Butt Ups

Butt Ups trains the abdominal muscles by bringing the rib cage and pelvis toward one another under control.

Primary muscle

Abs

Primary musclesRectus abdominis

Secondary musclesInternal and external obliques, Iliopsoas

Equipment

Bodyweight

How to perform Butt Ups

Follow the sequence in order, paying attention to the starting position, movement path, and finish described in each step.

Begin in a forearm plank with the elbows below the shoulders, legs straight, and body in a firm line.
Brace the abdomen and press through the forearms before moving the hips.
Lift the hips upward into a controlled pike while keeping the legs long and the shoulders supported.
Stop before the lower back rounds excessively or the shoulders collapse toward the ears.
Lower the hips back to the plank line under control without sagging, then repeat.

Brace the abdomen and keep the hips aligned with the shoulders and heels when returning to the plank position.

Lower the hips from the pike under control instead of letting them fall quickly toward or below the plank position.

Sagging the hip: Brace the abdomen and keep the hips aligned with the shoulders and heels when returning to the plank position.
Dropping hip too fast: Lower the hips from the pike under control instead of letting them fall quickly toward or below the plank position.
Stop when the exercise produces sharp, catching, radiating, or increasing joint pain rather than the expected muscular effort.
Alternative Short-range abdominal crunch: Lift only the head and shoulder blades while the pelvis and feet remain supported.

Place Butt Ups after the main compound lifts, in a focused core block, or beside an exercise that does not require a fresh trunk.

Use two to four times per week while accounting for trunk work already supplied by squats, hinges, carries, and overhead lifting.

Goal	Sets	Reps or time	Rest	Effort and execution
Control / technique	2–3	5–8 reps	45–75 sec	Stop well before position changes
Strength / endurance	2–4	8–15 reps	60–90 sec	Stop while 1–3 good-form reps are still possible

Use Butt Ups after Barbell Back Squats, Deadlifts, or another main compound lift.
Pair it with Bird Dog or Cable Pallof Press to combine trunk flexion with stability work.

Scale the movement