Tone Your Entire Body With The Amazing Turkish Get-Up
Shirin is a health and wellness writer with three years of experience and specializes in writing articles on yoga and has extensive knowledge about the postures of the asanas. Prior to joining Stylecraze, she interned with an advertising firm as a copywriter and as an editorial intern for a luxury fashion magazine.
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The hustle and bustle of our daily lives makes it close to impossible to incorporate exercise in our daily routine. Exercise is definitely more important than that urgent presentation at work. It is really not so hard to add a little workout to your daily schedule. We’re hoping that reading about the immense benefits of the Turkish get-up serves as the right amount of motivation. Imagine toning your entire body with this one move – a move that works on your flexibility, strength, and mobility. It challenges your entire body to work together. Listen up all you couch warmers, this one’s for you.
This exercise is originally done with a kettlebell, but you could also use a sandbag, a water bottle, or a dumbbell. If you are a beginner, it is best you perfect the technique before you use a weight, as the weight will hamper you from getting it right. Once you have mastered the technique, you can use the weights, and then slowly increase them as you get better at it. It is extremely important to keep the arm holding the weight fully extended above the shoulder, all throughout, except when you are lying down. In all your movements, stretch yourself as much as you can for best results.
Make sure you do this exercise very slowly, else you might injure yourself. Also, consult with your trainer before you use heavy weights. Be fully aware of each motion, and take deep breaths while you work out.
[ Recommended Read: 16 Simple Exercises to Reduce Belly Fat ]
Well, if you are all set, let’s see what a single Turkish get-up will do to your body:
- It will increase your shoulder mobility.
- It will stabilize your shoulder.
- It will stabilize your hips.
- It will induce thoracic rotation and extension.
- Your body will be more stable, owing to the squat and lunge positions.
- It will enhance the linear and rotary stability.
- It will strengthen your muscles.
- You will be able to link the movement created by extremities to the rest of your body.
- It will help create a link between the upper and lower body, because of the different planes and angles of the weight that you use.
If you get this exercise right, it has immense aesthetic quality and wonderful movements. Let us now look at the steps involved in perfecting this very important move.
How To Do The Turkish Get-Up?
Step 1
Lie down on the floor in the fetal position. Hold it for about 30 seconds while preparing yourself for the workout. Straighten your body, and raise your left arm such that it is perpendicular to the ground. If you are using a weight, it shall be in this arm. Bend your right leg, while your left leg lies straight on the floor. Place your left arm at a 45-degree angle to your body.
Step 2
Push yourself up using your left elbow. Keep your eyes fixed on the weight, or the extended arm, at all times.
[ Recommended Read: Best Daily Exercises for Women – Our Top 10 ]
Step 3
Push further, such that you lift your body while extending your hips upwards facing the sky. Refer to the cover picture for this movement.
Step 4
In a swift movement, bring your left leg under your body and bend it, such that your body weight is on your left knee, left hand, and your right foot.
Step 5
Bring your body to a kneeling position by pushing your left hand.
Step 6
Finish the exercise by coming to a standing position with the weight you are using extended out by your right hand.
One set of exercise will be complete when you do all the steps backward and return to the fetal position. Shift the kettlebell, or weight, if you are using any, to the left arm, and repeat. For starters, it is best to do three sets with each arm. Take at least a minute’s rest between each set.
[ Recommended Read: 10 Best Exercises to Lift Breasts Naturally ]
Things To Remember While You Exercise
- Your elbow must be locked at all times.
- Your gaze must stay locked on the weight through the workout.
- Concentrate on each position, and take your time while you change each movement.
That wasn’t too hard now, was it? What are you waiting for? It is time to tone your body, and strengthen your muscles now!
To make sure you are doing each step right take a look at this video before you try out this move:
Image Credit: www.shutterstock.com, www.youtube.com
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