Exercise Tutorial: Turkish Get Up
Table of Contents
What Is a Turkish Get Up
The Turkish Get Up is a full body movement that teaches you how to lift the body while it is under a load. The Turkish Get Up can be an intimidating movement for many, however it should be learned in stages and then combined to create the full movement. The Turkish Get Up is a valuable exercise as it takes the body through all 3 planes of movement. Keep reading to learn more about the Turkish Get Up!
How to Do a Turkish Get Up
Learning how to do the Turkish Get Up is more complex than your average exercise. The Turkish Get Up should be broken down into stages. Practice each stage and then combine the movements to perform the entire exercise. To learn how to complete the Turkish Get Up, follow these steps:
Lie down on the ground with your right arm extended straight above the shoulder. Both legs will be extended on the ground and the left arm will be flush to the floor, with the arm extended 45-degrees to the body. Your left palm will be facing the floor.
Bend the knee of the right leg so that the sole of the right foot is flat on the floor.
Push through the right foot and left arm to elevate the right shoulder off the floor. Come onto the forearm of the left arm. Then, come onto the left hand.
The left leg will come back behind the body to move into a lunge. Press through the right foot and left hand to extend the hips and sweep the left leg beside the right foot and come onto the knee behind you.
Once the left leg is behind the body, and you are in a low lunge, lift the left hand off the floor to bring the torso upright. Let the left arm rest beside the body. Look forwards.
Drive through the right foot come into a standing position. Your hips and knees will be fully extended so that you are standing tall.
Reverse your steps to come back to the starting position. Step the left foot back to return to the lunge. Look back at the right hand and lower the left palm to make contact with the floor. Sweep the left foot back through to come into the extended position on the floor. Lower onto the left forearm, and then lower the torso back to the ground with your right knee bent. Your right hand will remain over the active shoulder. Lower the right leg to the floor.
You have now learned how to perform the Turkish Get Up!
Turkish Get Up Form
As there are many steps involved in learning the Turkish Get Up, there are also many errors in form that can happen. When performing the Turkish Get Up, remember these points:
Always keep the hand straight above the active shoulder, the elbow of the active shoulder should never be bent
You gaze should always be on the hand of the active shoulder until you come into the lunge position, then you can look forwards
Maintain a straight spine throughout the entire movement, your back should not be bent
Keep the knee in line with the ankle during the lunge
Keep the shoulders down and back
Turkish Get Up Benefits
The Turkish Get Up has many benefits, the main one being shoulder strengthening from the use of the stabilizing muscles in the shoulder. Additional benefits of the Turkish Get Up include:
Increased core strength
Increased flexibility of the hips and shoulders
Improve posture from the proper alignment of the joints
Full body movement
Can be used as an assessment tool to identify weaknesses in the body
Improved overhead strength and confidence
Can be used as a warmup
Improved coordination
Activates the glutes
Why Is the Turkish Get Up Useful
The Turkish Get Up is a useful movement for everyone, regardless if the exercise is done with or without a load. The Turkish Get Up promotes full body movement, shoulder stabilization and core strength, which is useful for all ages and abilities. The full body movement improves body awareness and the ability to add a load will always provide a challenge for athletes of all abilities. Lastly, the movements in the Turkish Get Up will transfer to many other exercises such as lunges and pressing movements.
Turkish Get up Muscles Worked
As the Turkish Get Up is a full body movement, it engages many muscles! Here are the muscles involved in the Turkish Get Up:
Rotator Cuff
Turkish Get Up Variations
Here are some variations of the Turkish Get Up!
Dumbbell Turkish Get Up
For the Dumbbell Turkish Get Up, hold a dumbbell in one hand so that it is in line with the body. The dumbbell should not change position throughout the movement. Perform the Turkish Get Up as described above.
Kettlebell Turkish Get Up
For the Kettlebell Turkish Get Up, you want to keep the wrist straight throughout the movement, do not let the wrist bend forwards or backwards. You will be using an overhand grip on the kettlebell, so that the bell is resting on the back of the forearm and your palm is facing away from the body. Proceed to perform the Turkish Get Up as described above.
Preparation Exercises for the Turkish Get Up
The Turkish Get-Up is a complex movement due to its numerous steps. To prepare for it effectively, there are several exercises you should be familiar with, or ideally, close to mastering. These include:
Half Turkish Get Up
Half Turkish Get Up
Begin by lying on your back and flexing the knee opposite to one arm, which should be fully extended. As you press forward, extend your arm in an overhead press motion, rise completely, and then gradually return to the starting position.
Turkish Get Up Steps For Beginners
Here are five steps to further simplify the movement of the Turkish Get-Up:
Step 1: Place your arm on the ground while holding the dumbbell or kettlebell, engage your core, and press up.
Step 2: Place your hand on the ground and prepare to push up.
Step 3: Transition your right leg to the back while moving into a windmill position.
Step 4: Now, you're in a lunge position while performing a single-arm overhead press.
Step 5: Get ready to squat, maintain your balance, and then slowly reverse back to the starting position. We added the high knee as a balance exercise, but it’s totally optional.
Turkish Get Up Workout
The Turkish Get Up workout can be performed by either breaking down the exercise into various parts or doing it all together. Typically, I recommend that if you're trying this for the first time, focus on performing one to five sets and breaking down the movement into five repetitions. Take your time, and please start with a low weight to gain more experience with the exercise and to master the technique. As mentioned earlier, this exercise should not be done quickly, but effectively.
