save that for another RKC Blog posting). What I want you to imagine that the Hinge should be the position you feel that you can get the most drive or explosion out of. Think “jumping over a building in a single bound” and you’ll get what I’m talking about.

LEADING WITH YOUR HEAD
Here’s the nitty gritty about the Hinge: it’s all about initiating, generating power, and transferring power. And guess where the biggest errors occur? You’d think it’s with generating and transferring – but it’s actually on the initiation. You see when most people do the Kettlebell Swing (or Clean or Snatch for that matter) they explode out of the Hinge position leading with their torso and head (back to that Sippy Bird” thing). Don’t believe me? Then try the simple test outlined in the video below. The first demonstration shows the athlete trying to pull their way out of the Hinge position. This position is so weak that light pressure on the head stalls the whole body. The second demonstration shows the athlete driving up from the ground using their legs and finishing with a powerful Hinge movement. The presence of my hand on the top of the athletes head doesn’t deter them at all.

What you are going to find is that many of your athletes and clients are paying lip service the Hinge but are actually generating power through their lower back and acceleration of their head. It’s going to startle many people when you are able to stop them dead in their track with gentle pressure on their head; careful when you try to demonstrate this because you can easily tweak someone’s neck or back if they try to “fight” their way through the obstruction. Here’s the thing – you can train the Hinge in this manner and get reasonably strong and stay injury-free for a long time. But… and it’s a big one… you are not going to be able to generate as much power as you could if you don’t learn to initiate and follow through with the Hinge from the ground up.

Think about the Hinge this way: the best way to generate power is from a fixed object outward or upward (like the ground). If you are initiating your Hinge by driving off the ground with an explosive push from your feet, the force will be transferred though the ankles to the knees, the knees into the hips, and ultimately into the Kettlebell. This is generating power in one direction. If you are inadvertently generating force by using your lower back and head (once again think “Sippy Bird”) then you have force being generated both upward towards the head and downward towards the ground and only a percentage of that will be able to be transferred into the Kettlebell. Once again – watch the simple hands-on test and cueing that I demonstrate in the video and you’ll see that the most efficient and powerful way to create force in the Hinge is through initiating through the ground up.

WISDOM FROM A MASTER
Marty Gallagher is a master in the realm of strength. He has made a career out producing world record holding athletes, writing about the iron game (have you read his opus “The Purposeful Primitive”?), and working with Tier One Special Operators. To say he knows what it takes to be strong and get strong would be an understatement. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down and talking about strength training with Marty on a couple occasions and I always come away with insights that are light years away from where I currently am. For instance, we were talking about Barbell Deadlifting (DL) and how many of the current crop of DL’ers you see start way too high and are facing down when they initiate the movement. Sure, you can get the bar moving there but you’re never going to reach your potential using that technique; not to mention you are putting unnecessary stress and strain on your back. According to Marty the best “pulling position” for the Barbell DL is the shins and the torso at almost the same angle – this allows you at to drive off the ground with the legs (squatting) and then transferring the load into the Hinge to complete it. Once again – the Hinge completes the movement; it’s not the whole movement.

So how does this apply to the Hinge in regards to the Kettlebell? Directly! Do not pass Go, do not collect five hundred dollars! While pulling a heavy barbell Deadlift and performing a heavy Kettlebell Swing may look radically different they have a lot of similarities (and several differences). If you look at the Hinge from this perspective it will radically change how much more force you can generate (using the biggest muscles and drivers in your body) and will lessen your reliance on using your arms to move the Kettlebell. Several things that make a difference between the two are the position of the load during execution. The barbell has no choice but to stay in front of the shins during the movement; this will change not only the loading but also affect the angles of all of the major joints. With the Kettlebell you have much more latitude for positioning the load (those pesky shins don’t get in the way) and you can put it between and behind your feet to allow a more direct and powerful loading of the hips, glutes and hamstrings.

Don’t let my explanation of the positioning on the barbell Deadlift and Kettlebell Swing confuse you! The point I am trying to make is that when you are practicing a technique that utilizes the Hinge the key factor is how you are initiating the movement. Are you driving through the Hinge from the ground up or are pulling through the Hinge with your arms and head? There is a HUGE difference and the results are profound…

CONCLUSION
What I’ve outlined above may be common knowledge to some and, even after a video and over a thousand words, will still be a mystery to others. That’s okay! Watch the video, re-read the above post and see if you can work out the specifics on your own or via experimenting with your athletes or clients. The purpose behind the test I demonstrated is not to frustrate or confuse you – it’s to show you a simple and effective way to ensure that your athletes or clients are using the safest and most effective way to generate power for Kettlebell ballistic techniques.

Thanks for your time and attention and I look forward to your feedback and questions!

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…It’s Only the HKC!?!?

March 18, 2014 By Mike Krivka 5 Comments

I’ve had the honor and pleasure to attend pretty much every certification that Dragon Door has offered for over a decade and I’ve always been impressed with the extremely high quality, professionalism, and thoroughness of each and every one of these events. The quality of the instruction and the enthusiasm of the attendees are unparalleled. So when I heard a recent attendee at an HKC certification make the comment “Why are you being so picky? It’s only the HKC?” I had to respond; but only after I was able to excuse myself, get a drink of water and splash some cold water on my face, and come back and address the question with a level head and something approaching my normal blood pressure…

Introduction

The HKC is comprised of a full day of instruction on three tremendously powerful, important and effective techniques:

Kettlebell Goblet Squat
Kettlebell Swing
Turkish Get Up

A whole day to cover just three techniques?!?! Yes–and even with a whole day to cover them, and a handful of variations, you are still only scratching the surface on how to use, apply, and perfect them. These three techniques will make a huge difference in you and your client’s strength, mobility, athletic ability and longevity. While at first glance they seem to be simple to execute and master you will quickly realize that to truly understand them will take thousands of repetitions and hours and hours of work. At the end of the day you will not only be able to safely and effectively know how to execute these three key techniques, but more importantly you will be able to spot good and bad technique, sequencing errors, and weak links in these core movements.

The Heart of the RKC

The HKC is the heart of the RKC. It is the strength, conditioning, and mobility foundation that it creates that will allow you to move onto more technical and challenging techniques. Without the understanding of the Swing, Goblet Squat and the Turkish Get UP being successful at the RKC would be impossible. The bedrock that the Snatch, Clean, and Military Press are built upon is the HKC–and they are also the foundation that the RKC II is established upon as well.

I have heard the HKC referred to as “RKC-light” or the “mini-RKC” and this is far from the truth. The HKC introduces three essential movements that set the foundation for more advanced ballistics and grinds as well as preparing the athlete to understand how to generate, absorb, and redirect force; key and game changing principles that are essential to high-level performance. The HKC is anything but a “light” version of the RKC–it establishes the awareness of a high quality movement baseline that will follow the athlete from the gym to the field, court, or streets.

Dan John, one of the most sought after and influential strength and conditioning coaches of our era, changed the paradigm for the composition of a complete training program from the time honored “push, pull, and squat” to something much, much more. According to Mr. John an athlete needs to train in the following six areas:

Push
Pull
Squat
Hinge
Carry
Groundwork

When assessing where athletes come short in their training programs, in other words, trying to figure out where they have gaps in their training, you need to look at what they are doing and what they are avoiding. Consistently you will find that most athletes are able to rattle off their Bench Press and Squat numbers but start to mumble when you ask about the rest of their training program. They are invariably short in their Pull, Hinge, Carry, Groundwork, and (quality) Squat movements.

So what does this have to do with the HKC? Everything! If you were to augment the athletes (or your clients) training program to include more quality work in Squatting (Goblet Squat and variations), Hinging (Kettlebell Swings and variations), and Groundwork (Turkish Get Up and variations) you would make a huge and lifelong difference in how they move, perform, and recover. Filling in those gaps would make that much of a difference in the short term as well as having a huge impact on how the move and feel in the coming years. NOTE: I didn’t address the weakness in the Pull movement but that can be easily filled by Pull Ups (think Convict Conditioning) and by Farmer Walks (do a search on YouTube; there are lots of good examples).

Who Should Attend the HKC?

If you are truly interested in improving how you move, feel and perform as an athlete you need to attend the HKC. Even if you have no intention in ever teaching someone else how to use a kettlebell, but odds are you will share this newfound knowledge, you should attend. If you are interested in making a huge dent in your weaknesses, be they strength, mobility, or conditioning, then you need to make the investment in yourself and attend.

If you are a coach or trainer that is looking for a way to “round out” your athletes or clients then the HKC is the answer! Most athletes will hide between the movements that they are comfortable with and have no interest in learning new movement and loading patterns unless you can demonstrate and explain the benefits behind doing Goblet Squats, Kettlebell Swings, and Turkish Get Ups. Attend the HKC and you will be armed with this knowledge and much, much more.

If you are in the Military, Law Enforcement, or Fire/EMS service then you are desperately in need of a fast, efficient, and powerful training program that meet the physical demands of your profession. The foundation created by Goblet Squats, Kettlebell Swings, and Turkish Get Ups will go a long way in keeping your body in peak physical condition to be able to perform your job at a high level and return home, safe and sound, at the end of your tour, shift, or rotation. Because of the time commitment that all of these professions require you need to have a training program that will allow you to train efficiently as well as have carryover into your day-to-day tasks–you would be hard pressed to do better than the information that is presented in the HKC.

If you are a “Coach Potato” or “Weekend Warrior” then you can benefit more than you can imagine. This minimalist approach to training can augment, compliment, or out and out replace your exiting training program; and if you’re not doing any strength and conditioning training on a regular basis then this is a great place to start. With these three powerful techniques you can lose fat, gain muscle, move better, feel better and add quality years to your life – and have fun doing it!

Conclusion

If you are interested in improving how you move, feel, and perform then I strongly suggest that you look at the HKC as the answer to your strength and conditioning questions. The training that you will receive at the HKC is an investment in your health that will pay dividends for the rest of your life. It will be an experience that will change your concept of what effective training is and set a foundation for additional skills that will make you stronger, more mobile, and more effective in your sport of choice; even of your sport of choice is “life”.

Still not sure if the HKC is for you? Then I challenge you to get on the Dragon Door website and reach out to an HKC in your area, or anywhere, and get their feedback on the training they received and how it has impacted their lives. I think you will be surprised on how excited they are about the experience and how much that one day has influenced their training and their lives.

NOTE: If we ever get the chance to meet face to face, and I hope we do, please don’t ask me who said “It’s only the HKC!?!?” I have been sworn to secrecy and I can’t tell you who it was. That doesn’t mean I can’t send you a link to a website through an anonymous email account though… just kidding! My lips are sealed!

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What is the most versatile RKC movement?

February 19, 2014 By Shannon Scullin 1 Comment

Shannon demonstrates a good and a bad Get Up stance

The Turkish Get Up is the most versatile movement in the RKC system. It incorporates all seven of the FMS movement patterns – squat, hurdle step, in line lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight leg raise, trunk and rotary stability – allowing us to utilise it as not only a strength building exercise but as a screening and rehab tool, making it the most valuable exercise to have in your arsenal of training drills.

I’ve been known to be a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to teaching people how to do a get up. I firmly believe that one repetition completed with good form is far more beneficial to you than completing ten reps with a half arsed attempt at the movement. But I am pedantic about technique for a very good reason…

I train and have taught a large number of people how to use kettlebells during my time as a trainer. From personal trainers to the self-taught and those who have never touched a weight before in their life. All of these people have one thing in common… As their get up improves, their mobility and stability improves. As their mobility and stability improves their coordination improves. As their coordination improves their strength improves and as their strength improves so does the rest of their training.

The get up is not a “simple” movement to teach or to learn. In fact as well as being the most versatile it’s actually one of the most complex of all the kettlebell exercises.

There are a few books on the market that delve deep into the get up, its technique and corrective drills to help you improve your form, the most famous being “Kalos Sthenos – Kettlebells From the Ground Up”. However, most people’s get up can be greatly improved by simply doing the following:

1) Thoracic mobility and hamstring flexibility drills.

Two of the most common issues we see in the get up are caused by poor thoracic mobility (hunching forward or shoulder unpacking during the seated position) and hamstring flexibility (inability to keep the down leg straight or allowing the foot to rotate outward).

Often I see people grinding their way through the movement with bad posture in an attempt to improve. But why continue beating your head against a brick wall when there is an easier way.…

There are a number of drills that you can perform to help improve your mobility and flexibility in these areas, thus improving your get up and posture in general.

My favourite drills, and the ones I have found achieve the best results are all incorporated in to one simple mobility workout called the “Daily Dozen”. This simple eight minutes of mobility, done consistently in conjunction with the get up, will not only vastly improve your movement and posture but they are the perfect way to prepare your body for the workout ahead.

I recommend starting your warm up by “testing” a get up on each side. Once you have completed your get up perform one round of the “Daily Dozen” and then perform another get up on each side. Repeat this process three times.

Pay attention to how your get up feels after performing the first round of mobility drills. If you are particularly tight in the thoracic region you may choose to focus solely on the armbar, bent armbar and kettlebell brettzel for the next round of mobility. Likewise, if you are feeling particularly tight from the hips down, you may choose to focus on the Cossack, can opener and lower limb drills.

For those of you who are beginners or may be a little daunted at the thought of doing a bent armbar or the kettlebell brettzel you can replace both of these movements with the “Brettzel” which will achieve the same results.

2) Shift your weight.

From the moment you are born you commence a journey of movement. You learn how to shift your weight in order to roll over on to your belly, rock back and forth, crawl, stand and walk. Without this shift in weight movement becomes very difficult.

The get up is a similar journey of movement. Each stage you move to has a different centre of gravity. In order to perform the get up efficiently and gain maximum results you need to learn how and where to shift your weight in order to take the kettlebell from lying to standing position and back down again.

The easiest way to remember where the weight should be felt is to follow this zig zag pattern – elbow, hip, hand, knee.

As you roll to your elbow you should feel all the weight of your body and the bell going through your elbow in to the floor. As you straighten your arm out and progress to the seated position this weight should shift and be felt through your glute, where your femur meets your hip. As you progress to the bridge/low sweep, your arms should form a straight line from the kettlebell, through your shoulders and the weight should be felt through the hand that is connected to the ground. And finally, as you transition from the knee to hand through to the lunge position the weight should be felt through the knee that is connected to the ground. On the descent the weight shift works in the opposite order – knee, hand, hip, elbow.

3) Do more reps.

This is important. In order to get better at something you need to practice it over and over again.

In an average workout you may complete anywhere between 25 to 100 repetitions of exercises such as swings, snatches, presses, deadlifts and squats however, the get up seems to get neglected when it comes to getting our repetitions in.

Instead of lumping the get up in with your warm up every time you train, why not try changing it up a little? Try spending an entire session focusing solely on the get up every now and then.

Mid last year I started using the get up as my recovery workout. Twice a week I would take a light kettlebell (nothing heavier than 14kg), set the Gymboss on sixty second intervals and then proceed to perform get ups for the next 100 minutes. One get up on the minute, every minute. The get up was to be slow and controlled, focusing on good form throughout the movement. By the time I had completed twenty get ups all tightness had washed away from my body and any aches and pains that were rearing their ugly little heads prior to the session had retreated with tails between their legs. My movement felt strong, natural and effortless and the more repetitions I did the better everything felt.

Coincidentally, after incorporating the 100 get up recovery workout in to my routine, not only did I hit a new get up PR but I saw gains in all other areas of my training too.

Work on your mobility, shifting your weight and getting more reps in and I guarantee that your get up will not only get better but you will get stronger too!

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Shannon Scullin is an RKC Team Leader and PCC Instructor based out of Dragon Door Australia. As Australia’s first, and highest ranked female RKC Shannon brings a keen eye for technique to training and is renowned for being very focused on form ensuring that clients with previous injuries are able to train safely. As the head of Personal Training at Read Performance Training she uses the CK FMS to test and evaluate all clients before training, ensuring that not only will they look better from training, but they will also move better too. With a background in triathlon, adventure racing, rock climbing, cycling, hockey and running Shannon fell in love with kettlebells and the FMS system when she saw the immediate result that improving mobility, stability and strength has on sporting performance. She can be reached through: www.readpt.com