Squats, deadlifts, bench presses – these are the star children of the fitness world… the apple of every fitness enthusiast’s eye. While they’ve earned their rapport for the right reasons, it’s important to celebrate (by engaging in) the unsung heroes of the workout-world – Kettlebell Turkish Get-ups.
A full workout in one move, the Kettlebell Turkish Get Up gets your entire body working, building your strength and endurance. From balance to agility, muscle definition to overall flexibility, this exercise is a like yoga with weight – and this is all the reason you need to make it a part of your fitness regimen!
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How To Do Kettlebell Turkish Get Ups | Muscles Worked | Common Mistakes | Benefits | Key Takeaways | FAQs
How To Do Kettlebell Turkish Get Ups?
A powerhouse move, the kettlebell Turkish getup is a combination of different movements packed in one, full body go – giving you the kind of burn you want.
Here is a step-by-step guide on Turkish Get Up with Kettlebells:
Step 1: Grab & Hold the Kettlebell
- Lay down on your side with the kettlebell tucked into your shoulder
- Cradle the kettlebell into your chest – your working hand should be holding the kettlebell and the other one should be supporting it
- Turn onto your back and lift the kettlebell, placing it on your torso
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Step 2: Lift the Kettlebell Overhead
- Use one of your hands to hold the kettlebell and lift it over your head
- During the lift, your arm should be aligned with your chest and fully extended
- Bend your knee and bring it closer to the side of your hips
- Use your non-working arm to push yourself off the ground – your non-working arm should be 35°- 40° away from your body
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Step 3: Push Yourself Upward
- Breathe in and hold
- Using the force on your working foot, curl your elbow inward and extend it over your head
- Your non-working hand should be fully extended as well
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Step 4: Elevate Your Hips
- While maintaining the position, push your working foot and get on your knee
- Your non-working leg should lift up as well
- Engage your glutes as you lift yourself off the ground
- Your non-working hand as well as working hand should both be fully extended
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Step 5: Time to Lunge
- Pull your non-working leg behind while moving your working leg into a lunge position
- Your legs should form a 90° from one another
- Make sure your neck is rotated towards the kettlebell
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Step 6: Get On Your Feet
- Remove your non-working hand so you don’t have support anymore
- With your working foot in a full lunge position, push yourself off the ground
- Simultaneously, push your non-working leg upward as well so you’re standing fully
- Make sure as you’re getting up, you keep your back neutral while squeezing your glutes
- Throughout the move, your arm should be over your head, holding the kettlebell
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Step 7: Now Get Back Down
- You’ve just completed one rep
- To descend, reverse each step until you’re back to your starting point
- Then switch to your other hand and repeat every step
*Pro Tip: Make sure you’re wearing the right kind of workout clothes when doing the Turkish kettlebell get ups!
What Do Turkish Get Ups Work?
| Muscle Group | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Core Muscles | Improves stability and posture, essential for daily activities and other exercises. |
| Shoulders | Enhances shoulder stability and strength, beneficial for lifting and carrying tasks. |
| Glutes | Strengthens the glutes, supporting lower back health and improving power in leg movements. |
| Legs (Quadriceps, Hamstrings) | Builds leg strength and endurance, helpful for walking, running, and climbing. |
| Back Muscles | Enhances back strength, contributing to overall spine support and injury prevention. |
5 Benefits of Doing Turkish Kettlebell Get Ups
Here are some of the top benefits of doing Turkish kettlebell get ups:
1. It Promotes Shoulder Mobility
Fitness isn’t just about getting that aesthetic physique – it’s also about building strength, mobility and agility so your body can perform well in the long-run. One of the greatest pros of Turkish kettlebell get ups is that it works the rotator cuffs in your shoulders that make up the foundation of your larger muscle such as delt.
With strong and stable rotator cuffs, you’re able to give a strong base to your delt, especially when you’re hitting shoulder days. In addition, this also lowers your risk of injury, allowing you to lift weights easily.
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2. It Allows Functional Training
Turkish kettlebell get ups aren’t just for mobility, they’re also a major part of functional training. It is important to understand that your hip joints are connected to the opposing shoulders through a muscular sling network. This is what gives you that cross-body, rotation movement.
When you do Turkish kettlebell get ups, you’re training this muscular sling network for strength and agility. This improves your overall rotational strength, keeping you agile for sports and daily chores.
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3. It Protects You from Back Pain
Many gym rats, who look like these big buffs that lift heavy weights can’t do simple stretches – all because they have zero flexibility. In the long-run, this leads to stiffness and even muscular problems.
With Turkish kettlebell get ups, you’re working on your overall physical mobility. This stretches out your upper back and hips, helping you become more flexible. This minimizes lower back injuries and aches as well, keeping you healthy and pain-free.
Moreover, this exercise also strengthens your core. With a strong core, you’re able to brace your abs, which alleviates the pressure off your lower back.
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4. It Improves Your Posture
What makes kettlebell get ups such a dynamic exercise is that it has a plethora of benefits. It not only helps you build strength and become flexible, it also improves your overall posture.
The biggest reason why people have a poor posture is because of shoulder instability (which causes hunching), weak core and slouching hips (because of weak hip flexor). Turkish kettlebell get ups work all your muscles – from your arms, all the way down to your hips – helping you strengthen each muscle. This prevents you from slouching or hunching, giving you an improved posture.
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5. It Gives You a Complete Workout
This isn’t a powerhouse move for no reason – it works multiple muscles and joints at once. From your lats to your shoulders, traps to your glutes, triceps to calves, everything is worked. Not only does it work to build mobility and functionality, it also builds strength, mind-muscle connection and your physical coordination.
For this very reason, Turkish kettlebell get ups are a great pre-workout as well as a cool down exercise to do.
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5 Common Mistakes When Doing Kettlebell Get Ups
Some of the common mistakes people make during this exercise are:
1. Moving Too Quickly
Hasting each movement rather than controlling their steps – if you rush this workout, you’re going to end up with a poor form.
2. Poor Technique
Your arm is at the epicenter of movement during this exercise. If you don’t lock out your arm, you won’t be able to create stability during your move. And this could lead to strains or worse, sprains in your arms.
3. Not Looking at The Kettlebell
Maintaining eye contact with the kettlebell is crucial. If you overlook this, your mind-muscle connection will frizzle out, reducing the efficiency of the exercise. In addition, not looking at the kettlebell will also compromise your body’s coordination. In this way, you won’t be able to develop the balance you want to.
4. Improper Hip Movement
Whether you bend your hips, arch your lower back or don’t lift your hips farther enough from the ground, you’re going to end up with an improper form. Since your hip joints play a massive role in stabilizing your body during this exercise, you’ll end up compromising your whole technique if you don’t lift your hips into a bridge properly.
5. Using Heavy Weight
One mistake many fitness enthusiasts make is overdoing the weights. If you’re a complete beginner or just new to this exercise and lift weights that are too heavy, you won’t be able to perform correctly. Your focus will be on lifting the weights rather than feeling the burn in your muscles.
Key Takeaways
To summarize, kettlebell Turkish get ups are a multi-dimensional workout. They’re not just a means to get your heart rate up – they’re a complete pathway to improving your athletic abilities. Whether you want to get rid of shoulder stiffness or poor posture, this exercise will facilitate every kind of fitness goal you’ve set for yourself.
FAQs
As a beginner, you should always start with light weights. Start from 5 pounds to 10 pounds (2-5kgs) and build your strength all the way up. You don’t need to lift too heavy in the beginning since this exercise is a little complicated to execute. It requires a lot of balance and muscle coordination. So if you’re not agile, it’s best to ditch the heavy weights and focus on the form instead.
Yes, Turkish get ups are absolutely worth it. They are a full body workout, activating multiple muscle groups at once. They’re crucial for developing advanced athletic abilities as they work to provide you with stability, mobility and functionality. They also build your strength and endurance along with physical balance and coordination. This makes them a top-tier exercise to do.
Yes, Turkish get-ups are effective in boosting your athletic performance. This exercise helps you become strong, improve your stability and flexibility. It also builds your functional strength, helping you perform daily tasks effortlessly. By doing Turkish kettlebell get ups, you can improve your overall fitness and eliminate risks of injuries.
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