The Turkish Get-Up: How To, Benefits, Mistakes, and Fixes

Getting up and down from the ground and lifting weights up and down from the ground is the hardest thing physically we do. That’s why burpees suck are so difficult. But bad things happen when we lose the mobility to get up and down from the ground. That’s why training it is so important. Enter the Turkish Get Up.

Although the Turkish Get-Up (TGU) is a convoluted way to get up and down, it is a full-body exercise that combines mobility, strength, stability, and coordination. If you’re looking to add a versatile and challenging move to your workouts, it’s the complete package.

Here, I’ll explain the steps, benefits, common mistakes, and ways to incorporate this powerhouse bodyweight exercise into your workouts.

What is the Turkish Get-Up

The Turkish Get-Up is a centuries-old exercise involving movements that work multiple muscle groups while getting up and down from the ground. From a lying position, you transition through various stages to stand up and reverse the process back to the ground. Each step of the TGU demands strength, control, and concentration.

Performing the Turkish Get-Up

Here are step-by-step instructions on performing the bodyweight Turkish Get Up with good form. Please remember to take your time and not hurry throughout this movement.

1. Laying supine with your back on the floor, put your right foot on the ground, slide your left leg out at 45 degrees, and do the same for your left arm.
2. Raise your right arm directly above the shoulder and open your palm. Placing a shoe to balance is an excellent form fixer if you are game.
3. Push your left shoulder into the ground and roll to your left side, raising your right hip and pushing your left elbow down to get up.
4. Straighten your left arm and sweep the left leg underneath you until you’re in a half-kneeling position.
5. Push your right foot through the floor to stand up with your feet together.
6. Do the reverse to return to the starting position.

Turkish Get-Up Targeted Muscles

The TGU is a full-body movement that requires your lower and upper body to work together. Here are the muscles trained and their role in the TGU.

Shoulders: Stabilize and support your body weight throughout the movement, improving your shoulder strength.

Chest: Assist when moving from the ground to standing.

Triceps: During the get-up phase, the triceps extend the arms and maintain elbow stability when extended.

Glutes: Hip extension powers the TGU from the hip lift to getting up from the half-kneeling position and supports your body weight during the transitions.

Rectus Abdominis and Obliques: These muscles ensure a neutral spine and maintain balance throughout the get-up.

Quads and Hamstrings: These muscles kick in during the standing and lowering phases and assist with hip flexion and extension, depending on your stage.

Serratus Anterior: This muscle supports your shoulders and helps in the upward rotation of the shoulder blade, which is crucial for shoulder health and overhead mobility.

Lower Back: Helps to stabilize and support the spine during the entire exercise

Benefits of the Turkish Get-Up

It’s a complex move with many moving parts but also an exercise with many benefits. Here are four of them.

Improved Full-Body Strength

The Turkish Get-Up is a full-body exercise that trains almost every muscle from head to toe. Each part of your body performs the get-up from your shoulders and chest to your legs and core. The full-body nature of the TGU builds overall strength and muscular coordination, making you stronger and more efficient in other exercises and daily activities.

Increased Joint Stability and Mobility

The TGU is a masterclass in improving joint stability and mobility. The various stages of the get-up require stabilizing your joints, mainly your shoulders and hips, and improving their strength and flexibility. Improved stability helps prevent injuries, while increased mobility makes most movements easier and fluid.

Improved Quality Of Life

The Turkish Get-Up mimics everyday movements and makes them easier because you’re getting stronger by doing them regularly. The TGU enhances your coordination, balance, and strength in a way that translates directly to daily tasks, from lifting heavy stuff to getting up from the floor.

Better Coordination

The multiple steps and transitions in the Turkish Get-Up require a high level of coordination and control. Performing this regularly enhances your neuromuscular efficiency, meaning your brain and muscles communicate better. This improvement can benefit other complex lifts and athletic movements, making you more of a lean, mean working machine.

Turkish Get-Up Common Mistakes and Fixes

The TGU is a complex movement with many moving parts. That means lots can go wrong. So, to reap the benefits of this exercise, let’s correct three common mistakes.

It’s All In The Hips

Letting your hips sag compromises your form and can put undue strain on your lower back. Drooping your hips impacts stability and puts undue stress on the spine, increasing the risk of lower back injuries.

Fix It: Actively squeeze your glutes throughout the movement. Consider driving your hips upwards and maintaining tension in your glutes and core, ensuring your body moves as one unit.

Elbow Position

Flaring your elbows out more than 45 degrees reduces efficiency and can stress your shoulder joint. It also reduces the TGU effectiveness by shifting the emphasis away from your triceps and chest.

Fix it: To protect your shoulder joint, keep your elbows at 45 degrees during set-up, underneath your shoulder, and close to your body during transitions. Focus on maintaining a vertical forearm during transitions, which helps keep your elbows in a better position.

Moving to Quickly

Doing it too quickly can lead to poor form and loss of control. Speeding through each part often results in missing positions and losing control, which can cause poor alignment and compromised stability.

Fix it: Perform each phase with control and focus, and take your time to ensure good form. Break the movement into smaller segments and practice each segment slowly if necessary.

PROGRAMMING SUGGESTIONS

Here are two ways to incorporate the bodyweight TGU into your workouts.

Warmup: Incorporate the Turkish Get-Up into your warm-up routine with one set of 3-5 reps per side to get your body rocking.

Circuit Training: Add TGUs to a full-body circuit to elevate your heart rate. Aim for 6-8 reps per side.