Over the past year I’ve had the honor of teaching two versions of a get-up intensive seminar. One was 4 hours long, the other was 45 minutes long (btw, I’m making an online version of the 4 hour one… see the end of this post). At both of these live seminars, I shared a handout detailing how to work the get-up into your workouts and programs. While some clickbait artists may like to argue about the benefits of even doing the get-up, I’d like to say that I think the movement is valuable enough to not only master, but to add in to workouts and programs on the regular. It’s my “when in doubt” move, and in many cases doing a get-up during an extended warm-up lets me know how I’m doing – even better I like to use a light get-up at the beginning and the end of a workout if I really want to check in with how the workout treated me.
There’s also some ideas and hints you can use while traveling or when otherwise away from your optimal training situations too. Your hotel only has super light kettlebells? I have a solution for you… and it’s tough. Find it in the list below!
1. Timed Practice
a. 3 minutes, 5 minutes “practice” time alternating get-ups with light kettlebell or no weight for workout warmup
b. Making a light weight feel HEAVY – one side with kettlebell going for 2-5 minutes goal without putting it down.
c. Fast Full-Body Workout: 10 Minutes practice time get-ups with moderate kettlebell (or in hotel, a dumbbell!)
2. Working Parts of the Get-Up as individual exercises for reps
a. “Get-Up Sit-Up” = start from ground, roll to elbow, push to tall sit
b. Half Kneeling Windmill/hinge from the ground to upright and back to ground
c. Lunges with Kettlebell Overhead
3. Adding Presses or Small Mobility Moves to upright moments
a. Add short sets (1-5) of presses – floor press, tall sit, kneeling windmill, while standing.
b. Perform get-up, but pause and make sure you can turn your head at safe intervals.
4. Short set of light get-up (1/1, 2/2) at the beginning of a warm-up circuit
5. Series of Get-Ups with three progressively heavier kettlebells… (12kg, 16kg, 18-20kg)
6. Series of Get-Ups with three progressively heavier kettlebells… and then back down (Pyramid – heavy-ish example 16kg, 20kg, 24kg, 20kg, 16kg)
7. As the first or last part of a main workout circuit (see #4) random examples:
a. Repeat 3-5 times: 1/1 Getup, 10-20 kettlebell swings (or other metabolic move), 10-20 Pushups, 10 Goblet Squats
b. Repeat 3-5 times: 10 swings, 1/1 getup
c. Repeat 4 times 1/1 Get-up, 5 Goblet squats, 25 swings (or equivalent metabolic move – 10-15 burpees or 24 mtn climbers?), spiderman push-ups (or other variation)
8. Used in pieces as part of a sequence on a variation of the old pretty darn advanced “Furnace” workout:
• 45 seconds Right side Get-up “situp”, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds Left side Get-up “situp”, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds kettlebell swings, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds right side kneeling windmill ground to upright and back, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds left side kneeling windmill ground to upright and back, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds kettlebell swings, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds right side overhead lunges, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds left side overhead lunges, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds kettlebell swings, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds full get-up right side, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds full get-up left side, 15 seconds rest/transition
• 45 seconds kettlebell swings… aaaaand DONE!
9. 21 MORE workout examples most including the Get-up from Master RKC Dan John
10. When all else fails, set a “rep goal” for the session or for the entire day (20 get-ups light or no weight for a session, or x number of get-ups with a 16kg for the day)
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