Kettlebell Foot placement in the get-up Lunge

[Lehrskov]

Hi everyone

I'm working on my get-up skills (@40kg now) and would like some input on the lunge position and how to proceed to standing up with the bell.

My issue is feet position and it goes something like this:

When I'm at the lunge position, just before standing up with the bell, I've been taught to think of my feet as if 'on rails': straight ahead, but on two separate lines with some (pelvis dependent) distance between them. This also means that there is a straight line from toes to knee to where my femur enters the hip on the front leg and, similarly, on the back leg.

When I push up to standing position I've 'tucked' my pelvis in under me and braced. A good rep, for me, feels like an equal force is being generated from the back and front foot, and that the force goes straight to the bell with no 'wobbling' in the body. The direction of the force is up and between the two rails, not straight out over the front knee, as I need to bring my back foot up next to the front foot - not on top of it.

BUT: sometime during the lunge up and placing the back foot on the ground, preparing to lock out in a standing plank on top, the placement of my feet starts to feel odd... which is no wonder, since they are pointed straight ahead on my 'two rails'. With feet straight ahead I don't feel tight at the top at all as my whole base (feet, knees hip) seems to be out of whack.

With feet straight ahead I have a very hard time squeezing my glutes to just anywhere near tight (my swing position is feet pointed around 45 degrees out to each side, as prescribed to me by @Brett Jones during and SFG1 via the "stand up, tilt to your heels, squeeze your glutes and see where your toes go"-method).

If I adjust my feet outwards the lunge becomes a problem, as I start to wobble and it feels like begging for injury to try to lunge up on a foot that is tilted outwards, as it drives the majority of the force down through the outer side of the foot and gets my foot-knee-hip groove off.

So basically the dilemma is:
1) Standing up my feet wants to point out to keep my body tight via glute contraction.
2) In lunge position my feet wants to point straight ahead to provide a good 'line' to push through to standing (and my hip is fine with my feet in this position).
= the position at the bottom messes up my position at the top.

Any ideas, advice, cues? Or is it just "yeah, that sucks. Find a good middle ground" ?

Thank you!

/Ulrik

 

[Anna C]

Interesting question, Ulrik. Your description of rails sounds right to me, and feet straight ahead I would think is the strongest position for all the leg muscles to work in the lunge to standing, and back down. Interested to hear what others have to say.

 

[King Cobra Fit]

is there a particular load or situation that causes this feeling?
can you post a video?

I feel like I ask this almost every post on here but, have you ever had an FMS done on you? This could reveal an ankle or hip restriction that could be forcing you to compensate somewhere else causing the "odd" feeling.

When you move into the Half kneeling position, before you stand, is the foot of the down leg in-line with the down knee (verses still being internally rotated)?
Some times it helps to physically look at the foot as our perception of where we are in space can differ from where we actually are, it may feel like its in-line but its actually not and when you move it in-line it can feel like its externally rotated.

Just a few thoughts.
respect on the Getups with the 40 btw.

 

[Lehrskov]

Hi guys

Sorry - video is a little hard for me to pull of. I've never had an FMS screen, but the odd feeling simply comes from having to stand up - plank tight - with my feet pointing straight ahead. With 40kg or 0kg. I don't know if that means I have a mobility issue, but could be.

The half kneeling position feels fine - I think everything is lined up pretty well and I have good force generation out of 'the hole' to standing. The problem is the instant where I put down the 2nd foot and 'lock in' at standing, since the straight-ahead feet position is 'inherited' from the half kneeling position (where it worked fine).

The only solution I've come up with so far is to simply turn a little the second before I put down the 2nd foot - i.e.: so if my lunge was aimed at 12-o clock then my standing would be facing 11-o clock. My front foot is still pointing towards 12 o clock, so the outward feet angle is achieved. ... but this rotation feels a little risky with a heavy bell overhead, especially as it basically has to happen as part of the lunge-up (and later: on the lunge-down).

And thanks for thinking on this with me!

 

[JeffC]

A little off topic, but I have wondered, but never tried a Jerk recovery from half kneeling position.

Split squat up with a 50/50 front/back weight distribution, then front foot back, and back foot forward. As opposed to a Forward Lunge. If it works for heavy Jerks, why would it not work for the TGU. I always Split Squat down anyway.

I think I will experiment with this recovery.

P.S. My feet are turned out slightly in unilateral movements.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Lehrskov, changing your foot position slightly as you come to standing and as you leave standing doesn't sound like a problem to me. After you bring your back foot forward, let both your feet turn out slightly as you feel makes you strongest, then as you prepare to step back, straighten your feet again.

Video would be helpful, I agree, but I suspect that what I've described above is probably done by a lot of folks who don't even notice they're doing it.

Just my opinion here - again, I'd want to see it to be sure.

-S-

 

[Lehrskov]

Thanks for the input @Steve Freides - I guess you are right that a little 'wiggling' might do the trick. I'll practice and see how it feels. If still off, I'll find a way to video

Thanks guys!