Physical Subculture

Let’s review a standard exercise here at Bodytribe, and well known amongst modern physical culturalists: 

The Turkish Get Up
 

Another Bodytribe favorite, the turkish getup turns what looks like a simple task into a fun challenge.  It is a deceptively difficult lift that keeps us young.  It is easy to adulticize this lift by thinking about it too much, but imagine being a 6-year old child when trying this.  Don’t think, just do.  Just grab a weight, lie down, and get up.  Everyone has individual techniques on this one, and that is fine.  Here are our suggestions:
 

• Any tool will do (we’ve used everything from buckets of rocks to small children, and I’m not kidding)
  
• Start from the ground with the weight straight out in front of you. Keep looking up at the weight throughout the exercise.
  
• With the leg on the same side as the weight, drive up onto the opposite hip (yep, you can use your free arm to help out)
  
• Tuck the opposite foot under the hips (notice the twist of the trunk, not unlike a windmill.  This is important, or the weight will fall forward)
  
• Come up onto the knee
  
• Stand up
  
• Reverse on the way down, still looking up at the weight (you know where the ground is, you don’t have to look at it).
  

By the way, in most ‘health clubs’ you are going to get funny looks doing this exercise.  Just say something like ‘nothing tones the lower abs more’ and watch how many people will be trying it the next day.