WhatWorksWhat.
Obliques

Pallof Press

Deep core brace; you can feel it from your obliques down to your glutes.

Complexity · Lowstabilitybeginner+Cable machine
  • Abs
  • Glutes
  • Obliques
  • Obliques - Obliques
  • Obliques

PrimarySecondary

What it hits

Parts of the target muscle.

  • Obliques

    Hit

    Twist, side-bend, anti-rotation.

The movement

Get it right, not roughly right.

Optimal form

3:13· Movement Based Therapy

Pallof Press Tutorial | Best Anti-Rotation Core Exercise

Hold

Hold

Stand sideways to a cable at chest height. Hands together at the sternum, holding the handle. Press the hands straight out - the cable will try to twist you toward the stack. Resist. Pause, return.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the torso rotate at all - the entire exercise is resisting rotation.
  • Going too heavy - choose what you can hold rigid.

Where you should feel it

Deep core brace; you can feel it from your obliques down to your glutes.

Injury risk · 1/10

Variations

Same movement, moved emphasis.

Ranked by how directly each variation still trains obliques. 80%+ means the target barely changes. Below 60%, the emphasis has meaningfully shifted — useful for variety, but less precise for the specific part. The label calls it at a glance.

  • Tall-kneeling Pallof

    Knees on the floor.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

  • Pallof press with overhead reach

    Press out, then up overhead.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

  • Banded Pallof press

    Band instead of cable.

    95% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

Compare with another exercise

Cool-down

Worked it. Walk it back down.

A couple of minutes here pays back in soreness avoided tomorrow. Browse the full library.

  • Couch Stretch

    Rear foot up on a bench, front leg in a 90/90 lunge. Squeeze the glute of the rear leg, tall torso. 60s per side.

    QuadsGlutes

  • Pigeon Pose

    From all fours, bring one knee forward at ~45° with the shin angled across the body. Extend the back leg straight. Lower the chest over the front shin. 60s per side.

    Glutes

  • Supine Figure-4

    On the back, one ankle crossed over the opposite knee. Reach through and pull the back of the bottom thigh toward the chest. 45s per side.

    Glutes

Coach note

If your core only works through flexion (crunches), this is the missing pattern.