Hey, it’s Jennifer. Today I want to talk about a great exercise for working on shoulder stability and how to break it down into manageable chunks.

So maybe you’ve heard of the Turkish get-up. For this exercise, we need a kettlebell or a dumbbell or something like that. You’re starting on your back, with a bend in the same leg as the arm that has the weight. And basically stand up from there in different stages. That whole thing can be kind of daunting and time consuming.

So one way I like to work on these is to break it up into smaller bites. And it can be a little more efficient, if you’re trying to keep your heart rate up with a fast paced workout. It’s also just easier to remember what the heck you’re doing if remembering all of those steps is a little tricky.

So the first phase that I find really useful for shoulder stability work is that first sit-up. You’re gonna have your arm vertical with your weight or your kettlebell. Also, if you try this for the first time, use something super light. Something that’s not going to be a problem if your arm goes all wonky, while you’re trying to think about what’s coming next. So don’t start with something heavy and challenging. Okay, so arm is vertical, with the same leg bent. The other leg is straight out, and the other arm is straight out. And you’re going to push up onto your elbow, keeping your arm vertical. And then lay back down.

So this is working your core, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re doing weighted sit-ups. If you feel like that, push more off of your foot and off of your arm. And just repeat, back and forth.

The other phase that I find really useful is going from a half-kneeling position, with your arm supporting you, to vertical. So you’re getting some stability work with your arm basically out to the side, and then overhead. But for you, you’re just thinking about keeping that arm pointing straight up at the ceiling the whole time. And going back and forth.

So that’s a more manageable way to approach shoulder stability through the Turkish get-up. If you’ve tried Turkish get-ups before and have a tough time remembering the sequence or you just want to try something new. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes