Otis Up
Also known as: weighted sit up press, otis sit up, otis ups, otis-up, plate sit up press, sit up with plate press, weight plate sit up
- Secondary muscles
- Hip Flexors, Spine
- Body part
- Core
- Position
- Lying
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Holding a plate pressed toward the ceiling turns the sit-up into a balancing act: the weight stays stacked over your shoulders as the torso rises, so the abs curl while the shoulders and upper back keep the plate vertical. Start lighter than pride suggests - ten pounds held at arm's length changes the movement completely.
How to do the Otis Up
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat, holding a weight plate against your chest.
- Press the plate up until your arms are straight above your chest.
- Keeping the plate above your shoulders, curl your torso up until you are sitting upright.
- Lower your back to the floor under control, then bring the plate back to your chest.
Tip: Breathe out as you crunch and let the last bit of air leave the lungs at the top of each rep.
Muscles worked
Primary
Abs · Core
The rectus abdominis shortens to bend the spine forward, and each rep should end with the upper abs fully contracted and the ribs pulled down.
Secondary
- Hip Flexors — The hip flexors take over if your feet are anchored and you come up too high; keep the range short to leave them out.
- Spine
Common mistakes
- Pulling on the neck — hands behind the head should support, not yank; keep the elbows wide and the chin about a fist away from the chest.
- Sitting all the way up — a crunch is a curl of the ribs toward the pelvis, not a sit-up; the lower back should stay on the floor the whole time.
- Cranking out fast reps — momentum does the work if you bounce; lift to a squeeze, hold for a count and lower slowly.
- Never adding load — once bodyweight reps get easy, hold a plate on the chest or use a cable rather than doing sets of 50.
Where it fits in a workout
Crunches close out a session after the heavy work, or they can fill the rest periods between sets of a lift that does not need much bracing. Pair a cable crunch with a cable side bend on the same stack.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without weighted
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.