Thank you for joining us today for a get up sit-up and high pull lesson. We will be using the high pull in this Friday’s workout. The get up sit-up is a fantastic exercise to develop control of your abdomen as well as strength and flexibility in your back. The high pull is a high heart rate exercise that is based on the one handed kettlebell swing and requires your upper back for strength and abdomen for stability.
The getup sit-up
This exercise is the first phase of the turkish getup, but can be performed with both hands loaded as you won’t need the free hand to transition to standing. Begin with the bells as close to your body as possible, then press them to locked elbows and sink your shoulders down and back. Let the bell(s) move slightly into the intended path of the move before using your abdomen to sit-up the bells to an overhead locked out position. Tight hamstrings may prevent you from rotating your pelvis in hip-flexion to the point where the bells are above your shoulders and your shoulders are over your hips with a flat back. As you reach the top push into the resistance of the hamstrings and feel them lengthen. As you come back to the starting position try to roll down as controlled as possible. Use your abdomen to roll your back down to the ground like a string of beads, one inch at a time.
The High Pull
The high pull is based on the kettlebell swing and therefore should not be attempted before your swing is finely tuned and consistent. As you swing the bell, pull your elbow upward and arc the bell toward you slightly. Make sure that at the top of the move your elbow is higher than the bell. If it is not the arc will be lost and the weight will fall somewhat awkwardly. You should feel a deep bracing in your abdomen as the bell climbs up, this prevents your back from arching unsafely. This exercise will take a lot of practice before it feels fluid. At first you may notice that every repetition feels slightly different than the previous one. However, it will not take long before you develop consistency and each rep will start to feel the same.
These two exercises train you very differently, one is high cardio (high pull) while the other is more about control, flexibility and strength (getup sit-up). Feel free to practice them together as they won’t excessively fatigue the same muscle groups. While they both demand a lot from your midsection, the get up sit-up is about phasic strength and control in your abdomen and the high pull requires more static bracing in the core. Practice these moves with a reasonably light weight and move up in weight slowly. Take your time to get them right, we will be using both of these exercises in the future.
See you on Friday for our workout!
Peter Hirsh
[…] Prior to attempting this workout you should be proficient with your kettlebell cleans, push press, high pull, squat thrust and dead snatch. This workout is fast paced and is not the time for learning the […]