Turkish Get-Up (Dumbbell)
Floor-to-stand sequence performed with one dumbbell locked out overhead through every transition.
How to do it
- Lie on your back with one dumbbell pressed straight up and the same-side knee bent, foot flat.
- Extend the free arm on the floor at about 45 degrees and keep eyes on the dumbbell.
- Roll onto the free elbow, then post onto that hand while the overhead arm stays locked.
- Bridge the hips, sweep the straight leg back to a half-kneeling stance, and lift the posted hand.
- Stand up from the lunge without letting the dumbbell drift off the shoulder stack.
- Reverse every step to the floor, then switch sides on the next set.
Key technique cue
Keep the arm vertical with a locked elbow, eyes on the dumbbell.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Bending the overhead elbow or letting the load drift forward of the shoulder.
- ✕ Rushing the roll and losing the packed shoulder before the hand posts.
- ✕ Skipping the hip bridge and dragging the trailing leg through instead of sweeping it.
- ✕ Looking away from the dumbbell so the spine rounds during the stand.
Benefits
- ✓ Links shoulder stability, hip mobility, and trunk control in one continuous sequence.
- ✓ Gives coaches a floor-to-stand teaching sequence that works with a dumbbell, not only a kettlebell.
- ✓ Exposes left-right differences in mobility and overhead control that isolated lifts miss.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Turkish Get-Up (Dumbbell)
- Turkish Get-Up
About the exercise
The Turkish get-up is a scripted path from lying to standing and back, not a single-joint rep. It can be loaded with a dumbbell as well as a kettlebell, and the overhead arm stays extended while the body rolls to the elbow, posts to the hand, bridges, sweeps to half kneeling, and stands. The shoulder girdle holds the load; the obliques and deep trunk keep the spine quiet; the glutes and hamstrings drive the bridge and the stand. A dumbbell is a valid odd-object load for the same sequence.
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