How to do a Turkish Get Up
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Turkish Get Up
Instructions for Proper Form
Turkish Get Up is a complex, compound exercise that improves overall strength and stability throughout the body. This movement primarily targets the shoulders, core, and legs, involving a series of coordinated steps to move from lying to standing while holding a weight overhead. The exercise enhances muscle control, mobility, and balance, making it particularly effective for functional strength and injury prevention.
- Lie flat on your back while extending your left leg and bending your right knee to place your foot flat on the ground.
- Extend your right arm over your shoulder and your left arm should be extended on the floor, palms down, about 45 degrees from your torso.
- Roll onto your left elbow and then your hand to sit upright keeping your right fist over your shoulder.
- Lift your hips off the ground before swinging your leg underneath your hips. Lift your hand off the ground to position yourself in a tall half-kneeling position.
- Stand upright before duplicating the path you came up with.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Turkish Get Up standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps20lbs1 Rep Max25lbs
- intermediate8reps22.5lbs30lbs
- advanced8reps25lbs30lbs
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Alternative Exercises to Turkish Get Up
1. Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press
86 mSCORESWAPPED 4,100 TIMESStanding Dumbbell Shoulder Press is a variation on the more standard Shoulder Press. Like other Shoulder Press variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your shoulders. By using dumbbells, you add more instability to the movement which can help recruit smaller stabilizing muscles around your shoulder. In addition, by performing this exercise while standing you add even more instability.
2. Dumbbell Front Raise
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 4,038 TIMESDumbbell Front Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, more specifically the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder). This is a very common shoulder exercise, and can work well to isolate the shoulders to build strength and muscle mass. By using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
3. Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise
94.7 mSCORESWAPPED 3,707 TIMESDumbbell Rear Delt Raise is a variation of Dumbbell Shoulder Raise. Similar to other shoulder raises, this is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. By hinging your hips back, and leaning forward slightly, you can further emphasize your rear deltoids (back of the shoulder).
4. Arnold Dumbbell Press
93.2 mSCORESWAPPED 3,414 TIMESArnold Dumbbell Press is a compound movement that primarily targets the shoulders. The difference between the Arnold Press and a standard Shoulder Press is that you bring the dumbbells in front of you at the bottom of the movement rather than stopping when they reach your shoulders. Bringing the dumbbells in front of you can be more a comfortable movement as well as improve muscle activation.
5. Cable Lateral Raise
97.7 mSCORESWAPPED 3,188 TIMESCable Lateral Raise is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Shoulder Raise. Similar to the Dumbbell Shoulder Raise, this isolation exercise primarily targets the shoulders, and more specifically the medial deltoid (middle of the shoulder). By using a cable machine, you have more control over the direction your resistance is coming from, and can easily make adjustments. In addition, by isolating each side of the body, you can more easily identify and address strength imbalances between sides.
- Beginner
- Shoulders
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable
6. Cable Face Pull
96 mSCORESWAPPED 2,933 TIMESCable Face Pull is a compound exercise that primarily targets your shoulders, more specifically your posterior deltoids (back of the shoulder). By using a cable machine, you have more control over where the resistance is coming from, and can easily make adjustments by either moving towards or away from the cable machine, or by adjusting the height of the pulley.
- Intermediate
- Shoulders
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable
7. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
99.5 mSCORESWAPPED 2,920 TIMESDumbbell Shoulder Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for slightly more instability than with equipment like barbells. This can help you recruit and develop stabilizing muscles around the shoulders. In addition, by using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
8. Dumbbell Shoulder Raise
97.8 mSCORESWAPPED 2,693 TIMESDumbbell Shoulder Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, more specifically the medial deltoid (middle of the shoulder). This is a very common shoulder exercise and can work well for building muscle mass and strengthening the shoulders. By using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
9. Dumbbell Back Fly
93.6 mSCORESWAPPED 2,300 TIMESDumbbell Back Fly is an isolation exercise that primarily targets your shoulder, more specifically your posterior deltoid (back of the shoulder). It’s most closely related to a shoulder raise, with the main difference being that you’re leaning forward into an incline bench. This position allows you to better isolate the back of your shoulder. In addition, the incline bench adds more stability than some other variations.
10. Kettlebell Upright Row
75.4 mSCORESWAPPED 2,077 TIMESKettlebell Upright Row is a variation on the more standard Upright Row. This compound exercise primarily targets your shoulders. The benefit to using a Kettlebell is the ability to pull the handle in opposite directions at the top of the movement. This can help improve muscle activation compared to other variations.
- Beginner
- Shoulders
- Kettlebells