Exercise Profile
  • Target Muscle Group
  • Exercise TypeStrength
  • Equipment RequiredKettle Bells
  • MechanicsCompound
  • Force TypePush (Bilateral)
  • Experience LevelBeginner
  • Secondary Muscles
    Adductors, Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Shoulders, Upper Back
Target Muscle Group

Abs

Abs Muscle Anatomy Diagram

Turkish Get Up Overview

The Turkish get up is a full body movement that challenges the muscles of the core to stabilize the spine as you go from a side lying position to a standing position all while maintaining a weight overhead.

The Turkish get up can be incorporated into any kind of program, but is best used as a corrective and/or warm up exercise.

Turkish Get Up Instructions

  1. Setup in a side lying position with the kettle bell in a front racked position and your hands overlapped on the handle.
  2. Roll onto your back and press the kettle bell to extension with one hand.
  3. Extend your free hand to the side and raise the knee on the same side as the kettle bell. (i.e. if you’re holding the weight in your R hand, your R knee should be flexed)
  4. Sit up to the elbow as you punch the kettlebell overhead.
  5. Extent the elbow you’re braced on and push yourself up to your hand.
  6. Bridge the hips up while keeping one leg straight.
  7. Once the hips are extended, sweep the straight leg through and assume a half kneeling position with one hand still on the floor and the other overhead.
  8. Bring the torso upright, reposition the down leg so that it’s inline with the forward leg, and then drive up to a standing position out of the half kneeling stance.
  9. From the standing position, simply step back in a reverse lunge to revert to the half kneeling position.
  10. Repeat steps #1-8 in reverse order to get back to the supine starting position.
  11. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Turkish Get Up Tips

  1. You should be looking at the kettlebell for the ENTIRE duration of the exercise. As you become more experienced, you may be able to look straight ahead once you get to the half kneeling stance but initially it’s wise to just focus solely on the weight overhead.
  2. Don’t start with heavy weight (or any weight at all if just learning the get up), use a shoe, a ball, or something else with a relatively light weight.
  3. For the initial sit-up portion of the lift, use the cue from Dan John, “Punch and crunch!”
  4. The turkish get up is mainly used a corrective exercise or warm up drill. It can be used in more general population settings.
  5. Focus on squeezing the handle of the kettlebell tightly in order to improve stability at the shoulder.
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