The Turkish Get Up is a tricky movement … but it’s one of the foundational kettlebell exercises, and it’s essential that you perfect it if you want to get the most out of your kettlebell training. In the experience I’ve had over the last several thousand kettlebell-based personal training sessions, here are three tips that will help you ‘iron out the kinks’, so to speak:
1. Don’t sit up to start the movement – roll instead
‘Punch’ up towards the ceiling while rolling on to the elbow at the same time to get yourself off the floor. This small detail makes getting up so much easier – and it’s how the exercise is supposed to be performed.
2. Learn the first half first
The best way to learn the Get Up is by learning the first half of the movement; if you try to stand all the way up from day one, you’re going to make things a lot harder on yourself. Just come up to where your down arm is locked out and is supporting your weight, and then return to the ground. You can actually get a lot of milage out of the movement by just practicing the first half; here’s how to perform the half Get Up:
3. Do a sideways Windmill to stand up
As you bring the foot through and go to your lunge position, aim to get your knee close to your hand – then do a sideways Windmill to stand up. Don’t sit back on your hand – this is a very common mistake.
These tips might be a little hard to visualize – see if you can pick out what I’m talking about as I go through the movement in this video:
Apply these Turkish Get Up tips to your kettlebell training today and I know you’ll see some fast improvements. And keep training hard!
P.S. Kettlebells From The Ground Up by Master RKC Brett Jones and world-renowned physical therapist Grey Cook is a fantastic resource if you’re looking to really master the Turkish Get Up and get everything you can out of it – you can check out a recent review I did of the product here:
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