One of the most pervasive errors in the get-up occurs when an athlete is lying on their side. They often hold the bell too far up their torso toward the chest and collarbone, rather than it being lower down next to their stomach. This means that when they start their roll, their arm is already up. This not only means that their forearm is flexed toward their feet, but also sets them up for other compensations later in the lift and means they have to fight the bell to keep their arm in an optimal position.  

The fix is pretty simple. It starts with making the athlete aware that success in the get-up requires a solid setup. I want them to establish a positive habit of starting out by pulling the bell into their stomach. Then they need to wait until they roll to their back and press with their elbow from the floor. This will ensure their active arm is at 90 degrees and puts the individual in a more biomechanically efficient position. They might be able to get away with a poor first segment when using an 8 KG bell, but I tell them that they should imagine that they’re trying to do a get-up with a 36 or 48 KG weight, and to move accordingly with lighter weights. We’ll work on getting the fetal position right, and then rolling and extending the active arm correctly.

Another common error occurs during the transition up from the floor or back down onto it. Here, instead of hinging at the hips as they move from the sweep into the lunge, the athlete flexes their spine. This places an undue load on a structure that isn’t designed to bear it, which can become painfully obvious over time as they progress to heavier weights and/or more repetitions. 

I often have to demonstrate this mistake. Then I’ll have the athlete assume the open half-kneel position and practice sweeping into the lunge. We’ll go through the whole sequence on the way up, and then again back down. I want them to feel their weight shifting underneath them, so I’ll often have them close their eyes as they do it. Just taking away one of their senses really helps them focus on that weight shift by increasing their kinesthetic awareness. First we’ll do this unloaded and then I’ll have them use a light load with a spotter making sure they don’t drop the bell.

Even if an athlete doesn’t make the first two mistakes, they might well fail to keep their arm aligned correctly. In a textbook get-up, the biceps should stay above the head as if there was an imaginary line going from behind the ear up that arm and all the way to the bell. Yet as people transition through the stages of the get-up, their arm often drifts, moving it away from their center of mass. This not only makes the lift harder, but also jeopardizes their shoulder health as they lose alignment. 

To call attention to this technique no-no, I’ll often have the athlete see what’s going on in a mirror. After they’ve seen what’s going wrong, I also want them to feel it, so I’ll have them pause at the various transition points. First I’ll have them try to keep their arm in proper alignment. Then we’ll go again with the arm slightly out of position. You can do this unweighted, but recognize that when the athlete holds a bell aloft again, their positioning is likely to change. So have them pay attention to their arm and shoulder positioning with a weight after they recognize the error, which will increase their proprioception and increase the likelihood of making the necessary correction.