Some of the best resistance training exercises require lower body strength and balancing, like the Turkish get-up. The Turkish get-up is a favorite of many bodybuilders, powerlifters, and athletes due to the many benefits. Plus, you get to look somewhat graceful, almost like you’re doing an elaborate dance or yoga pose while lifting a heavy weight up over your head.
Yoga fans like myself tend to like these types of strength training movements that add variety to your routine while fine-tuning your flexibility. Researchers reveal that this unique resistance training exercise fosters joint mobility and flexibility and enhances full-body strength, balance, performance, and posture.
Let’s look at the benefits of the Turkish get-up and why this move is worth trying. We also asked the dedicated endurance athlete and performance coach Mike Aidala to share his fitness tips after smashing the world record for the heaviest Turkish get-up with a whopping 255 lbs. Yes, you read that right.
What is the Turkish get-up?
The Turkish get-up is a total-body resistance training exercise where you go from lying on the floor on your back to standing up straight while holding a weight over your head at full extension. You hold the weight with one arm, and you can perform this move using a dumbbell, kettlebell, or barbell.
You’re technically powering through multiple moves in one, including bridging your hips up like the glute bridge and performing a lunge while also trying to balance the weight above your head with one arm and bringing yourself from the floor to a standing position. If it sounds like a lot in one go, that’s because this move is a balancing act that’s a little more complex and challenging for many people compared to other weightlifting exercises like the classic deadlift.
What are the benefits of the Turkish Get-up?
Research shows this functional exercise promotes spinal stability and unilateral shoulder stability. You’ll also train many of the muscle groups in your upper and lower body, including the deltoids in your shoulders, forearms, lats in your back, triceps, core, hip flexors, and glutes.
The following are some of the many benefits of the Turkish get-up:
- Boost full-body strength and overall athletic performance.
- Improve your posture and flexibility.
- Improve your balance and coordination.
- Engage multiple muscle groups at the same time.
The heaviest single-rep Turkish get-up
Some humans can accomplish incredible feats of strength and athleticism, and one of those is Mike Aidala. On February 22nd, 2025, Aidala broke the Guinness World Record for the Heaviest Single Repetition Turkish Get-up at 255 lbs. Aidala lifted 55 lbs more than the previous record to raise awareness and funds for veteran mental health — a cause that’s close to his heart. The official partner of his world record challenge is Mission 22 — a non-profit organization focused on providing critical mental health services to veterans.
Months of intense training led Mike Aidala to this point, and we want to know more about how he trained and prepared his body to shatter that world record. Previously, the Colorado-based endurance athlete and performance coach lifted a total of 15,000 pounds in one hour, which is impressive, to say the least. Just six months ago, he also completed the Leadville 100-mile mountain bike race and the 100-mile trail run, shifting from extreme endurance events to extreme strength training.
Interview with world record holder Mike Aidala
The Manual: When did you first start resistance training, and why?
Mike Aidala: I first started resistance training when I was 14 years old because I wanted to get stronger for football in school and quickly enjoyed the way my body grew stronger.
TM: What do you feel are the biggest benefits of weightlifting?
Mike Aidala: Of course, there are physical benefits to weightlifting and getting your body stronger to fight disease and enjoy the physical world we live in, but I really enjoy the mental, social, and emotional benefits of weightlifting. I can train with my friends or community members, push myself to lift heavier weights or new weights, and learn how to connect deeper with myself while building strength. I can then take that new connection; it helps my relationships, business, and connection with the world outside the gym.
TM: When did you decide you would try to break the world record, and why do you think the idea came to you?
Mike Aidala: I decided around Christmas time. I saw the record on Instagram was at 177 lbs, and I knew I would beat that, but the next time I checked, it was 200 lbs, and I was fairly confident I could beat that. I applied to Guinness, and my attempt application was accepted for February 22.
TM: Why the Turkish get-up? What are the benefits of this exercise?
Mike Aidala: I love the mental and physical challenge of the Turkish get-up. It’s widely considered one of the most difficult full-body exercises in the gym because you need to move your body in a complex way through multiple planes of motion, starting on your back to standing with the weight overhead and then back down to your back with control. I have enjoyed the exercise for a while, and the focus and attention to detail it requires, you can not just brute force your way through the movement.
TM: Do you feel the Turkish Get-up is more or less challenging than other heavy-lifting exercises like deadlifts or the Military press?
Mike Aidala: I believe they are all challenging, but I will say it this way: If you can do a Turkish get-up, you can do a deadlift or military press or, frankly, any gym lifts. However, just because you can do a deadlift or bench press does not mean you will be able to do a Turkish get-up.
TM: How long did it take you to train specifically for the Turkish Get-up world record?
Mike Aidala: 2.5 months. Six months ago, I finished some of the hardest ultra-endurance events in the world during back-to-back weekends. The Leadville 100-mile mountain bike race and the Leadville 100-mile trail run the following weekend, which occurs in Leadville, CO, at over 10,000 ft above sea level. I wanted to switch up my training and focus on strength.
TM: Could you share your top fitness tips and how you exercised and trained your body to shatter this world record? What did an average week of training look like? For example, could you give us an idea of the type of exercises you were training and roughly how many weekly sets and reps?
Mike Aidala: I was focusing on building overall strength with front squats, zercher squats, lunges, overhead pressing, farmers’ carries, yoke walks, and practicing the skill of the get-up. I would train 4x a week and often work up to a heavy single for the day and then back off at 80-90% of that for max reps. I trained the get up 1-2x per week to see my progress and where I was.
TM: You lifted a whopping 55 pounds heavier than the previous record. How did you fuel your body with nutrition and hydration to accomplish such an impressive feat of physical strength and athleticism?
Mike Aidala: I ate a lot of whole foods and protein, including chicken, steak, seafood, and lots of carbs, to fuel training sessions and recovery.
TM: Just six months ago, you completed the Leadville 100-mile mountain bike race and the 100-mile trail run. How do you make the switch from extreme endurance and cardio to extreme strength training?
Mike Aidala: It was tough at first because my body was very endurance fit, but I was the weakest I had ever been since high school. At first, my body did not have that “oomph” to push the weights heavy and keep the tension to move heavy weights. I did not rush the process but ate enough to recover and focused on making incremental progress each workout. I think the endurance helped me over time because after a few months I was able to lift lifetime personal bests.
TM: Why do you feel both endurance/cardio exercises and strength training are important in a well-rounded workout routine?
Mike Aidala: Your body has two main energy sources, aerobic and anaerobic, and depending on your goals, it’s positive to train them both. I am a guy who likes to explore the extremes, but I will say no one on earth wishes they were weaker.
TM: As a performance coach, have you witnessed and helped people make drastic fitness transformations over time? What are your top three tips for improving athletic performance?
Mike Aidala:
- Find a goal you are really passionate about and internally motivated to achieve. That will help you keep going when the times are tough. When I didn’t want to train for this record I kept thinking about the veterans who I was supporting and it helped me get to the gym.
- Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your mission.
- Talk about it to your friends and family. So often, folks are nervous to discuss their big goals. What if I fail? I would encourage you to think about the opposite. How will it feel to win and cross the finish line or lift the weight?
TM: We’re happy to see your efforts and hard work have helped to raise funds and awareness for Mission 22 — the non-profit organization providing mental health resources to veterans. You had previously shared how strength training helped you build your inner strength and fortitude and that breaking the world record is a powerful reminder that we’re capable of more than we think when we put our minds and hearts into it. Could you talk more about that and how you fine-tuned the power of your mind to help you push through this incredible world record?
Mike Aidala: I am a big believer in mental and emotional strength. If you don’t believe something is possible, it’s going to be really hard to accomplish that feat. However, truly believing in yourself can be tough. It takes a lot of honesty and what I call emotional fitness and being strong enough to handle the down days.
The more you say you will do something and then take an action aligned with what you say, you’re investing in your own mental health account. Over time, that account grows and yields incredible results that show up as confidence in whatever it is you’re setting out to do. Confidence is something that is earned, and the deposits don’t need to be huge, but small, consistent efforts over time can yield results you once never thought possible.
