A few of my class got to experience the baby get-up in the past few weeks. It sounds easy right? “Baby get-up”. If you did it, you know it wasn’t easy. The baby get-up isolates your oblique muscles. They are the muscles responsible for rotating the body and preventing rotation of the body, which is equally important. The baby get-up is the pre-cursor to the get-up exercise and the Ultimate Sandbag leg threading exercise. Remember that one? The get-up works your entire body and specifically your core! Your core includes several muscles beyond your 6-pack abs, way more muscles that are superiorly important to function! Check out these core muscles!
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You’ve heard me say the word “cross patterning” or “cross body”, especially when we are working with an uneven load (Sandbag/Kettlebell on one shoulder). This picture gives you a visual of what I’ve been talking about. Cross patterning is how our body works. It is how we stay upright and stable. It’s not just about the 6-pack abs, it’s about doing life and not falling over! According to Dr. Mercola, “In addition to building strength, Get-ups increase your overall body stability, awareness, balance, and coordination.” They also have the following benefits:
- Promotes upper body stability
- Stimulates the proprioception system, which contributes to balance
- Promotes cross lateralization (getting right brain to work with left side)
- Hip and leg mobility and active flexibility
- Closed and open chain shoulder stability
- Stability in two different leg patterns – lunge stance and squat stance
- Single leg hip stability during the initial roll to press and during the bridge
- Develops upper body strength, trunks strength, and hip strength
Who knew you could do so much from the get up exercise? Maybe we should practice them more? 🙂