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Kettlebell Reverse get-ups

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Chrisdavisjr

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I was thinking earlier about how to increase the weight I use for my Turkish Get-Ups. I've been using a 24kg bell for a while and am fairly comfortable with it but am still nowhere near being able to perform the movement with a 32kg bell.

Would it be a good idea to try 'reverse' get-ups - i.e. starting at the top position and performing the lowering phase of the movement - with a heavier bell to build-up to a legit TGU from the floor or do I have no business lowering a bell I can't lift in the first place?

I'd be interested to know anyone's thoughts on this.
 
Why not increase your volume with the kettlebell you can comfortably use? Like multiple reps with the 24 kg, or a 5 second pause at each stage of the get up? I ask, because these are how I will get to the 32 kg kettlebell. Of course, I went out & bought a 28 kg kettlebell because the jump from 24 kg to 32 kg in get ups is a little much...
 
I have been experimenting with some progressions for moving from one bell to another with larger jumps. I am an advocate for increasing volume in order to increase intensity. Here is where I'm at after a few months with the idea that completing phase 4 with one weight is necessary before stepping up to the next bell.

Phase 1:
10 sets (work up to 20 sets)
2x Clean & Jerk(Push-Press) +
1x Get-Down from the top of the second jerk/push-press

Phase 2:
Traditional S&S perhaps starting with sets of 5, etc.
10x10 swing
10x1 TGU
Test:
10x10 Swings <5min
10x1 TGU <10min​


Phase 3: (3-5 rounds, rest between all sets and sides)
2x1 TGU
2x2 Press
2x3 Snatch
2x4 Clean & Jerk
2x5 Swing
Test:
5 Rounds < 25min​

Phase 4: (3-5 rounds, rest between all sets and sides)
2x5 Snatch
2x7 Clean & Jerk
2x10 Swing
2x3 Clean & Press
2x1 TGU
Test:
5 Rounds < ?? (haven't tested this phase yet but I'm guessing it will be 30-40min)​
 
The classic approach, IMHO, is doing multiple getups per hand with your current or even a lighter weight.

-S-

Sorry for the dumb question but could you elaborate on what exactly this would look like in an S&S session? Instead of 10x1 it would be something like 10x2 repeating each side before going to the next? 20 total, 10 per side I’m assuming.
 
You do a complete getup, you stop when you're returned to the floor but the bell is still pressed to arms length, and you start back up again, skipping the part where you bring the bell to your torso, roll over, and let it go. The idea is that increased time under tension will improve your strength at this.

You might also play with the overall volume, e.g., 2 left, 2 right, 2 left, 2 right, 2 left, 2 right and you'll have done 6 per arm instead of the usual 5.

-S-
 
Sorry for the dumb question but could you elaborate on what exactly this would look like in an S&S session? Instead of 10x1 it would be something like 10x2 repeating each side before going to the next? 20 total, 10 per side I’m assuming.

Means you do 2 getups without setting the bell down. then switch hands and repeat.

Half get ups with 32kg is an option ?

Or see if you can do a floor press with 32kg and hold the bell up for time. Get in a waiter walk position with the bell overhead locked out for time ( use 2 hands to press it up )
 
These are all excellent suggestions; thanks everybody! I plan to start incorporating 32kg floor presses at the start of my get-up practice, but I reckon doing double repetitions every other day could be a great progression.
 
Yes, reverse getups are awesome. And really hard. The reason, you never put the bell down. Clean and press or snatch the bell. Get down, get up, switch hands, repeat.

Start with 5 minutes, work up to 10-15. It's great for conditioning as well. I also like multiple reps of normal TGU's, but I find that, you'll start rushing the reps to get through the time under tension.

I find when I do heavy getups, the getdown is the hardest part.
 
IIRC, Pavel suggests not doing the negative of the TGU if the weight is challenging. So you do the TGU, and when reaching the top, you lower the bell to the floor. So you cut the time under tension to half.

I haven't used this as a progression tactic myself, but I have tried TGU with a challenging weight a few times, and found that I managed to get to the top, but wasn't able to do a proper get down. The time under tension was just too much. So maybe it's an alternative for you to consider.
 
@Chrisdavisjr,
Anything you can safely do with the heavier bell will help you to get comfortable with it. You can break the get up into partial segments any way you want; just keep the segments with the heavier bell within your safe comfort zone.

From the bottom, you can just get the bell into position (arm extended on your back) and then back down, you can roll up the elbow and back down, up the hand and back down, or up to the high bridge (whether or not you regularly include the high bridge in your full get ups, it makes a nice finishing point to partial get ups) and back down. Once you pass the sweep into the half kneeling windmill, you may as well continue to standing and then just lower the bell to the rack if you can't do the whole reverse get up.

From the top, you can just do overhead holds, you can do an overhead reverse lunge and back up, or go down to the half kneeling windmill and back up.

Personally, the get up isn't really my thing. I don't think I've done a full get up since the last time I renewed my RKC cert (while Pavel was still there). However, I often do top down partials to the lunge or half kneeling windmill.
 
You do a complete getup, you stop when you're returned to the floor but the bell is still pressed to arms length, and you start back up again, skipping the part where you bring the bell to your torso, roll over, and let it go. The idea is that increased time under tension will improve your strength at this.

You might also play with the overall volume, e.g., 2 left, 2 right, 2 left, 2 right, 2 left, 2 right and you'll have done 6 per arm instead of the usual 5.

-S-
Steve I did this, but I've been actually bringing it all the way down (lower, roll over) and, then, immediately rolling back to press. Probably doesn't make that much of a difference, I guess.
 
@J Cox, I think my way is harder but both are fine - try your way for a few days then give mine a try. I think mine keeps up the continuous tension with a break for longer, and it may even make sense for most people to progress through both.
Probably doesn't make that much of a difference, I guess.
Yes, I agree with you there.

-S-
 
Nothing new, but different words to say it here...

I don’t recommend negatives. The down portion requires a lot of control/stability, and for me the most worrying part is going from sitting to laying down. If the weight is too heavy/uncontrolled, you’re going to slam/bounce down on your poor elbow, instead of being the graceful swan we want. Save your elbow, don’t do it.

Multiple getups. They’ve been discussed a lot. They’re great. My personal progression was to do one full getup...then learn to do a getup followed by an additional roll...then the full second getup. Disclaimer - for me, if I make it through the roll to elbow, the rest of the getup is in the bag. Your experience may differ.

Stay heavy, keep to ten total getups. So one day may be 10x1. Then it may be 1x2, and 6x1. Then 2x2, 2x1. 2x3, 1x2. And so on. I’ve never gone beyond three.

Go beyond ten reps. Consider spending one day every week or two (if you’re a daily getup guy) doing 20-30 getups total.

You can do it...32kg is yours after some patient consistency. Crush it.
 
I always find it interesting when discussing negative get ups - my get up weight eclipses my jerk or Snatch weight so I'm amazed people can get a heavier bell up there
 
I was thinking earlier about how to increase the weight I use for my Turkish Get-Ups. I've been using a 24kg bell for a while and am fairly comfortable with it but am still nowhere near being able to perform the movement with a 32kg bell.

Would it be a good idea to try 'reverse' get-ups - i.e. starting at the top position and performing the lowering phase of the movement - with a heavier bell to build-up to a legit TGU from the floor or do I have no business lowering a bell I can't lift in the first place?

I'd be interested to know anyone's thoughts on this.


If you have a small 10 or 15 lb KB you can stack them to hit an intermediate load. I've done this with many of my lifts, including BentPress, regular pressing, TGU, floor press.
 
Would it be a good idea to try 'reverse' get-ups - i.e. starting at the top position and performing the lowering phase of the movement - with a heavier bell to build-up to a legit TGU from the floor or do I have no business lowering a bell I can't lift in the first place?

I'd be interested to know anyone's thoughts on this.

Good idea with your owned size, not two sizes up. It would be almost reversing the whole process of progressing with each size for overhead pressing:
- floor press
- partial get-ups
- one way get-up with catching it to the rack when going down (not required for everyone)
- full get-up
- all kinds of presses (c-p, side, bent, jerks)
-snatch (of course you should not target snatching every next size)

Once being able to do that you can run complexes and so naturally end up in reversed get-up. You could obviously cheat clean and cheat press to overhead, but that’s skipping all the classic/basic lifts and thus all the lessons and adaptation you will get during the process.

Take your time with 24kg, you will feel ready to start 32kg, obviously you will need to ‘man up’ with your first tries as PT says, but It will come.

Good luck
 
If it's too heavy to TGU then how are you going to press it above your head to start the negative TGU? I don't get it.

I must have built up some kind of muscle for TGUs through my life in judo or something because the TGU was not something that posed me any big problems. I can do the S&S routine with my 48 if I want to, but I keep to the 40kg because it's challenging enough to keep me happy.

Can you not even do one rep with the 32?
 
Huh. I'd forgotten about this thread. I managed, in the end, to build up to get-ups on the minute for 10 minutes with a 40kg bell just by being consistent and doing more get-ups (my training log from last Summer has the details)

I've not trained get-ups in a while as my focus has shifted towards learning the Olympic lifts and, while don't think I could do 40kg anymore (my 40kg bell just pulverised my wrist anyway), I'm pretty sure I can do multiple reps at 32kg without any problems. I still weigh around 65kg.
 
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