If you want one exercise that will work you whole body, challenge your balance, and improve mobility, then read the rest of this blog to find out what it is and how to do it.
Fit Tip #12 – Do Turkish Get-Ups
This ancient Turkish exercise was apparently used to prepare strong men competitors and wrestlers for competitions. While most of you probably aren’t planning to do a strongman competition any time soon, these are still one of the best full-body exercises you can perform. This exercise is typically performed with a kettlebell, and is essentially a detailed and specific way of going from a lying down position on the floor to a standing position. Here are some of the reasons why:
Core Strength & Balance
This skill requires serious core strength and control, along with balance, coordination, and strength. That’s because you’re holding a weight overhead in only one hand for the entire movement, which starts lying on the floor and ends in a standing position. As someone who has trained many people in their 60’s, it’s been hard to watch de-conditioned individuals struggle just to get up off the floor. For some older adults, this is near impossible without a railing, chair, or something else to hold onto. I personally never want to find myself in that condition, and this exercise is so practical for keeping you mobile and able to simply get up and down without effort.
Shoulder Stability
I’ve also worked with a good number of people with shoulder injuries, and have had them myself. I like this exercise for improving shoulder stability and rehab without the potential injury from exercises like heavy shoulder presses (as long as you’re not using too heavy of a kettlebell).
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Cardio
At first glance, it doesn’t seem that hard to to get up off the floor several times, but when you add a weight to it and go through the precise steps of a get-up, you may be surprised how quickly your heart rates jumps up. Not only are you building muscle and core stability, but you will get in a great cardio boost at the same time.
Mobility
This movement is also excellent for better mobility in your hips and legs. I love using these as a warm-up to loosen up the body before a workout and get the muscles activated and warm before lifting heavier weights. Of course, in this situation I will use a lighter kettlebell, maybe 10-20 pounds, depending on the person’s strength.
Strength
Don’t just stick with these for just warm-ups, though! Add on some weight and you’ll get a serious workout. You’ll work your abs, core, legs and shoulders in this one movement, and all at once, so you’re improving functional fitness and movement patterns. I would say the weight should be light enough that your shoulder can hold it up without compromising form or feeling like you’re hurting your shoulder joint in any way; it should be heavy enough that it makes it hard to get up off the floor. These are also an amazing core workout, requiring a lot of stability and balance.
 As Geoff Nupert writes in his article,The Ultimate Guide to the Turkish Get-Up,“Why is getting up off the ground with a weight in your hand so special? To pick just one reason, performing a heavy get-up correctly and safely requires you to “lock” your ribcage to your pelvis by way of your abs.”
How To Do A Turkish Get-Up
The video below will show you how to do a Turkish Get-Up exercise with a kettlebell.
One little tip – if these hurt your wrists (as they do mine when I use a heavy weight), use a weight lifting wrist wrap , or maybe even a sweat band to provide some cushion between your skin and the bell.
As a side note, if you want to get a kettlebell for at-home training and workouts, you can get them 10% off at ProSourceFit.com with code Holly10.
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