Turkish Get Up for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide

Learning the Turkish get up for beginners is mostly about patience. It is a slow, controlled movement where you go from lying on your back to standing up, and back down again, while holding a weight above you with a straight arm. It looks complicated, but it is really a handful of simple positions joined together.

If you want to know why it is worth learning, read my post on Turkish get up benefits. This guide is the how-to: each stage in order, a no-weight practice drill, the mistakes I see most and a plan to build up safely.

Before you start: the shoe-on-fist drill

Do not start with a kettlebell. Start with a shoe balanced flat on your closed fist. It sounds silly, but it is the best teacher there is. If your arm drifts, wobbles or bends, the shoe falls off. That tells you exactly where your control is missing, with nothing heavy coming down near your face.

• Make a fist, arm straight up towards the ceiling, shoe balanced on top.
• Keep your eyes on the shoe for the first half of the movement.
• Go through every stage below slowly. If the shoe falls, reset and try again.

Once you can do 3 clean reps each side without dropping it, you are ready for a light kettlebell.

Turkish get up step by step

I will describe it with the weight in the right hand. Swap everything for the left side.

1. Starting position

Lie on your back. Bend your right knee with the foot flat on the floor, and keep the left leg straight, out at roughly 45 degrees. Your left arm lies on the floor, also out at about 45 degrees. Press the weight straight up with your right arm, wrist straight, knuckles to the ceiling.

2. Roll to elbow

Push through your right foot and roll up onto your left elbow, as if doing a diagonal sit-up towards your left hand. Keep the right arm vertical and your eyes on the weight. Do not let your left leg lift.

3. Elbow to hand

Push the floor away and come up onto your left hand, straightening that arm. Sit tall through the chest. You should now be sitting with one hand on the floor and the other pointing at the ceiling.

4. High bridge

Drive through your right heel and lift your hips up high, so your body forms a bridge between your left hand, left heel and right foot. Squeeze the glutes. This step makes room for the next one.

5. Leg sweep

Sweep your straight left leg back under your body and place the left knee on the floor, roughly in line with your left hand. You are now in a kneeling position with three points of contact: left hand, left knee, right foot.

6. Windmill to tall kneeling

Lift your torso up so the left hand comes off the floor and your chest is upright. Turn your back foot so the shin lines up with your front foot, giving you a half-kneeling lunge position. Now you can look forward instead of at the weight.

7. Stand up

Drive through the front foot and stand up, like the top of a lunge, keeping the arm locked overhead.

8. Reverse it

Now do every step backwards with the same control: step back into a half kneel, hand down, leg sweeps through, hips down, onto the elbow, then onto your back. The descent is where most of the control is built, so do not rush it.

Common Turkish get up mistakes

• Bent elbow or wrist: the arm holding the weight must stay locked straight with the wrist neutral. A bent wrist is uncomfortable and unstable.
• Taking your eyes off the weight too early: watch it until you are in the half-kneeling position.
• Rushing: this is not a speed exercise. One rep each side should take around 30-60 seconds.
• Low hip bridge: if the hips do not lift high enough, there is no room to sweep the leg through, and people end up twisting awkwardly.
• Arm drifting: the weight should stay roughly stacked over the shoulder, not floating forward or behind you.
• Going too heavy: technique breaks down quickly. Stay light until every stage feels solid.

What weight to use

After the shoe drill, start with a light kettlebell. For many women that means 4-8kg, and for many men 8-12kg, but go lighter if any stage feels shaky. The weight should feel easy to hold overhead with a straight arm for a full minute.

Hold a kettlebell handle diagonally across the palm, bell resting on the back of your forearm. A dumbbell works too.

If holding a weight overhead is uncomfortable, work on your shoulder mobility first. The drills in my mobility exercises for beginners guide are a good place to start, and anyone with a shoulder injury should check with their GP or physio before loading the movement.

A simple plan to build up

• Week 1-2: shoe-on-fist, 3 reps each side, 2-3 times a week. Practise the first three steps only if the full movement feels overwhelming.
• Week 3-4: light kettlebell, 2-3 reps each side. Stop each rep at the half-kneeling position and reverse back down.
• Week 5-6: full get ups to standing, 3 reps each side.
• After that: build up slowly, either adding reps or moving up to the next kettlebell when 5 clean reps each side feel controlled.

The get up works well as part of a warm-up, or as a strength and core training exercise at the start of a session while you are fresh. It pairs nicely with the moves in my kettlebell workout for beginners, such as kettlebell swings and loaded carries.

Turkish get up muscles worked

Almost everything does something, which is part of the appeal.

• Shoulders and upper back: hold the weight steady overhead throughout.
• Core: the obliques and abs drive the roll and keep you stable through each position.
• Glutes and legs: power the bridge, the lunge and the stand.
• Hips: move through rotation and kneeling positions you rarely train elsewhere.

Want help with this? The Turkish get up is one of my favourite exercises for busy professionals over 30, because it builds strength, shoulder control and coordination all in one movement. It is much easier to learn with someone watching each stage. If you would like hands-on coaching, Book a free consultation or read about working with a personal trainer in Highgate.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Turkish get up good for beginners?

Yes, as long as you start without weight. The shoe-on-fist drill lets you learn every position safely, and each stage is simple on its own. It teaches body control, shoulder stability and core strength that carry over to most other training. Build up slowly and only add a kettlebell once each step feels steady and controlled.

How many Turkish get ups should a beginner do?

Start with 2-3 slow reps on each side, two or three times a week. Each rep should take 30-60 seconds, so this is plenty. As your technique improves, build to 5 reps each side before moving up in weight. Quality matters far more than volume with this exercise, so stop the set if your form starts slipping.

What muscles does the Turkish get up work?

It works the shoulders and upper back to hold the weight overhead, the core and obliques to roll and stabilise, and the glutes and legs to bridge, lunge and stand. It also trains the hips through rotation and kneeling positions. Because so many muscles work together, it is often called one of the best full body exercises.

Should I look at the weight during a Turkish get up?

Yes, for the first half. Keep your eyes on the kettlebell or shoe from the start position until you reach the half-kneeling lunge. Watching it helps keep your arm vertical and stops it drifting. Once you are kneeling upright, look straight ahead as you stand, then look back up at it as you return to the floor.

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