Squat Style Kettlebell Turkish Get Up

In SetGrip: Kettlebell Turkish Get Up (Squat Style)

Secondary muscles
Quads, Hamstrings, Abs
Body part
Upper Legs
Position
Transitional
Laterality
Unilateral (one side at a time)
Category
Strength

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Instead of sweeping a leg back into the lunge, the squat-style get-up pulls both feet under you and stands straight up out of the bottom, replacing the classic half-kneeling windmill with a deep single-bell squat. It asks noticeably more of ankle and hip range than the lunge style, which is exactly why some lifters choose it.

How to do the Squat Style Kettlebell Turkish Get Up

  1. Start by lying on your back with your legs extended and the kettlebell held in your right hand, arm fully extended above your shoulder.
  2. Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the ground, keeping your left leg extended.
  3. Pressing through your right foot, lift your hips off the ground, coming into a bridge position.
  4. Slide your left leg underneath your body, bending your left knee and placing your left foot flat on the ground.
  5. Rotate your torso to the left, bringing your left hand to the ground for support.
  6. Pressing through your right foot and left hand, lift your torso off the ground, coming into a kneeling position.
  7. From the kneeling position, stand up, keeping the kettlebell extended overhead.
  8. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
  9. Repeat the exercise on the other side, starting with the kettlebell in your left hand.

Tip: Take a full breath in each position and move only when the weight is still.

Muscles worked

Primary

Glutes · Legs

The glutes drive the hip bridge and the stand, and they should be squeezed hard in the bridge position.

Secondary

  • Quads
  • Hamstrings
  • Abs — The obliques and abs work through the roll to the elbow and the sit-up portion, and they brace the trunk in every position after that.

Common mistakes

  • Eyes off the bell — watch the weight through every position until you are standing, since that is what keeps it stacked over the shoulder.
  • Rushing the steps — a get-up is a series of positions, so pause in each one and make sure the arm is locked and the weight steady before moving on.
  • Bending the working arm — the elbow stays locked from the first press to the last lowering, and if it bends, the weight is too heavy.
  • Skipping the bodyweight version — own the movement with no weight or a shoe balanced on the fist before using a kettlebell.

Where it fits in a workout

Get-ups go in the warm-up or at the start of a session as a skill and stability movement, before heavy lifting. Pair one get-up per side with a set of swings using the same bell.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.