MOVE OF THE WEEK

By now I have managed to see most of you this week. So most of you have had the joy of experiencing the wonders of The Turkish Get Up. (TGU)

I was involved in the marketing for the Kick!t program with Virgin Active, and they used me in demonstrating a series of exercises. These are some of the pics from that shoot. Please understand that this is a very simplified version of the TGU. There are obviously plenty of small nuances involved in the movement, but this is a simple version that should make it accessible to more of the 'common folk' :-)

The main point in this, is to never take your eye off the weight (or in this example, your hand) By keeping your eye line to the ceiling, you make sure your core is activated all the time, and your shoulder girdle is in the right position.

Start with one arm up and the same side leg bent,
shoulders flat on the ground  

Use your abs to squeeze up onto your left,
 (in this example) forearm

Give those abs an extra squueze,
and lift onto your left hand

Transfer your weight into your right heel, and
 pick up your left foot 

Flick your left leg under your body and
 plant your left knee on the floor

Use your abs to squeeze up to an upright position

Drive through your right heel to a standing position

Repeat the same steps, in reverse, to go back to your next starting point. Try your best not to drop the weight down as you come back to a lying position.