Turkish Get-Up

Muscles Worked

How to Perform

1. 1

   Floor to Elbow: Lie on your back with a kettlebell next to your right shoulder. Roll onto your right side, grab the kettlebell with both hands, and carefully press it to arm's length above your chest. Bend your right knee and plant your right foot flat on the floor. Extend your left arm out at 45 degrees for stability. Press through your right foot and left elbow to prop yourself up onto your left elbow. Your eyes should stay locked on the kettlebell throughout the entire movement.

2. 2

   Elbow to Hand: Press through your left hand and extend your elbow fully to create more height and space. You're now sitting tall with the kettlebell locked out overhead. Your right foot is still planted, left leg straight on the floor. Maintain a packed shoulder—actively press up into the kettlebell, don't just hold it loosely. Your torso should be nearly vertical.

3. 3

   High Bridge and Leg Sweep: Press through your right foot and left hand to lift your hips high into a bridge position. Your left leg should be straight and hovering above the ground. While maintaining this bridge, sweep your left leg back and thread it under your body, placing your left knee on the ground behind you. You're now in a kneeling position with your left hand still on the ground for support, kettlebell overhead.

4. 4

   Half-Kneeling to Standing: Lift your left hand off the ground and rotate your torso to face forward. You're now in a half-kneeling position (right foot forward, left knee down) with the kettlebell overhead and your torso upright. Drive through your right foot and bring your left leg forward, standing tall with feet together. The kettlebell remains locked out overhead. Stand with perfect posture—shoulders down, core braced, fully vertical.

5. 5

   Reverse the Sequence Down: Now reverse every single step with control. Step back into a half-kneeling position, place your left hand on the ground, sweep your left leg forward through to the bridge position, carefully lower your hips and sit down, lower to your elbow, then slowly lie back down to the starting position. Lower the kettlebell to your chest with both hands before returning it to the floor. That's one rep—now repeat on the other side.

Common Mistakes

Pro Tips

• Start with Just Your Shoe

  Before adding weight, practice the movement pattern holding your shoe balanced on your fist. This teaches the movement sequence without any load and forces you to maintain perfect arm alignment. Only progress to a kettlebell once the pattern is smooth and automatic.

• Break It Into Checkpoints

  Think of the get-up as distinct positions rather than one continuous flow: Floor, Elbow, Hand, Bridge, Sweep, Half-Kneeling, Standing. Master each checkpoint position individually. Pause at each one to verify your position is perfect before moving to the next.

• Pack Your Shoulder Aggressively

  Don't just hold the kettlebell overhead—actively press up into it throughout the movement. Pull your shoulder down away from your ear while simultaneously pressing up. This creates a stable, loaded shoulder that can safely handle the complex positions you'll move through.

• Train the Down Portion Separately

  The descent is often harder than the ascent because it requires more eccentric control. Practice lowering from standing to floor with extra slow, deliberate tempo. This builds the control and body awareness needed to master the full movement safely.

Variations

• Half Turkish Get-Up

  Perform only the floor-to-hand portion (lying to sitting position), then reverse back down. This is excellent for beginners and allows you to focus on the shoulder stability and core work without the complexity of standing.

• Bottoms-Up Turkish Get-Up

  Hold the kettlebell upside down (bell pointing toward ceiling) throughout the movement. This dramatically increases grip and shoulder stability demands. Only for very advanced practitioners with excellent movement quality.

• Double Kettlebell Get-Up

  Hold two kettlebells overhead, one in each hand, throughout the movement. This eliminates the free hand support and creates massive core stability demands. Start light—this is exponentially harder than single-arm.