02/05/2026
Turkish Get-up
Say Turkish Get-up and people start shaking in fear. But, in reality it's just getting up off the ground under load - something I think we should all be able to do.
A lot of fitness pros these days will say it's just a circus trick. It's a demonstration of strength but not an effective way to develop strength.
Legend has it, that back in the old days if you wanted to be a strong man or weight lifter, you had to apprentice - like you would to become a carpenter or electrician. But before you could even apprentice, you had to be able to do a TGU with 100 pounds. Now, I have no way of knowing if that is true or not, but if you can get up off the ground with 100 pounds in your hand you are pretty strong already.
So is it a circus trick or is it a useful way to develop strength and mobility? I believe it can be both. I practice them regularly as part of my core work.
All that being said, in the real world, I imagine most people are going to stand up, then pick up whatever load they have to carry.
And speaking of circus tricks... Here is an old clip from the Ed Sullivan Show of a dude doing a perfect TGU with another full grown man.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vhIpVVzHWyc&list=RDvhIpVVzHWyc
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