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Kettlebell Turkish get-up; moving up in weight (S&S)

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Harry Westgate

Harry Westgate

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Certified Instructor
Hi everyone,

So I've been doing S&S virtually daily since 28th November, with only the occasional day off. I'm currently using the 24kg for both exercises; swings are still over 5 minutes (maybe about 6min 30sec right now?), while my get-ups are easily done in 7min 30sec - 8 minutes.

Now, slight issue: my 32kg bell arrived today, and I figured that given I was doing so well with the 24kg get-ups, that adding a rep per side with the 32 would be no problem... I was wrong, it's A LOT heavier than I thought ('only' 8kg more I thought... Nice one Harry... Moron), even given careful attention to all the high tension techniques, power breathing, etc.. So yeah, I settled this morning for doing my second rep per arm with the 32 but only to the lunge position*; trying to stand up might actually have killed me. This alone was very tough work though.

So what would you guys recommend? I figured careful practice of each position until I feel comfortable standing up, then eventually working my way back down, would likely be the way forward; then of course adding more reps with the 32, slowly but surely.

Any advice from those who have been there and done it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


*so the get-ups this morning looked like this: 24L, 24R, 32L to lunge, 32R to lunge, 24L, 24R, 24L, 24R, 24L, 24R.
 
We are at the same page. I managed to do one rep with th 32k in the get-up yesterday. It was a struggle, but I got it up and down.
I only have a 24k and a 32k and for me the game changer have been to treat the get-up different .. some days I go for time and get all the reps in. Other days I go slow and hold in each position. Other days I focus on minor changes in my posture, foot placement etc. This have helped me to own the 24k more and more every time.

I also think, for me, its a mental game .. I was actually afraid of the 32k, that it would break me, or if I dropped it, the floor. Just be confident in your ability and focus.
 
Some just posted about this yesterday, I think, but I can't find it right now. The solution they used was to do 2-3 consecutive getups on the same side with the lighter weight. You will notice it's harder than switching sides every rep, and it will serve as a bridge to you doing singles with a heavier weight. Don't rush this - work up to being able to consistently do 2-3 singles on each side.

-S-
 
I cheated.

After finding 16-24 kg a big (and scary) jump I bought myself a 28 kg bell rather than trying to transition straight from 24 to 32. I had no problems with 4 kg jump usually starting off by mixing the heavier weight in for 1 rep somewhere in the middle of the set. I have since moved up to 32 kg.

I don't have a 36 kg bell though so the next jump is likely to be to 40 kg - Steve's suggestion looks great (thank you once again sir!), I will try that. Currently I am not doing anything smarter than adding volume (ie 12 TGUs instead of 10).
 
@Steve Freides Interesting, I'll have to give it a shot over the next couple of days. Just to clarify, you do mean like this right?:
24L, 24L, 24R, 24R, 24L, 24R, 24L, etc. Then progressing to 3 left, 3 right before going for the 32 again?
 
How effective is static holding the various positions of the TGU for a 10 count to aid in bridging the gap between sizes?
Thanks
 
@Mark Limbaga I've done 'slow', get-ups, perhaps not what you might call 'ultra slow', every couple of sessions. I've been trying to mix it up regarding tempo where possible, so some days I might do them relatively quick (never compromising safety though, of course), some days slower, but on most days I have a good 2-3 second pause in each position to ensure I feel comfortable.
 
Harry Westgate said:
Hi everyone,

So I've been doing S&S virtually daily since 28th November, with only the occasional day off. I'm currently using the 24kg for both exercises; swings are still over 5 minutes (maybe about 6min 30sec right now?), while my get-ups are easily done in 7min 30sec - 8 minutes.

Now, slight issue: my 32kg bell arrived today, and I figured that given I was doing so well with the 24kg get-ups, that adding a rep per side with the 32 would be no problem... I was wrong, it's A LOT heavier than I thought ('only' 8kg more I thought... Nice one Harry... Moron), even given careful attention to all the high tension techniques, power breathing, etc.. So yeah, I settled this morning for doing my second rep per arm with the 32 but only to the lunge position*; trying to stand up might actually have killed me. This alone was very tough work though.

So what would you guys recommend? I figured careful practice of each position until I feel comfortable standing up, then eventually working my way back down, would likely be the way forward; then of course adding more reps with the 32, slowly but surely.

Any advice from those who have been there and done it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


*so the get-ups this morning looked like this: 24L, 24R, 32L to lunge, 32R to lunge, 24L, 24R, 24L, 24R, 24L, 24R.
Click to expand...
I cant help you but i can relate. Im still only a couple weeks in and doing 2h swings with the 24. I picked up my 32 a couple days ago and its a monster. I cant imagine doing 1h swings and get ups with it at this point.
 
My weak point of transitions from both 16/24 and 24/32 was the initial press. I just stayed there for a while, press to elbow and hand positions and held it, progressively longer. Once confident that I could hold it for a duration of a rep, I went for it. I stayed at 1 rep for a long time!!
 
I went through the exact same issue. When I first got the 32kg, it was kind of scary - very heavy for me. But over time I was able to get to the point where I was using the 32kg for four out of my five sets (both TGU and swings) in S&S.

Unfortunately due to issues at home, I haven't been working out for about a year, and recently found that I'm basically back to square one, with even the 24kg feeling heavy now.

But anyway - here are a few things that I believe helped me progress with the 32kg in the TGU. For the record, I've always had a hard time building upper body strength, so progress doesn't come easily for me.

Like mentioned above, I started holding positions in the TGU with the 24kg, usually 3-5 seconds. I didn't do this for every set though, maybe just 1-2 sets (per arm) per session - pretty much always on the last set, and sometimes on an earlier set.

I started doing one-arm, one-leg planks for time. Just hold the top position of the one-arm, one-leg pushup. This works the midsection (cross-body, anti-rotational) in a way that I believe was beneficial for the TGU, especially the first couple of positions.

I started using the 32kg for overhead holds for time. I really think this was helpful. Once you're to the half-kneel in the TGU, you're holding the kettlebell overhead, and it lasts through standing up for a couple of seconds, and then back down to the half-kneel. So I thought it would be beneficial to just hold it overhead, without having to go through the entire TGU.

So, I just cleaned and jerked the kettlebell overhead. This was kind of hard in itself, and I had to (sort-of) use both hands for the clean as a "real" clean wasn't possible at the time. The jerk was kind of scary because it was really heavy, but once it's locked out overhead, much of the support comes from locked-out bones, not just muscle. So, it's a fairly strong position.

I did the overhead holds for 15-30 seconds (per arm) at a time, and did maybe 2-3 sets at the end of an S&S session. In addition, I would grease-the-groove with the holds a few times during the evening. Maybe 2-3 times in the evening, during commercials or something, I would go to the bedroom and do a set of the overhead holds.

Another similar drill I did was to march in place (or actually walk) with the 32kg overhead (waiter's walk). This is the next step after a simple overhead hold. Just clean/jerk it overhead, and either walk, or march in place (inside) with it overhead. This is another good strength builder for the midsection. You'll see what I mean when you have the kettlebell overhead in your right hand, and your right foot is off the ground (cross-body loading).

And to take that a little step farther, I would hold the kettlebell overhead and then just pick up one leg (knee up, like marching) and hold that position for time. So, clean/jerk the kettlebell with the right hand, then lift the left leg for 15 seconds, then lift the right leg for 15 seconds. Then, do the same with the left hand.

When I say marching, or knee up, I mean lifting the leg so the knee is up high, like you're marching. When I would actually walk, I just walked normally (not marching), but if I was staying in place, I'd lift the knee high in a march.

I believe all of these things helped a great deal in the TGU. The cross-body drills (one-arm, one-leg planks, kettlebell holds marching, or with one foot raised) were helpful for the first few stages of the TGU, and of course all of the overhead holds were helpful for the half-kneel and standing positions of the TGU.

Doing all of this, within a few S&S sessions I was able to use the 32kg for one set (each side) of the TGU. Then a few sessions later, I was able to use it for two sets, etc. Basically followed the progression laid out in S&S.

I hope to get back to regular S&S sessions soon, and will be doing these same things.

Hope that helps.
 
Harry Westgate said:
@Steve Freides Interesting, I'll have to give it a shot over the next couple of days. Just to clarify, you do mean like this right?:
24L, 24L, 24R, 24R, 24L, 24R, 24L, etc. Then progressing to 3 left, 3 right before going for the 32 again?
Click to expand...
Yes. It's a way, physically and psychologically, of really owning a weight in the getup. Pausing at different positions is also good. There are a lot of ways to cook this, e.g., you could also decide to do more than 5 singles per side in a workout before trying to do more than one at a time.

Just be careful, make sure you have a spotter when you're trying something new or whenever the weight is heavy.

-S-
 
Thanks for the pointers everyone, I'll see what I can implement over the next couple of days and see what I can report back with! :)
 
I'll second the timed holds with the 32kg and then progressing to walking. You can even do this with the 24 for longer times to get more time under tension. About 6 years ago I really focused on the TGU for a while because of the heavy physical demands at that time I couldn't handle much more. During the week I daily did a few pressing with about 24kg and did timed holds up to 45s-60s. I also did walks about 30yards switch sides and return. On the weekends I would use the weight and walk around my parents house switching hands each lap. Eventually I got to doing 2laps before switching. I would also use Saturday to gradually work up in weight in full TGUs. I found for me the psychological barrier and the strength of my shoulder/arm were my limiting factors. The rest of the getup did just fine with the limited volume of full TGUs. I eventually got 95lbs on both sides for a full rep. I was shooting for 100lbs but I miscalculated the weight I had on my plate loaded kettlebell. I had to tie a 10lb dumb bell to it and a couple of ankle weights. It was akward but worked. This was over a period of about 6 weeks of focused effort. I had been following ROP prior to that.
 
I find Jason's idea terrifying, to clean & jerk the 32kg overhead! I guess because I've never C&J anything more than 16kg, though I've been doing 32kg get-ups for a while. Lots and lots of 24kg get-ups got me to 32kg. I always do them R, L alternating sides.

My tips would be 1) spotter, as Steve said, or 2) be ready to ditch the bell if it becomes too unstable; be in a location where you can, and maybe even practice this with a 24kg.
 
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For heavy waiter walks, clean the bell to the shoulder then press it up and place your off side hand under the bell to help press it up. Carries with the bell over the head will help you build should strength for the stability you'll need for the get up. Other than that continue to use the 24 and go slow and direct, focusing on every little aspect of the movement.
 
@Harry Westgate, I am in a similar situation, transitionning from 24kg to 32kg in the getup. The weight was scary at first...
You had a lot of suggestions already. I will just give my own experience.

As I am training in an appartment, dropping the kettlebell on the floor is not the best option (although it is still better than dropping it on my head). So I practiced lowering safely the 32 kg (i.e. ALWAYS with both hands, even when one hand seemed to be enough). This way, everytime I felt something odd happening, I was ready to just abort the rep and lower the kb. I always stay on the safe side and abort a rep with the 32 as soon as it starts to be unsatisfying. I prefere to do a good partial rep than a bad and unsafe complete one.

Then I started doing getups with the 32 the same way you did : just one partial rep. It was not a complete rep, but who cares? I got got used to the weight, and finally was able to stand up all the way, then to do a complete rep up and down.

Another key point for me was that the 32 highlighted imperfections. I can get away with anything with a 16, it is just too light for me. I can get away with some with a 24. I cannot with the 32. So everytime something was odd with the 32 (even in partial reps), I reviewed it with the 24 (in particular, I had a bad hip hinge and hand positionning on the descending part). I have more improved than if I had stayed with the 24 only.

I increased the rest time. I can do the 24 pretty quickly (5 sets L&R almost without any rest). I never start a rep with the 32 without enough rest time to ensure good recovery. My time for the getups has increased for always being less than 10 min to sometimes more than 20 min, but hey, it is strength training, not metcon...

I am now at the point that I do 3 sets with the 32. Next week, I may introduce a 4th set.

I am also waving the load (as it is given in example in S&S). Some days, it is pure technical work with 5 sets at 24, some days, I do only 1 set at 32, others 2 or 3. It depends of the quality of the previous sets.

Power to you!
 
I think someone mentioned about but I will tell you what options I like.

1.) DO more reps consecutively per side with the 24kg (2-3)
2.) Very super duper slow reps with the 24kg
3.) Partial Get ups with the 32kg

All of those should get you ready for full get ups with the 32kg in no time. Also BREATHE with that diaphragm.
 
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