The Turkish Get-Up Is Awesome

We highly rate the Turkish Get-Up. Why wouldn’t you?

As we dissect the movement pattern, it clearly demonstrates the following:

Shoulder stability:

The first cue we suggest is “…keep shoulders pulled down away from your ears.” By keeping the shoulders down and “packed”, this engages the lats and keeps the shoulder joint stable. This can be done by taking a person’s wrist and gently pulling their shoulder until it is protracted. Then ask the person to "tuck the shoulder blade of the arm into the back pocket of the opposite hip”. This verbal cue helps engage the lats and the shoulder is packed into a safe and strong position. Once this is mastered, a one arm lockout is used to press the weight. 

Thoracic spine mobility:

The thoracic spine is one of the key parts of the human body when it comes to movement from the waist up. A sedentary lifestyle of being in prolonged periods of sitting can make the thoracic spine a little less mobile and mobility is needed for the TGU. A focus on driving forward from the sternum to create a long feeling in the chest is needed and can prevent a flexed thoracic spine (slouching). This movement can be used in the correction of poor posture and kyphosis.

Hip extension:

The hip extension has long been one of our favourite drills. The ideal hip 'bridge' would require strong glutes to drive both hips upwards whilst keeping hips level. Complexity of this move is made even greater by having a weight. It’s important to note, extension of the lumbar spine as a compensation for poor hip extension must always be avoided.

These are by no means the complete benefits of the TGU, just some of our favourite and must common applications. 

Stay strong! 

Dani, Andrew and Julie.