Have You Fallen and Can't Get Up?

No, really can you get up?  I was reading this article here which describes 52 ways to get up from the floor...http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/take-the-stand-up-challenge-52-ways-to-get-up-off-the-floor.  Awesome!  Can't do many of these variations though.

I walked into my "box" this morning and guess what was part of the workout?  You guessed it.  Getting up off the floor!  Our coach had us lying on our backs, rolling up to a squat and then standing on both legs.  Then he added a little variation and we attempted it with standing on one leg.  I couldn't do it.  Close, but still didn't quite come up to standing.  I wasn't alone.  There were several others who couldn't do it as well.  These are people who actually exercise.  Try it yourself and see if you can do it.

One of my physical therapy instructors said that one of the most important things you could do for yourself is to lie down on the floor and get up every day.  I would say I have to agree with her.  I have far too many patients who cannot do this.

If you want to challenge yourself I suggest working on the Turkish Get Up which is shown is this video.  Try to perfect the technique on both sides before you add weight to your hands.  This is an excellent exercise for posture and coordination no matter what your level of (or lack of) fitness is. It should be a baseline of all of your exercises.   Once you master this you can progress to adding weight as in this video:

This video is done by Gray Cook is a well-respected physical therapist who is known for founding the Functional Movement Screen, the Selective Functional Movement Assessment which are used in physical therapy clinics, professional athletic settings and gyms all over the world.  He really explains this movement well.  He explains in his book Movement that the Turkish Get Up is a self-limiting exercise used to "improve poor movements and maintain functional movement quality."¹

So get your get up on and get up and off the floor everyday so that whenever you fall, you know you can get up!  If you have any pain or limitations in movement, you know what I am going to say.  "Everyone Deserves a Good Mechanical Evaluation and Treatment Plan!"  Call 504-228-0524 or visit grimmpt.com to set up your assessment today.

¹  Cook, Gray,et.al. Movement:  Functional Movement Systems, On Target Publications, (2010); 232.