The Get-Up is possibly the best exercise ever invented. The exercise is valuable for men and women – both athletes and general fitness enthusiasts – and has gained recognition as a comprehensive test of overall fitness and movement quality. The Get-Up also gives you a more attractive-looking body.
Below, I show you how to do a Get-Up properly and explain what it can do for your physique and why. I’ve included a video that should also prove helpful.
This Can Be You, No Matter What Your Age
Imagine transforming your body into a well-oiled machine, capable of tackling any physical challenge life throws your way.
Picture yourself moving with the grace of a dancer, the strength of a weightlifter, and the endurance of a marathoner – all rolled into one.
This isn’t a fantasy; it’s the reality of mastering the Turkish Get-Up.
This ancient exercise, once a test of strength for Ottoman warriors, has become the secret weapon of modern fitness enthusiasts. It’s not just an exercise; it’s a full-body revolution that promises to sculpt your physique, boost your functional fitness, and maybe even turn a few heads at the gym.
Ready to unlock your body’s true potential?
A study by Melo et al. (2023) synthesized various research findings, establishing that dynamic kettlebell exercises, including the Turkish Get-Up, significantly enhance strength, power, and muscular endurance among athletes.
The Get-Up Exercise Makes You Functionally Fit
The Get-Up is a highly regarded movement for many athletes because it helps make you functionally fit.
“Functionally fit“ goes beyond the conventional notion of fitness that’s focused solely on aesthetics or isolated physical attributes.
Functional fitness is the ability to perform real-world activities and daily tasks with ease, strength, and efficiency.
To be functionally fit means having a well-rounded physical capacity that enables you to handle life’s various physical demands, without undue fatigue or risk of injury.
What The Get Up Will Do For Your Body
The Get-Up helps develop all your muscles so you can lift, push, pull, and carry objects – not just at the gym but in real life.
It will also enhance your endurance to sustain physical activity over time, an essential component of overall health.
The Get-Up improves your flexibility to move through a full range of motion, improving your posture and helping prevent future injuries.
It builds upon your balance and coordination skills for stability in various positions, which is especially crucial for adults over 45.
The Get-Up gives you the power to exert force quickly when needed and develops your confidence.
Finally, it strengthens your cardiovascular fitness for efficient oxygen utilization, which is vital if you want a longer lifespan of quality, active years.
Why The Get-Up Is My Favorite Exercise
Since doing the Get-Up exercise consistently, I have improved my shoulder mobility, which is vital because my work involves spending so much time on a computer keyboard.
The Get-Up has also given me better body awareness and coordination, which in turn, helps all of my other workouts and exercises.
Perhaps best of all, though, is that the Get-Up has built up my core strength, including my glutes, which protect my lower back.
The exercise is scalable for different fitness levels, and it mimics real-life movements of getting up from the ground.
Here in this video, I’m showing you three variations of this exercise:
• Level 1: no weight
• Level 2: balance a shoe
• Level 3: holding a heavy kettlebell
What Will Happen To Your Body When You Do The Get-Up Regularly
Here are the visual signs that the Get-Up exercise is working well for you and helping you become functionally fit:
You’ll find yourself moving with more grace and fluidity – whether walking, climbing stairs, or performing more complex movements. Moving just seems to become more effortless when you’re not in the gym.
You’ll experience proper alignment of the spine and limbs, both while standing and in motion, indicating strong core muscles and overall body awareness. Because your posture will improve, you’ll simply look better to others.
While not necessarily bulky, your new functionally fit body will have more visible muscle tone, especially in the arms, legs, and core. You’ll appear leaner and stronger.
You’ll see a balanced development of muscles across your body, rather than overdevelopment in some areas and underdevelopment in others. Do not underestimate the power of symmetry!
Even during physical exertion, your breathing will remain controlled without becoming excessively labored. This is a sign that your body is becoming more efficient.
After physical effort, your heart rate and breathing will return to normal relatively quickly. This is a sign of quick recovery and an indicator of health.
You’ll recognize within yourself the ability to maintain balance and control during all kinds of activities, from standing on one leg to performing complex exercises. This is known as stability of movement.
When performing other tasks, you’ll rely less on awkward adjustments or overcompensations to complete the movement. That’s because the Get-Up teaches you about your own body and how to use the right muscles for the right task.
You’ll probably begin to notice that you have higher energy levels and mental alertness. This will impact your demeanor and expression in a positive way. Even your skin quality will appear more youthful because of improved circulation.
Remember, functional fitness is about overall capability (rather than only adhering to specific aesthetic standards).
As a functionally fit person, you might not look like a pro bodybuilder or a top marathon runner, but you’ll demonstrate a well-rounded physical competence that serves you very well in daily life.
Best Exercise Ever: Conclusion on the Turkish Get-Up
The Turkish Get-Up is a complex, full-body kettlebell exercise that originated in the ancient Ottoman Empire. It involves moving from a lying position on the floor to a standing position while holding a kettlebell overhead with one arm.
It has become popular as a sort of litmus test for functional exercise, probably because it incorporates multiple movement patterns and planes of motion – and once you get the hang of it, it’s fun to do, but also always challenging.
The Get-Up requires strength, stability, and mobility throughout the entire body and highlights asymmetries or weaknesses in your kinetic chain so they can be fixed.
Your results will be exponential if you combine consistently performed functional fitness exercises like the Get-Up with an anti-inflammatory lifestyle diet.
I encourage you to ask your medical doctor before beginning any significant changes in how you move or eat. Furthermore, it can be very helpful to seek the wisdom of a professional trainer, coach, or physical therapist to help you learn complex new movements correctly.