How many reps of the shinbox get-up should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 2 sets of 3 to 4 get-ups per leading leg, resting fully between reps rather than chaining them together. Once you can rise without a fingertip touching down, add a rep or two before removing the assist entirely.

How do I make the shinbox get-up easier or harder?

If standing without hands is too hard, keep one fingertip lightly on the floor for balance and reduce that assist as you improve. To make it harder, cross your arms over your chest to remove any chance of catching yourself, or slow the descent to a five-second count.

What is the shinbox get-up good for and when is it a poor choice?

It rebuilds the hip control most adults lose for getting off the floor without pushing off their hands, building glute and quad strength through a large range while demanding rotary hip mobility. It is a poor choice on a day your knees are acutely irritated, since both knees load into deep, rotated flexion throughout.

Intermediate

Shinbox Get-Up

This is one of the best ways to train the hip control most adults have lost: getting off the floor without pushing off your hands. From a seated shinbox you post the front foot, extend the hips, and stand. It builds glute and quad strength through a huge range while demanding rotary hip mobility, so it belongs in warm-ups, mobility blocks, or as low-fatigue strength work for general athletes.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Quads
Type: Balance, Functional
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Browse by movement: Lunge

How to do it

1
Sit in a 90/90 shinbox with the front shin across your body and the rear shin out to the side, both knees bent near ninety degrees.
2
Rotate your torso toward the front leg and plant that foot flat under your hip.
3
Tuck the rear toes and lift onto the rear knee so you reach a half-kneeling stance.
4
Drive through the front heel and rear foot to extend both hips and stand tall.
5
Reverse the exact path back down to the shinbox, controlling the descent.
6
Keep hands off the floor throughout and repeat, alternating which leg leads.

Tips

Move slowly and own each position rather than using momentum to pop up.
Keep the front knee tracking over the toes as you load the standing leg.
If the rise is too hard, briefly touch a fingertip down instead of the whole hand and wean off it over time.

Variations

Common mistakes

Halfway to standing, the trailing hand reaches down to the floor for a boost, which the whole point of this drill asks you to avoid.
The torso stays square to the front instead of rotating toward the planted foot, so the hips never fully align to push through.
The push comes as a sudden hip pop instead of a steady drive, launching the stand instead of standing under continuous tension.
Skipping the half-kneeling checkpoint and surging straight from shinbox to standing hides which side is actually weaker.
One side always leads in practice, so the weaker hip never gets the rep count it needs to catch up.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the shinbox get-up should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 2 sets of 3 to 4 get-ups per leading leg, resting fully between reps rather than chaining them together. Once you can rise without a fingertip touching down, add a rep or two before removing the assist entirely.
How do I make the shinbox get-up easier or harder?: If standing without hands is too hard, keep one fingertip lightly on the floor for balance and reduce that assist as you improve. To make it harder, cross your arms over your chest to remove any chance of catching yourself, or slow the descent to a five-second count.
What is the shinbox get-up good for and when is it a poor choice?: It rebuilds the hip control most adults lose for getting off the floor without pushing off their hands, building glute and quad strength through a large range while demanding rotary hip mobility. It is a poor choice on a day your knees are acutely irritated, since both knees load into deep, rotated flexion throughout.

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