How to do a Pallof press: resisting the twist with a band or cable, kneeling or standing, and harder versions

Press out, don't turn

Side-on to a band or cable anchored at chest height, press the handle straight out from your chest and back, and don't let it pull you round. Your trunk's job is to stay still.

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No study has measured it

We found no study of the muscles it works or of training with it alone. The nearest, a one-arm standing cable press, found the trunk muscles on the side opposite the pressing arm working as hard as the chest and front shoulder.

Source 2

Kneeling is steadier than standing

In one study of 12 active adults, kneeling on both knees was the easiest version to hold still, standing was harder, and a wobble ball turned it into a balance exercise. Start half-kneeling, as our workouts do, though that version hasn't been tested.

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How many

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 each side, pausing for 2 seconds with your arms straight, as our workouts use, or 2 or 3 holds of 10 to 30 seconds each side (our editorial starting point; one training study used 30-second holds). 2 or 3 days a week.

Source 3

Back pain

It keeps your spine still, which is why our back pain plans use it. Core exercise helps chronic back pain about as much as other exercise, and a band Pallof test caused no pain in adults with chronic back pain. No trial has tested it as a treatment.

Sources 4, 5, 6

Sport

Trunk training builds trunk strength a lot, but trunk strength is only loosely linked with performance, and the carry-over to sport is modest.

Sources 7, 8, 9

An anti-rotation exercise

The band or cable pulls you sideways towards the anchor, and the further your hands are from your chest, the bigger the twisting pull: the one study of it held the arms straight, the largest lever. Your trunk works to stay square, which is why coaches call it anti-rotation.

Source 1

Versions on this page

Half-kneeling with a band or cable, standing at a cable, and the press and turn, each with a 3D demo. Kneeling on both knees, a split stance, holds and pressing the handle up overhead have no demo of their own: they're the same press in a different position.

What it works

No study has measured it. Expect your obliques and deep tummy muscles to resist the turn, your hips to hold your pelvis still, and your chest, shoulders and triceps to press the handle (our reading of the mechanics). In a one-arm standing cable press, the internal oblique and latissimus dorsi on the side opposite the pressing arm worked as hard as the chest and front shoulder.

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What you need

A cable machine with the pulley at chest height, or a resistance band anchored at chest height round a sturdy post or shut in a door, as our oblique workout sets it up. With no band or cable, an extra set of bird dogs trains your trunk to resist a twist, as our 30-day ab challenge suggests.

What hasn't been tested

We found no study that measured muscle activity, spine load or training effects in the Pallof press itself. What we know comes from one lab study of how steady people stay, a reliability study of a band test, training programmes that include it with other exercises, and research on core training in general.

Kneeling is steadier than standingEmerging evidence

In 12 active adults holding the press out with straight arms for 15 seconds against a band set by body weight (4 to 6 kg of sideways pull), the pelvis moved least kneeling on both knees on a pad (0.17 m/s²), more standing with feet together (0.22) or one foot in front of the other (0.31, clearly more than kneeling), and most standing on a half-ball (0.55 to 0.61). It's one small study, and it didn't test half-kneeling.

Source 1

The nearest study: a one-arm cable pressEmerging evidence

In 14 trained men, the best one-arm standing cable press was 26 kg, against 74 kg on a two-arm bench press. The authors concluded that whole-body stability, not chest and shoulder strength, limited the standing press, and the internal oblique and latissimus dorsi on the opposite side worked as hard as the chest and front shoulder.

Source 2

A band Pallof test was reliable, and painlessEmerging evidence

In 35 adults aged about 48, 18 of them with chronic low back pain, a test of 5-second Pallof holds against more and more band tension gave consistent results from one day to the next, and nobody reported pain or discomfort.

Source 6

Programmes that include itEmerging evidence

Six weeks of band Pallof holds and other hold-still exercises, twice a week, changed trunk muscle activity against no training in a trial of 36 men, without measuring strength or performance. In amateur golfers, 8 weeks of similar training changed how fast the trunk rotated in the swing, though clubhead speed rose with traditional core training too.

Sources 3, 10

Low doses may not change muchEmerging evidence

Six weeks of low-dose bridging and bird dogs, twice a week, didn't improve trunk performance or balance beyond the trained moves in 60 active young men. Hold-still exercises seem to train mainly what you practise.

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Kneeling is steadierEmerging evidence

In the one study, kneeling on both knees was the steadiest version and standing with one foot in front of the other clearly harder. The authors suggest kneeling when you want to use a stiffer band or a heavier cable with less work for your legs, and say a half-ball turns it into a whole-body balance exercise.

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Half-kneeling sits in between

Our workouts start half-kneeling, with one knee down, which the study didn't test. It gives you a narrower base than kneeling on both knees and a lower one than standing (our editorial reading), so it's a sensible first step.

Taller people

The authors point out that a higher centre of gravity and a higher band line increase the tilting pull, so standing versions may feel harder if you're tall. They found no clear difference between men and women.

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Sets and reps

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 each side, pausing for 2 seconds with your arms straight, as our 30-day ab challenge, gym ab workout and cable machine workout use; our cable machine guide gives 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15.

Holds

2 or 3 holds of 10 to 30 seconds each side (our editorial starting point). One 6-week training study used 2 holds of 30 seconds.

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How hard

Stop each set while the handle is still steady, 2 or 3 reps short of failure, or 3 or 4 short in your first two weeks, as our plans advise. Going to failure adds little, and people underestimate the reps they have left by about 1.

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Rest

30 to 45 seconds between sets, as our 30-day ab challenge uses, or go straight into a leg move and rest after the pair, as our cable machine workout does.

How often

2 or 3 days a week, as our get abs guide and oblique workout suggest. Matched for weekly sets, training more often makes little difference to growth.

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How to progress

More reps or a longer pause first, then step further from the anchor or use a heavier cable, then a narrower or staggered stance (our editorial order, following our plans' advice for adding load).

Letting it turn you

If the handle drifts towards the anchor, step closer or use a lighter band.

Leaning away from the pull

Stay tall and square, as our move page cues.

Pressing up or down

Press straight out from your chest, with the anchor at chest height.

Hips turning

Keep your hips facing forward, especially when half-kneeling.

Shrugging

Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears (our editorial cue).

Holding your breath

Breathe out as you press, and keep breathing in the hold, as our breathing guide advises.

Cover each direction

Our plank guide suggests covering each job your trunk does: resisting arching (dead bug, hollow hold), resisting rotation (bird dog, Pallof press), side-bending and carrying (suitcase carry), and a gentle curl (McGill curl-up). The Pallof press is the standing or kneeling way to train the second.

Holding still, then turning

Once holding still is easy, turning moves such as the press and turn, cable wood chops and landmine 180s add controlled rotation. Our oblique workout puts side planks, Pallof presses and carries before slow Russian twists.

The swap for twisting

When twisting or bending hurts your back, our Russian twist and back pain guides swap in the Pallof press. With osteoporosis, a UK consensus says smooth, comfortable twisting is fine; the Pallof press is a good choice if you'd rather keep your spine still.

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Core exercise helps back pain, but no more than other exerciseStrong evidence

Motor control (core stability) exercise beat minimal treatment for chronic low back pain, by about 13 points on a 100-point scale in the long term, across 29 trials and 2,431 people, but it wasn't clinically better than other exercise. Exercise of any kind lowered pain by about 15 points against no treatment, usual care or placebo, across 249 trials.

Sources 4, 5

The Pallof press for back pain

No trial has tested it as a treatment. It keeps your spine still and was painless in a band test in adults with chronic back pain, which makes it a sensible part of a back pain plan. The NHS advises stopping back exercises that make the pain worse and seeing a GP.

Sources 6, 16

Carry-over to sport is modestMixed evidence

Core training builds trunk strength a lot, but trunk strength was only loosely linked with performance (correlations of -0.05 to 0.18), and training gave small to medium gains in it. In athletes, the gains were small to moderate for strength, sprinting, changing direction and sport-specific tests; balance and jumps improved, but throwing and hitting speed didn't clearly improve.

Sources 7, 8, 17, 9

GolfEmerging evidence

In one trial in amateur golfers, 8 weeks of hold-still core training, three times a week, raised how fast the trunk turned in the swing; clubhead speed rose with traditional core training too. Our golf strength workout uses the Pallof press and the press and turn.

Source 10

Does a strong core prevent injuries?Mixed evidence

Core strength and control were linked with later leg injuries in athletes, but only as preliminary evidence, and a critical review finds the theory behind targeted core exercise may be over-assumed in common practice.

Sources 18, 19

Kneeling hurts

Stand in a split stance or pad the knee, as our move page says.

Pregnancy

A good choice: you stay upright and don't lie on your back. Our pregnancy strength workout uses it at 8 to 10 each side, and says to stand with your feet hip-width apart instead if kneeling is uncomfortable or you have pelvic girdle pain. The NHS says to stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell.

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After a birth

Our diastasis recti guide brings in "a band press that resists twisting" at its stage 2, from about 6 to 8 weeks after a straightforward birth, and our postnatal strength workout uses 8 each side. See a GP if the gap between your tummy muscles is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth, as the NHS advises.

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A prolapse

The NHS advises avoiding activities that put a lot of strain on the pelvic floor, and our oblique workout swaps the twist and the crunch for more Pallof presses with a prolapse.

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A hernia

Our hernia guide includes the half-kneeling Pallof press in its gentle core work, at 2 sets of 6 to 8 slow reps to start, and says to leave out any move that makes a hernia bulge.

Shoulder pain

Hold the handle closer to your chest rather than pressing all the way out (our editorial suggestion).

Stop and get medical help

If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.

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Call 999 (911 in the US)

For chest pain that feels tight, heavy or squeezing, or spreads to your arms, neck, jaw or back; a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, breathlessness or feeling faint; severe difficulty breathing; or angina pain that doesn't stop after rest and your medicine. Don't drive yourself to A&E.

Sources 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Check before you start

If you haven't exercised for some time or have a medical condition, speak to your GP first, as the NHS advises. Breathe throughout; never hold your breath in the press.

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After a faint, or dizziness that keeps coming back

See a GP after any faint, and for dizziness that won't go away or keeps coming back.

Sources 28, 33

Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with these signs

Loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.

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Urgent GP appointment or NHS 111: back pain

With a high temperature, or if you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or if severe pain starts suddenly or gets worse quickly. In the US, use urgent care.

Source 16

See a GP: back pain

Back pain that doesn't improve after a few weeks of treating it at home, stops your day-to-day activities, is worse at night or after resting, or comes with weight loss you can't explain or a lump or change in the shape of your back.

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A new lump or bulge

See a GP if you think you have a hernia: a bulge or lump in your groin, upper thigh or tummy that may get bigger when you cough, sneeze or cry and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, sickness, constipation, a high temperature or sudden confusion. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a lump at the top of the thigh) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.

Sources 35, 36

"The Pallof press is too easy to build strength"Mixed evidence

It starts easy but scales: step further from the anchor, use a heavier cable, stand rather than kneel, or narrow your stance. In a one-arm standing cable press, people pushed about a third of their two-arm bench press, and the authors put the limit down to whole-body stability. But no study has measured strength or muscle gains from the Pallof press itself, and for ab muscle size the loaded moves in our get abs guide do more (our editorial view).

Sources 1, 2

"Kneeling is harder than standing"Emerging evidence

Some coaching pages say moving onto your knees makes it trickier. The one study found the opposite: kneeling on both knees was the steadiest, and standing, especially with one foot in front of the other, harder to hold still. Half-kneeling hasn't been tested.

Source 1

"Anti-rotation work will make you hit or throw harder"Mixed evidence

Trunk training builds trunk strength, but carries over to sport only modestly, and throwing and hitting speed didn't clearly improve across 22 studies. One golf trial found changes in how the trunk turned in the swing.

Sources 7, 8, 9, 10

"The Pallof press fixes back pain"Strong evidence

No trial has tested it for back pain. Exercise of many kinds helps chronic back pain about equally; the Pallof press is a sensible choice when bending or twisting hurts, not a cure.

Sources 4, 5

"It burns love handles"Strong evidence

Exercising a body part doesn't remove the fat over it: 6 weeks of ab exercise changed no fat measure in 24 adults, adding ab training to a diet did no better than the diet alone in 40 women, and across 13 studies training one area didn't reduce the fat there. Fat comes off with your overall activity and eating, as our belly fat guide explains.

Sources 37, 38, 39