Exercises that should not be dismissed: The Turkish Get-up

Over the next few weeks, I will be going into great detail about exercises that are HUGELY beneficial and should be included in any training program.

This week it's all about the infamous Turkish Get-up.

This takes a lot for me to promote this exercise. The sheer complexity of the movement can be rather off-putting.

Up until about three weeks ago, I had never been a big fan of the Get-Up for a number of reasons, but mainly ignorance!

Now it's become a weekly feature in my program. It's a highly technical and slow exercise, but with good reason, as always, I strongly recommend that you get coaching before embarking on your own , ESPECIALLY with this sort of exercise. YouTube will not be able to help you here.

If you are short on time, the Get-up is the exercise to do. Recently I had 20 minutes to train and decided to spend it on the Get-up. Well, needless to say, it was 20 minutes well spent! As it's a slow movement, I was pleasantly  surprised by how quickly my heart rate spiked. This alone is an indication of how the body has to work as one unit for this exercise to be performed correctly.

The Get-up is a deliberately slow exercise that requires serious concentration with your eyes fixed on the kettle-bell.

Five good reasons to implement the Turkish Get-up:  

1 - The Get-up is a lift that teaches you how to lift - specifically, how to move with and under a heavy weight. A great way to teach body awareness and body control.

2 - Why is getting up off the ground with a weight in your hand so special? Performing a heavy Get-up correctly and safely requires you to lock your ribcage to your pelvis by way of your abs. This is a key skill for all types of athletes to master, as it allows them to both produce and absorb force through a diverse range of stances. 

3 - The Turkish Get-up is very likely the best shoulder strengthener around, which in turn will assist you in getting stronger throughout your body. 

4 - All three planes of motion are required a number of times during the movement. 

5 - As mentioned above, it's time efficient, but still offers a phenomenal full-body workout. 

Hopefully I have inspired you to try this complex, but hugely beneficial exercise. ENJOY!

Here's a quick demonstration of how you can do it.

About the author

I started hitting the gym from a very early age, purely because I was a small kid. Exercise and sport in general came very naturally to me, I loved being active, whether it was cricket, rugby or gym. Strangely enough, I opted to pursue a career in finance and worked in London as an accountant for eight years. I was miserable and my wife pushed me to make the change. Well, I have never looked back. I’ve been a personal trainer for six years and I have developed my own style of training that’s extremely effective, combining all aspects of exercise.

The best way to get in touch is:

Cell / WhatsApp: 0763229939

Email: [email protected]

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