Core · Kettlebell
Turkish Get Up
How to do the turkish get up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
Find more:Abs & Core exercises
See it in motion
How to do it
Hold a dumbbell overhead with one arm. Slowly stand up and lie back down in a controlled motion, keeping the weight stable.
- 1Brace your midsection and keep your torso tight; you should feel deep tension in your abs
- 2Extend the joint under control; you should feel the working muscle contract without locking out
- 3Move deliberately and with control rather than relying on speed or momentum
Common mistakes
- Don't feel pain or strain in unrelated areas; adjust your load or range if you do
- Don't hyperextend or lock out your joints; avoid using momentum to complete the movement
- Don't use momentum or rush through the reps, quality trumps quantity
Muscles worked
The turkish get up works the biceps, triceps, mid chest, lats, lower back, upper abs, lower abs, quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, front delts, forearms, upper traps, and obliques.
- BicepsSupport
- TricepsSupport
- Mid ChestSupport
- LatsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
Kovo programs the turkish get up for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the bicycle crunches
- How to do the cable crunch
- How to do the cable pallof press
- How to do the woodchop
- How to do the captains chair leg raise
Last reviewed April 2026.