When you see someone perform a Turkish Get Up, it looks simple enough: lie down, stand up with a weight overhead. But dig deeper—and you’ll find it’s a master class in mobility, stability, coordination, and strength. It’s not about the leg drive alone, or the arm press alone—it’s about the chain of movement.
Why This Matters Especially After 40+
For busy adults 40 and beyond—balancing careers, family, life—it’s not just about lifting heavy for aesthetics. It’s about functional strength:
Being able to get up off the floor without strain or fear.
Maintaining shoulder integrity, core stability, hip mobility.
Bridging the gap between everyday movement (standing, reaching, lifting) and athletic-style movement (trail riding, lifting the grandkids, doing the weekend warrior thing).
When you integrate the TGU into your routine, you’re training resilience. You’re training your body to move well under load, not just look good.
What the Reel Is Saying: The Real Goal
“The goal of the Turkish get up isn’t really to get up off the floor.” Instagram
This flips the script: the getting up is just the visible result. The true work is in:
Keeping the weight overhead with control.
Maintaining tension through the entire chain (foot, glute, hip, core, shoulder, arm).
Transitioning through positions (lying → sitting → kneeling → standing) without collapse, without compensation.
Training your nervous system to coordinate complex movement, not just brute force.
How To Use This In Your Routine, Now
Choose a manageable weight — this is about control and coordination, not ego.
Break the movement into segments: floor roll-to-elbow → sit → kneel → stand.
Focus on the overhead arm: keep it locked, tracking the weight, no drifting.
Mind the transitions: each step gives feedback—are you stable, smooth, controlled? If you’re shaky, stop, reset, refine.
End with the reverse: stand → reverse back to lying with control. That descent is just as telling as the ascent.
Frequency over volume: For 40+ busy adults, 2–3 sets of 3–5 reps per side, one or two sessions a week, makes meaningful change.
Final Word
In your world at Results Based Coaching (RBC)—where the goal is mobility, function, long-term vitality—the Turkish Get-Up is a perfect tool. It says: “We train you to move well under load. We train you to stand up strong. We train you to live strong decades beyond the gym.”
Because it’s never just about getting up. It’s about how you stand up—with integrity, mobility, strength, and purpose.
