Turkish Get-Up
The Turkish get-up is a slow, stage-by-stage movement from lying on your back to standing and back down, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell straight overhead in one hand the whole time. It works the shoulders, trunk and hips together and trains control of a weight overhead while the body changes position.
Also called: TGU, Get Up, Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up, Dumbbell Turkish Get-Up · Equipment: dumbbell · Pattern: compound
Step by step
- Lie on your back with the weight pressed straight up in your right hand, right knee bent with the foot flat, and your left arm and leg out to the side at about 45°.
- Keeping your eyes on the weight, roll onto your left elbow by pushing through your right foot.
- Press up from the elbow onto your left hand, sitting tall with the right arm still vertical.
- Drive through your right foot to lift your hips into a high bridge.
- Sweep your left leg back under your body and place that knee on the floor behind your left hand.
- Lift your torso upright into a half-kneeling position, turning your back knee in line.
- Stand up from the lunge with the weight locked out overhead.
- Reverse every step in order to return to the floor, then switch hands.
- Arm vertical, elbow locked
- Eyes on the weight
- Pause in every position
- Punch the weight to the ceiling
- Same steps on the way down
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Prime mover | C |
| Obliques (internal/external) | Prime mover | D |
| Rectus abdominis | Secondary | D |
| Gluteus maximus | Secondary | D |
| Quadriceps | Secondary | D |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | C |
| Triceps brachii | Stabiliser | D |
| Serratus anterior | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Loaded arm drifting off vertical
Fix: Keep the weight stacked over your shoulder with the elbow locked at every stage.
Rushing the transitions
Fix: Pause in each position until steady before moving on.
Losing sight of the weight
Fix: Watch the weight until you are upright in the half-kneeling position.
Collapsing on the way down
Fix: Reverse every step in order under the same control as on the way up.
Bent loaded wrist
Fix: Keep your wrist straight with the knuckles pointing at the ceiling.
What the research says
General fitnessSport performance
- Evidence base — There is no training research on the get-up itself. A scoping review of kettlebell research found mostly trivial-to-small effects and rated confidence in the findings as low to very low.
- Muscle activity — An EMG study of experienced practitioners found shoulder demand was greatest at the roll to the elbow and at the leg sweep, and the authors recommended training both the way up and the way down.
- Sets and reps — A common approach is 3–5 slow reps per side, alternating hands, often as a warm-up or a skill block. There is no research comparing get-up schemes.
- Learning it — Many coaches teach the sequence with no weight, or a shoe balanced on the fist, before adding load. There is no research on this teaching approach.
Swap it mid-workout
- Barbell Split Jerk
- Barbell Thruster
- Dumbbell Snatch
- Kettlebell Thruster
- Kettlebell Figure 8
- Kettlebell Snatch
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the turkish get-up in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.