Five-Movement Full-Body Strength Workout

A useful full-body workout does not need a large number of exercises.

It needs exercises that challenge different movement patterns and physical qualities without adding unnecessary complexity.

This session combines five movements:

• Turkish get-ups
• Goblet squats
• Single-arm floor presses
• Pull-ups
• Farmer’s carries

Together, they develop:

• Whole-body coordination
• Lower-body strength
• Upper-body pushing strength
• Upper-body pulling strength
• Shoulder stability
• Grip strength
• Core and trunk control
• Balance
• Practical carrying capacity

The Turkish get-up starts the session with a controlled movement that takes you from the floor to standing and back again.

The main circuit balances lower-body strength with upper-body pushing and pulling.

The farmer’s carry then finishes the workout with a practical challenge for your grip, trunk, posture and walking strength.

Workout Overview

The original workout was designed to be completed in 60 minutes or less.

Part A: Turkish Get-Ups

Complete:

• 1 Turkish get-up on the left side
• 1 Turkish get-up on the right side
• Repeat until you have completed 5 repetitions on each side

Rest as needed between repetitions.

Part B: Full-Body Strength Circuit

Complete five rounds:

• 5 goblet squats
• 5 single-arm floor presses on each side
• 5 pull-ups

Rest as needed between exercises and rounds.

Part C: Farmer’s Carries

Complete:

• 10 laps of farmer’s carries

The original workout does not specify the length of one lap. Use the established carry distance in your training environment and select a load you can carry without losing your posture or walking control.

Choose Your Starting Level

You do not need to begin with the complete workout.

Beginner or Returning to Training

Complete:

• 1–2 Turkish get-ups or partial get-ups on each side
• 2–3 rounds of the strength circuit
• 3–5 farmer’s-carry laps

Use:

• A bodyweight or lightly loaded get-up
• A manageable goblet-squat weight
• A light two-arm or single-arm floor press
• An assisted pull-up, pulldown or row
• Light farmer’s-carry weights

Rest for approximately 60–90 seconds between rounds when needed.

Intermediate

Complete:

• 3 Turkish get-ups on each side
• 3–4 strength rounds
• 6–8 farmer’s-carry laps

Choose loads that feel challenging while allowing consistent technique.

Experienced

Complete the original version:

• 5 Turkish get-ups on each side
• 5 strength rounds
• 10 farmer’s-carry laps

Increase the challenge through suitable weights and controlled movement rather than trying to complete the workout as quickly as possible.

This Is One Workout, Not a Complete Training Program

This article provides one workout. It is not a complete training program.

A workout tells you which exercises to complete during one training session.

A training program looks at the bigger picture. It determines:

• Which exercises are appropriate for you
• Which physical qualities need the greatest attention
• How frequently you should train
• How your sessions fit together across the week
• How much weight and training volume you should begin with
• How your training fits around injuries, sport, work and other activities
• How much recovery you need
• When exercises should be progressed
• When your program needs to be modified
• Whether your training is moving you towards your goals

This workout includes:

• Floor-to-standing movement
• Squatting
• Upper-body pushing
• Upper-body pulling
• Loaded carrying
• Grip and trunk strength

A complete program would also consider whether you need:

• Hip-hinge strength
• Single-leg strength
• Overhead pressing
• Rotational strength
• Power
• Balance
• Cardiovascular conditioning
• Mobility and recovery work

It would also consider what you trained in your previous session, what you will do next and how well you are recovering.

The workout provides today’s training.

Your program determines how today’s session contributes to your longer-term progress.

Who Is This Workout For?

This workout may suit someone who:

• Has some previous strength-training experience
• Wants to develop practical whole-body strength
• Is comfortable performing floor-based exercises
• Can use an appropriate squat, press and pulling variation
• Wants to improve grip and carrying strength
• Has approximately 45–60 minutes available
• Prefers controlled strength work over a fast circuit

The workout can be scaled for less experienced people, but the Turkish get-up is a technical movement that normally requires instruction.

Someone who has not learned the full get-up should begin with a partial variation or practise the individual stages without weight.

Similarly, someone who cannot complete five controlled pull-ups should use an assisted pull-up, pulldown or rowing variation rather than forcing the prescribed repetitions.

A person currently managing shoulder, wrist, back, hip or knee concerns may require different exercise variations, loads or ranges of movement.

Equipment You Will Need

Depending on the variations used, you will need:

• One or more kettlebells or dumbbells
• An exercise mat
• A pull-up bar
• Assistance bands or an assisted pull-up machine if required
• A clear walking area for the farmer’s carries
• A timer

You are unlikely to use the same weight for every exercise.

The Turkish get-up generally requires a weight you can control in several different positions.

The goblet squat may use a heavier load.

The floor press may require a different weight again, while the farmer’s carry will usually use two weights.

Selecting a suitable load for each exercise is more useful than trying to complete the entire workout with one weight.

Part A: Turkish Get-Ups

Complete up to five repetitions on each side.

A Turkish get-up involves moving from lying on the floor to standing while controlling a weight above one shoulder.

You then reverse the sequence to return to the floor.

The exercise combines several movement transitions:

• Rolling from the floor
• Supporting yourself through one arm
• Bridging or sweeping the leg
• Moving into a kneeling position
• Standing
• Reversing the movement back to the floor

Because it includes several stages, each repetition should be deliberate.

The Turkish get-up is not an exercise to rush.

What Does the Turkish Get-Up Develop?

Turkish get-ups can help develop:

• Whole-body coordination
• Shoulder stability
• Core and trunk control
• Hip mobility
• Lower-body strength
• Balance
• Awareness of body position
• Confidence moving between the floor and standing
• Control through multiple movement transitions

The movement requires different areas of the body to work together.

Your shoulder must remain stable while your trunk controls rotation and your hips and legs help move you through kneeling and standing positions.

The exercise also requires you to remain aware of the weight throughout the movement rather than simply producing force in one direction.

Daily-Life Carryover

The full Turkish get-up is more complex than most everyday tasks, but it develops qualities that are useful in daily life.

These include the ability to:

• Get up from the floor
• Lower yourself towards the ground
• Move through kneeling positions
• Support yourself through one arm
• Maintain balance while changing position
• Play with children or grandchildren
• Complete gardening or household tasks near the floor
• Regain your position after sitting or lying on the ground

Confidence moving between the floor and standing can become increasingly valuable as we get older.

The Turkish get-up provides one way to practise that ability while also challenging shoulder and trunk control.

Sporting Carryover

The coordination, shoulder stability and trunk control developed through get-ups may support activities involving:

• Throwing
• Swimming
• Racquet sports
• Grappling
• Contact sports
• Climbing
• Paddling
• Ground-based sporting movements
• Recovering from a low or fallen position

The exercise does not directly reproduce these sporting skills.

It develops general movement control and stability that may support them.

Turkish Get-Up Coaching Tips

Follow the sequence demonstrated by your coach.

General priorities include:

• Positioning the weight safely before beginning
• Keeping the working shoulder stable
• Watching the weight during the early stages
• Moving through each position deliberately
• Using your free hand and planted foot to create support
• Establishing balance before progressing to the next stage
• Keeping control through your trunk
• Avoiding rushed transitions
• Reversing the movement carefully
• Returning the weight safely to the floor

Pause when needed.

A controlled get-up with brief pauses is generally more useful than a fast repetition completed without clear positions.

Turkish Get-Up Modifications

Possible starting variations include:

• Performing the sequence without weight
• Balancing a light shoe on the fist
• Practising the roll-to-elbow stage
• Progressing from the elbow onto the hand
• Completing a half get-up
• Practising the bridge and leg sweep separately
• Practising the kneeling-to-standing section
• Completing supported floor-to-stand exercises

You do not need to perform the entire movement immediately.

A partial get-up can provide useful shoulder, trunk and coordination work while you learn the sequence.

Part B: Full-Body Strength Circuit

Complete up to five rounds:

B1. Goblet Squat

Complete five repetitions.

B2. Single-Arm Floor Press

Complete five repetitions on each side.

B3. Pull-Up

Complete five repetitions or use an appropriate pulling alternative.

The circuit provides a balance of lower-body strength, upper-body pushing and upper-body pulling.

The low repetition target allows you to use controlled, challenging variations without turning the section into a high-repetition conditioning circuit.

Exercise 1: Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is performed while holding a kettlebell or dumbbell in front of the chest.

The front-loaded position adds resistance while also providing a counterbalance.

What Does the Goblet Squat Develop?

Goblet squats can help develop:

• Quadriceps strength
• Glute strength
• General leg strength
• Hip, knee and ankle coordination
• Core and trunk stability
• Upper-back strength
• Squat technique
• Confidence moving into and out of a lowered position

The hips, knees and ankles work together as you lower and return to standing.

Holding the weight in front of the body also requires your trunk and upper back to remain active.

Daily-Life Carryover

Squatting strength contributes to many everyday movements, including:

• Sitting down and standing up
• Getting out of a low chair
• Picking up an object from the floor
• Gardening
• Climbing stairs
• Getting into and out of a vehicle
• Moving through a low position
• Lifting an object held in front of the body

Developing leg strength can make these activities feel more manageable.

Sporting Carryover

Lower-body strength developed through squatting may support:

• Running
• Jumping
• Landing
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Changing direction
• Court sports
• Field sports
• Skiing
• General athletic movement

A goblet squat does not reproduce these activities exactly.

It develops general lower-body strength and control that may contribute to them.

Goblet-Squat Coaching Tips

Focus on:

• Holding the weight securely near your chest
• Keeping your feet firmly planted
• Allowing your knees to move in the same direction as your toes
• Lowering through your hips and knees
• Keeping your trunk controlled
• Using a depth you can manage
• Driving through the floor to stand
• Finishing tall without leaning backwards

There is no single stance or squat depth that suits everyone.

Your position should reflect your proportions, mobility, experience and comfort.

Goblet-Squat Modifications

Possible alternatives include:

• Bodyweight squats
• Sit-to-stands
• Squats to a box
• Supported squats
• Heel-elevated squats
• A shallower range of movement
• Double-kettlebell squats
• Leg-press variations

A box can provide a clear depth target and additional confidence for someone returning to squatting.

Exercise 2: Single-Arm Floor Press

Complete five repetitions on each side.

The floor press is performed lying on the floor while pressing a kettlebell or dumbbell above the chest.

Because the original workout prescribes five repetitions on each side, it is best interpreted as a single-arm floor press.

One arm works at a time while your trunk helps prevent the uneven weight from rotating your body.

What Does the Single-Arm Floor Press Develop?

Single-arm floor presses can help develop:

• Chest strength
• Triceps strength
• Shoulder strength
• Upper-body pressing strength
• Shoulder control
• Core and trunk stability
• Control under an uneven load
• Awareness of differences between sides

The floor limits how far the upper arm can move behind the body.

This may make the exercise more manageable than some bench-press variations, although suitability still depends on the individual.

The uneven load also creates a trunk-stability challenge.

Daily-Life Carryover

Pushing strength is useful when:

• Opening a heavy door
• Moving furniture
• Pushing a trolley
• Getting up from the floor
• Moving equipment
• Supporting yourself through your arms
• Completing household or workplace tasks
• Controlling an object away from your body

The single-arm position also develops your ability to remain stable when the load is not evenly distributed.

Sporting Carryover

Upper-body pushing strength may support activities involving:

• Throwing
• Racquet sports
• Contact sports
• Bracing
• Pushing against another player
• Swimming
• Gymnastics
• Ground-based sporting positions

The floor press develops general pressing strength and control.

Sporting technique still needs to be developed through practice of the sport itself.

Floor-Press Coaching Tips

Focus on:

• Positioning the weight safely before lying down
• Keeping your feet and lower body stable
• Maintaining control through your ribs and pelvis
• Keeping your wrist positioned over your forearm
• Lowering the weight under control
• Allowing the upper arm to contact the floor gently
• Pressing to a stable position
• Avoiding excessive trunk rotation
• Using a controlled range
• Returning the weight safely after the set

Do not allow the weight to fall quickly towards the floor.

The lowering phase is an important part of the exercise.

Floor-Press Modifications

Possible alternatives include:

• Using a lighter weight
• Pressing with both arms
• Dumbbell floor presses
• Incline push-ups
• Wall push-ups
• Cable presses
• Machine chest presses
• Using a reduced range of movement

Exercise 3: Pull-Up

Complete five repetitions or use an appropriate pulling variation.

The pull-up develops upper-body pulling strength by moving your body towards a fixed bar.

The prescribed five repetitions will not be appropriate for everyone.

The correct variation should allow you to perform controlled repetitions without excessive swinging, kicking or loss of shoulder position.

What Do Pull-Ups Develop?

Pull-ups can help develop:

• Lat strength
• Upper-back strength
• Arm strength
• Grip strength
• Shoulder-blade control
• Shoulder stability
• Trunk control
• Confidence supporting and moving your body weight

Several areas must work together.

Your hands maintain the grip, your upper back and arms create the pulling force, and your trunk helps keep the movement organised.

Daily-Life Carryover

Most daily activities do not require a full pull-up, but the strength developed through pull-ups and their alternatives may support tasks such as:

• Pulling an object towards you
• Climbing
• Holding onto a rail or support
• Moving equipment
• Pulling open a heavy door
• Handling luggage
• Supporting part of your body weight
• Controlling something that is pulling away from you

Grip and upper-back strength are also useful when carrying and handling objects.

Sporting Carryover

Pulling and grip strength may support:

• Swimming
• Rowing
• Paddling
• Climbing
• Racquet sports
• Gymnastics
• Grappling
• Contact sports
• Obstacle-course events

The pull-up does not reproduce each sporting movement directly.

It develops general pulling strength that may contribute to them.

Pull-Up Coaching Tips

Focus on:

• Establishing a secure grip
• Beginning from a controlled position
• Keeping your shoulders active
• Initiating the pull through the upper back
• Avoiding excessive swinging or kicking
• Maintaining control through your trunk
• Using a range you can manage
• Lowering under control
• Ending the set before your technique deteriorates significantly

Five controlled assisted repetitions are generally more useful than five forced unsupported repetitions.

Pull-Up Modifications

Possible alternatives include:

• Assisted pull-ups
• Band-assisted pull-ups
• Assisted pull-up machine
• Eccentric pull-ups
• Isometric holds
• Lat pulldowns
• TRX rows
• Inverted rows
• Cable rows
• Resistance-band pulldowns

A rowing exercise is not identical to a pull-up, but it may provide a better starting point for someone who is not ready to hang or pull vertically.

Part C: Farmer’s Carries

Finish the session with up to 10 farmer’s-carry laps.

A farmer’s carry involves walking while holding a weight in each hand.

The loads are positioned on both sides of the body, creating a relatively balanced carrying position.

Although it appears simple, walking under load requires your hands, shoulders, trunk, hips and legs to work together.

How Far Is One Lap?

The original workout does not specify the distance.

Use the established carry distance within your training environment.

The distance should be long enough to challenge your grip and posture without causing you to:

• Lean backwards
• Shrug excessively
• Lose walking control
• Rush your steps
• Allow the weights to swing
• Lose your grip

A shorter, well-controlled carry is more useful than a longer distance completed with poor posture.

What Does the Farmer’s Carry Develop?

Farmer’s carries can help develop:

• Grip strength
• Forearm strength
• Shoulder and upper-back stability
• Core and trunk stability
• Posture under load
• Walking strength
• General work capacity
• Confidence carrying heavier objects

Your grip must support the weights while your shoulders and upper back keep them controlled.

Your trunk remains stable as your hips and legs continue producing repeated steps.

Daily-Life Carryover

Farmer’s carries have an obvious relationship to activities such as:

• Carrying shopping bags
• Moving luggage
• Carrying buckets or containers
• Transporting tools
• Moving work equipment
• Carrying boxes with handles
• Gardening
• Carrying objects from a vehicle into the house

Grip strength often becomes the limiting factor in these tasks.

You may have enough leg and back strength to move an object but still struggle because your hands fatigue.

Loaded carries train your ability to hold and transport weight rather than merely lift it once.

Sporting Carryover

Grip, trunk and carrying strength may support:

• Racquet, bat and club sports
• Climbing
• Grappling
• Contact sports
• Paddling
• Rowing
• Carrying sporting equipment
• Obstacle events
• Maintaining control when force acts on the body

The farmer’s carry develops general strength and work capacity rather than reproducing these sports exactly.

Farmer’s-Carry Coaching Tips

Focus on:

• Lifting the weights safely
• Standing tall without leaning backwards
• Keeping your shoulders controlled
• Maintaining a secure grip
• Keeping your ribs and pelvis organised
• Walking with natural, measured steps
• Looking ahead
• Preventing excessive swinging of the weights
• Turning carefully
• Placing the weights down under control

Your walking pattern should remain organised.

Do not allow your steps to become short, hurried or unstable simply to finish the lap.

Farmer’s-Carry Modifications

Possible alternatives include:

• Using lighter weights
• Carrying for a shorter distance
• Completing fewer laps
• Marching in place
• Using a trap bar
• Carrying one front-loaded object
• Using a suitcase carry on one side
• Breaking the 10 laps into smaller sets

You could complete two laps, rest and repeat rather than trying to complete all 10 continuously.

Why Do These Exercises Work Well Together?

The Turkish get-up begins the session with a whole-body coordination and stability exercise.

The main circuit then includes:

• A lower-body squat
• An upper-body press
• An upper-body pull

The farmer’s carry finishes the workout with grip, trunk and walking strength.

This creates a session that challenges:

• Floor-to-standing movement
• Lower-body strength
• Upper-body pushing
• Upper-body pulling
• Shoulder stability
• Grip
• Trunk control
• Loaded walking

The floor press and pull-up provide a useful push-and-pull balance for the upper body.

The goblet squat develops leg strength, while the Turkish get-up and farmer’s carry require the whole body to coordinate and stabilise under load.

However, it is still one workout rather than a complete program.

The session does not include a significant:

• Hip hinge
• Single-leg movement
• Rotational exercise
• Power exercise
• Cardiovascular-conditioning section

Those qualities may be addressed elsewhere within a complete weekly program.

How Hard Should the Workout Feel?

The Turkish get-ups should feel controlled and deliberate rather than rushed.

The main strength circuit should feel challenging, but you should remain in control of each repetition.

The farmer’s carries should challenge your grip and posture without causing your walking pattern to deteriorate.

Reduce the weight, repetitions, rounds or carry distance if:

• The weight becomes unstable during the get-up
• You rush or lose your position during transitions
• Your squat depth or control changes significantly
• Your trunk rotates excessively during the floor press
• Your pull-ups become dominated by swinging or kicking
• You cannot control the lowering portion of an exercise
• Your grip repeatedly fails during the carries
• You begin leaning or walking unsteadily
• You experience pain rather than normal muscular effort

Completing three controlled strength rounds and five good carry laps is generally more useful than forcing yourself through the full workout with poor technique.

How Can You Progress the Workout?

Progress one variable at a time.

You could:

• Add another Turkish get-up on each side
• Improve the control of each get-up stage
• Increase the goblet-squat weight slightly
• Improve your squat depth or control
• Increase the floor-press weight
• Use less pull-up assistance
• Add one controlled pull-up repetition
• Increase from three strength rounds to four
• Build from four rounds towards five
• Increase the farmer’s-carry weight
• Add another carry lap
• Increase the carry distance
• Complete the same workout with more consistent technique

You do not need to progress every exercise during the same session.

Your goblet squat may progress faster than your pull-up. Your carrying strength may improve more quickly than your Turkish get-up technique.

Progress should reflect the quality of your previous training rather than simply your ability to finish the workout.

How Adaptive Strength Builds an Individualised Training Program

At Adaptive Strength, we do not simply give every member the same workout of the day.

Each member follows an individualised strength-training program based on their:

• Goals
• Current strength and fitness
• Training experience
• Injury and medical history
• Movement ability
• Weekly availability
• Sporting and recreational activities
• Response to previous training

Your sessions form part of a planned program rather than a collection of unrelated workouts.

A complete program considers:

• Which exercises are most appropriate for you
• Which physical qualities need the greatest attention
• How your training sessions fit together across the week
• How much training you can currently tolerate and recover from
• How your strength work fits around sport, work and other activities
• When an exercise, weight or training volume should be progressed
• When your program needs to be modified

Two members may train beside each other while following completely different programs because they have different goals, starting points and training histories.

One person may practise a partial Turkish get-up without weight, perform squats to a box and use an assisted pulling exercise.

Another may complete loaded get-ups, heavier goblet squats and unassisted pull-ups.

Both can receive an appropriate challenge within the same supervised small-group environment.

Our coaches supervise each session, monitor how you are moving and make adjustments when required. Your program can then gradually progress as your strength, confidence and physical capacity improve.

The value is not simply being given a list of exercises.

It is having a program designed for you, coached properly and progressed over time.

Should You Try This Workout?

This workout may be useful if you are familiar with Turkish get-ups, goblet squats, floor presses, pull-ups and loaded carries and can choose suitable variations and weights.

However, one online workout cannot assess your technique, injury history, current ability or how the session should fit into the rest of your training week.

That is the difference between completing a workout and following an individualised training program.

Looking for a More Personalised Approach?

Adaptive Strength provides individualised strength programs within a supportive, supervised small-group training environment in Booragoon.

Your program is built around your:

• Current ability
• Training experience
• Goals
• Injury history
• Exercise preferences
• Weekly schedule

Our strength coaches, physiotherapists and Exercise Physiologist work together to help members progress from their current starting point towards greater strength, confidence and long-term physical capacity.

Whether you are returning after an injury, getting back into exercise or looking for a more structured approach to training, the first step is an initial consultation and movement assessment.

Book a quick chat with Adaptive Strength to find out whether our approach is right for you.