Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Place your hands behind your head. In one fluid motion, lift your upper body off the ground, bringing your chest towards your knees, while keeping your lower back pressed to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.

How to perform the Otis Up

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Otis Up using your free weights.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your abdominals.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your abdominals rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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