Hi, Kathryn. I'm fairly new to KBs, and I only have the Sarah Lurie DVDs at present, but I wanted to ask you, can YOU do TGUs? I just do the workout section on the Sarah Lurie DVD, and in that workout, they don't do the TGUs. Then I bought (don't laugh) the Firm 5 lb. KB workout; for that, I use my 10 lb. KB. But I found I can't do the TGUs even without holding a KB! And I've been working out for years, plus I'm not overweight or bottom heavy. Why do you think that is?
I can do them (but I don't like to, and don't do them often) When I do, I use a light bell (a 7# GoFit, the last time I did them). I did a Sarah Lurie workout a couple of weeks ago that has them in (as the first exercise!) and I was able to keep up, though maybe not as gracefully as they did them).
When I first started them, I had a heck of a time getting beyond the kneeling lunge position to standing. I don't know when they finally clicked, or how, or why I can do them now (magic? LOL). Maybe it's because I'd been doing KB squats (@$$-to-the-grass style) for a while between tries?)
There are a lot of things going on in TGUs, any of which might be the week link, from holding the arm in overhead extention all the way through, to getting into postion, to pushing up from a deep lunge. (It's because of all that is involved, and the complete, total-body aspect of the move, that it's so beneficial...and that I'm trying to get myself to do them more.)
Some things to try:
Anthony Diluglio breaks them down in some videos on his site, starting with a get-up sit-up, and adding different parts of the move little by little.
Try doing them from the top down.
Go SLOWY on these, they are a grind move, not an endurance move.
Keep your eye on your hand at all times (in your peripheral vision, not head cranked back too far) and always think about moving up.
Different instructors do the move a bit differently, and one way of doing it might be easier for you than others (some even go into a squat rather than lunge position). Search "Turkish Get-Up" on
www.youtube.com and you'll probably find some videos on them, and maybe Anthony's or another instructor's break-down of them.
Also, do it more as an "any-which-way-you-can" move (but keeping the bell/arm overhead, instead of thinking of the precise moves you are doing. I found that if I thought about it too much--trying to move my leg into position the exact same way X instructor did, it was a bit of an obstacle.
(I have the Firm KB workout, too, and use my 7# and 15# KB for it, depending on the move. I don't consider it a real KB workout, but I like Kelsie and I think it's interesting and fun).
HTH!
, I started with the 15# GoFit KB (partly because it was purty! LOL!). That was good for a start.
