120 lbs./54.5 kg. Sandbag Get Up - age 54, November 20, 2022, 5:38 pm 🌺CAUTION: THIS VIDEO IS FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. THIS EXERCISE CAN BE DANGEROUS. I use this exercise to simulate the rigors and conditions of grappling, but I had a slight problem. The lightest person I’ve rolled with weighed 125 lbs., yet I struggle to hold weights half that weight in the TGU. With weights over 50 lbs., I would race through the exercise before my arm and shoulder gave out. Weights over 70 lbs. were risky, and I could still swing my extended arm to help get my back off the ground. Plus, I was still way below the weight of most kids. Enter the sandbag. It was perfect because I could shoulder much more weight than my weak arms could support, and it felt much more like the sport I love. The walkway I train on is sloped about 4°, so when l lay my head downslope with 120 lbs., getting my back off the concrete feels blissfully like the way I get smushed when I roll. I’m also obsessed with neck strength and durability, and the bag provides stress to the often neglected side compartments of the neck and jaw. The pressure on the side of my head negates the use of earbuds, so I couldn’t even listen to Taylor Swift as I did this 🥲 It took me many attempts before I could roll to elbow and sit up with the bag. My error was confining myself to the width of the walkway, which limited my leverage. TIP: When doing Get Ups, be like a greedy octopus and take up as much square footage on the floor as possible. Doing so will flatten you out and improve your leverage pushing off the floor. -Take the longest step backward that you can safely lunge into. -When sitting through with your leg, spread it out as much as your groin flexibility (and decency) allow. -As you lie on your back, lengthen your unloaded arm as far away from you as possible. Make sure there are no gaps under this arm or sitting up with the bag will be like jumping in sand. No matter what you do, the Turkish Get Up will make you better at it and other things. Having options simply increases the likelihood of doing it and reaping more of the benefits. Much aloha 🌺