Prior to embarking on any training programme you should seek clearance from a trusted and qualified medical professional to see if you are healthy and fit enough to partake in it. You should also seek professional coaching in order to safely learn the movements. Immediately stop all exercise if you feel dizzy or weak. When working with kettlebells additional precautions should be taken. Make sure that you have plenty of space to manoeuvre in, so that if you have to drop the kettlebell that you have room for yourself to quickly get out of its way, without tripping over something or crashing into something or into other people. Having a large chunk of steel land on your face or onto your foot will probably ruin your whole day. Kettlebells are highly effective tools and as such they are also dangerous when used incorrectly. It is your responsibility to seek adequate instruction in their safe use.
If you want to get straight to the caffeine then Turkish coffee is the way to go. If you want to really devote yourself to highly practical functional fitness then Turkish Get-ups are the way to go. This drill has wide reaching and unparalleled benefits. If you ever find yourself crunched for time then doing this exercise alone might be all that you really need to do. As with all serious and effective training the following time honoured maxim holds true:
It may be simple, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy.
Often times you will see people these days doing Turkish Get-ups using kettlebells; and this is just fine. . However don’t be completely seduced by the allure of the kettlebell; there are a wide range of options out there, and there is no hardman dictum that I know of that states ‘thou shalt use only thine kettlebell for thy Turkish Get-ups’. Although some may argue the point, a kettlebell is really just a variation of a dumbbell. So you can certainly use DB’s for get-ups. In fact in comparing the two I find that DB’s are actually more challenging. With KB’s you can stabilise the weight against your forearm. DB’s are more difficult to stabilise, so because of that, I think they add that extra dimension of difficulty. If you are one of the people that complain that KB’s jump sizes in too large of an increment, then DB’s should be the answer. You can also, when you are ready for the challenge use an empty Olympic bar, and who knows… maybe eventually a weighted bar. This is a significant stability challenge. For a different and equally stimulating activity get-ups can also be done with real functional things like sandbags or heavy bags.
Of course there are some slight variations on how you can actually do a get-up and remember that it is a bilateral exercise meaning that there is a right hand one, and a left hand one. Recall too, that the exercise has a lowering portion that is the reverse of the ‘get-up’ portion. You should learn the Turkish Get-up in stages; and get each of the stages well and truly dialed in before progressing.
My preference is to do them in bare feet so your feet and toes make a solid and stable connection to the ground. When learning the get-up use no weight or one that is very light. You need to do this until you learn the movements and are comfortable with them. There is no need to rush into heavy or awkward weight and risk injury. There will be plenty of time for that later. Practice this. Important details to concentrate on:
- Keep the lifting arm fully extended; do not have a ‘soft’ elbow
- Keep the shoulder fully engaged and pulled down into its socket
- Keep the wrist in-line with the forearm; do not bend it back
- Keep your eyes on the lifting hand or weight until you get to the lunge position and are ready to stand up, at which point your eyes should shift to be looking straight ahead.
The previous description works for kettlebells, dumbbells, plates, and similar weights. You won’t be able to switch sides easily using a bar or barbell so it will be best to get up and reposition yourself. You might want to reposition yourself when using a heavy kettlebell also; for safety. Need to enhance your grip? Try the get-up using a bell in the bottom up position with your hand grasping the horn. Want a real challenge? Do the get-ups with your ‘weight’ being a full glass of water balanced on your hand or fist, and don’t spill a drop.
Using a sandbag or heavy bag is the same only different. Note: what I am referring to as a sandbag is a real traditional sandbag. Not one of these new-fangled store bought numbers with handles. The body motion is mostly similar except you are trying to hold the bag on your shoulder as you are trying to ‘get-up’. When using a bag I tend to switch sides while standing, by just hoisting the bag over my head and onto the other shoulder. I then lower to the ground and do the get-up on that side. These can be really tough to do especially with a seriously heavy bag. They are awkward and hard to wrassel with. If the bag is super heavy you may not be able to lift it over your head to the other shoulder; so you can bear hug the bag as you switch sides or use a lighter bag until you are strong enough. Along the same lines try doing these while wrestling with a slosh tube and see how you like it.
Like with most other conditioning drills the same rules regarding sets and reps apply. I will reiterate the point made earlier; ease into this. Invest a substantial amount of time in learning the proper form. Then gradually start adding weight and get the feel of doing them with resistance. But eventually if you want to get strong (that’s the point isn’t it?) then you have to go heavy with few reps. You should alternate sides. Do one rep per side for a total of five. Be sure to get adequate rest between sets. It’s also important to note that the Turkish Get-up is generally not a ballistic or highly dynamic exercise. It should be done reasonably slowly and controlled without any jerky movements. Think Tai Chi…