By Erwan Le Corre, MovNat Founder
How many ways do you know how to get up and down from the ground without using your hands?
Get Ups may be rudimentary natural movements, but they’re also supremely practical for everyday life. Plus, they deliver a ton of fitness and conditioning benefits when performed properly. And believe it or not, you can make a simple Get Up much more challenging in a variety of ways, such as adding load or increasing the complexity of the movement, just to name a couple.
Now, the Single Leg Squat Get Up is both deceptively simple and one of the more difficult get up movements in the MovNat curriculum. Most people have trouble achieving it the first time around. But once you get it, you’ll gain better mobility, stability, and strength in your hips and legs. And you’ll have one more movement at your disposal for getting up and down from the floor while having your hands free to carry your baby, laptop, or bag.
To prepare for it, make sure you can comfortably hold both the deep squat position and the bent long sit position. You’ll also want to get plenty of practice with the Sit-Squat Get Up.
Once you’ve got those down, give the Single Leg Squat Get Up a try. See if you can do it with good posture, and without bracing, straining, or holding your breath.
Here’s an instructional video to help you learn how to perform this movement effectively and efficiently.
Tips
- Plant the foot of your bent leg as close to your rear as possible
- With your planted foot, simultaneously push (down) and pull (back), focusing on forward motion as you lean forward
- Pull yourself into the deep squat position by using the strength of your hamstring of your planted leg
- If you’re having trouble, try holding a light weight out in front of your chest to help you counterbalance.
Get Ups do your body good and they make your life easier. And the more ways you know how to get up and down from the ground, the better for not just your movement, but also your health, fitness, and longevity, among other things.
The bottom line is that Get Ups offer a big bang for your buck. They make for a great addition to anyone’s daily life, and especially to your movement practice. This simple movement should be easy – even effortless. But for most people, it takes practice in the beginning.
So, if you’ve got the basics down (e.g. squat, bent long sit, etc.), but this movement is still difficult for you, find a time to start practicing the Single Leg Squat Get Up this week. Before you know it, it’ll be second nature and you’ll be moving better than ever.
Ready to take the next step
In Your Movement Journey?
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And if you’d like to upgrade your movement skills, the best way to do that is to find a MovNat Workshop near you. Or, if you’d like to go deep in your movement practice and help others do the same, sign up for our MovNat Certification, where we’ll teach you our systematic approach to mastering the full spectrum of natural movement fitness – from the ground up.
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