The Turkish get-up is an excellent torso stabilization and general strength and mobility exercise. Any number of weighted implements can be used, although the common ones are a kettlebell or dumbbell. The athlete will begin lying supine on the floor with the implement in one hand, with that arm extended vertically. Keeping this arm extended vertically throughout the exercise, he or she will bend the knee of the weighted side to bring that foot flat against the ground, and use it to help push to the side opposite the weight. With this push, the athlete will begin sitting up, rolling onto the elbow of the free arm and then onto that hand as her or she reaches a fully sitting posture.
From this point, there are a few options for completing the get-up—either an overhead squat, or one of a few lunge variations. The overhead squat is the simplest, but requires the most flexibility. From this upright seated position, the athlete will simply post on the hand and the flat foot in order to pick up the straight leg and place that foot on the floor, placing the athlete at the bottom of an overhead squat. From here, he or she will simply stand up. The rep is completed by reversing the sequence until the athlete is again lying supine with the weight overhead in a vertical arm.
To use the lunge variation, the best option from the seated position is to bend the straight leg to bring the foot under and behind the weighted side foot. From here, the athlete will step forward with the weighted side foot and drive forward and up onto it and the knee of the unweighted side leg. With some final adjustment of the lower leg, the athlete will be in a lunge position posted on the knee. From here, he or she will stand from the lunge. Again, to complete the rep, the sequence of movements is reversed until the athlete is lying supine on the floor.
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