Turkish Get Up

What Could Be Easier Than Getting Up?

If you saw someone at the park or in your gym doing the Turkish Get Up and you had never seen the exercise before, you would probably think the person is either crazy or had just lost a bet.

It looks strange.  No question about it.  But try it anyway. 

It is really a great full body exercise.  Plus you don’t need any equipment. 

So if you feel really silly, just do them at home.

The technique below is mostly just a suggestion.  It's just one way to go from lying flat on your back to standing up to lying flat on your back again.

If you want to experiment, that's great.  As long as you get from flat on your back, to sitting on your butt, to kneeling on one knee, to standing, to kneeling on one knee, to sitting on your butt, to flat on your back again, you're on the right track.

And keep one arm vertical the whole time - maybe holding a weight.  That's it.  That's the Turkish Get Up.

Technique

• Start by lying flat on your back with your right arm pointing vertically.  Make sure your hand is directly over the shoulder.
• At this point, I could just say “and now you just get up”.  But there are all kinds of ways to get up so let’s be a little more specific.
• Bend your right leg and place your right foot flat on the ground.
• Lift up on your right leg and left arm.
• Swing your left leg under you with your left foot behind you, like a kneeling position.
• Press up to a standing position.
• Now reverse the movements.
• Put your left foot behind you and lower down to a kneeling position.
• Put your left arm on the floor and hold your weight with your left arm and right leg.
• Swing your left leg in front of you and sit on the floor.
• Lay down on your back.  Straighten out the right leg.
• That is one rep.
• Reverse those movements with the left arm raised.
  

Keep In Mind...

• Keep the core braced throughout the movement.
• Make sure you keep your high hand (or weight) directly above your shoulder.
• Protect your back.  There should be no reason to roll your back or put strain on it.

Modifiers

The main modifier to this exercise is adding weight to the high hand.  If you are new to these, and most people are, do the exercise with just your hand held up at first.

Then when you get used to that, start with a light weight (kettle bell or dumbbell) and build up from there.

Start with 3 Turkish Get Ups per side.  That is one set.  When you are ready, add a few more sets.  When you get up to 4 sets, start increasing the number of Get Ups per set.  When you get to a total of 20 reps per side, it is time to add weight.