Last October I introduced the Turkish Get-up and said I was going to find a way to introduce them into my program. Needless to say, I didn’t get round to it.
In the last couple of months, Turkish Get-ups seem to have had a new wave of interest and the following three posts and articles seem particularly useful resources if you want to know how to do this superb total-body exercise.
- Tony Gentilcore introduces us to the concept of a naked get-up. Before your eyebrows shoot all the way past your hairline this is the simple a basic idea of doing it without any weight. In fact, without even holding an empty dumbbell handle. This was the way I first worked out how to do a get-up but for some reason it had never occurred to me that I could leave it without the weight and do it as part of a warm-up routine. Somehow it feels like I’ve got more chance of fitting in a few of these at the start of a workout than fitting in a proper weighted get-up routine.
- Next up, T-Nation did a detailed step-by-step instruction manual for how to do the exercise. I like this because they cover everything. Not just what to do next but what you should be concentrating on which is a big improvement on trying to learn from a video.
- Finally, on Straight to the Bar, an article that uses the Turkish Get-up as the basis for a much larger program. Certainly something to think about, though maybe I should concentrate on just getting some get-up work in there to start with…
I really must find a way to fit these into the program. Perhaps the Naked Get-up would be a good place to start?
Related posts:
Enter the Kettlebell by Tsatsouline mentioned a grappler’s routine where the Turkish Get-up is performed for five minutes straight, switching hands after each rep. Having done this routine myself, I know it to be a tremendous exercise for loosening up the shoulders, building upper back and neck strength, and ELIMINATING rotator cuff pain.
I do this the day before any stressful upper body endeavor, whether it’s sparring, overhead pressing, or even just doing pullups. As a result, I recover from shoulder pain within 24 hours from onset with just those five minutes and a full night’s sleep.
I wouldn’t recommend these as a workout on their own unless they are done with heavy weights and close attention to safety. They are not very effective at building lockout strength or pulling strength, rather they function much better as prehab or rehab for a more comprehensive routine.
Best of luck.
Wow – thanks for this!
It’s ironic (and perfect timing) that you should have commented on this now as I’ve just started having problems with my upper back and shoulders locking up (and generally being too weak for everything else) in the last few days – too many hours spent at the desk job I fear. I shall try this routine when I get home tonight.
Presumably you use very little weight for this since it goes on for 5 uninterrupted minutes? It would be interesting to know what weight you use and how that compares to your usual overhead press numbers.
I currently work with a 24 kg for five minutes, though the weight should be adjusted to ability. For women 12 kg is recommended. To comment on dumbbells, you should be careful working with any dumbbell above 20 kg (44 pounds). During the TGU’s they have a tendency to fall toward the head or body, while the kettlebell has a tendency to fall out to the side.
In my opinion, TGU’s are easier than overhead presses for the shoulder. I have easily managed 32 kg TGU’s and hope to go even heavier over time. If you can press a weight about 3 times per arm, you could probably manage a few TGU’s.
Good form is paramount to avoiding injury, but if you focus on keeping the shoulder locked down into the joint and take your time going through the movements, you should benefit from the drill.
Hindu pushups can be another useful movement for shoulder pain, but make sure to stop them if they increase pain.
Best of luck.
Thanks. That’s all really helpful advice. I’ll see how it goes!