The kneeling Pallof press is one of those moves that doesn’t look dramatic (or dare we say difficult). Yet the moment you give it a whirl, you realize it asks your core to do some truly disciplined work.

It was originally developed as a way to strip away extra momentum and help people feel pure, uncomplicated anti-rotation strength — making it a favorite for resistance-training beginners, seasoned lifters refining mechanics, and anyone who wants a more controlled environment to explore core stability.

In the kneeling position, you press the cable or band away from your body and suddenly feel how much your midsection is doing behind the scenes. It’s holding steady, resisting the urge to twist, and coordinating small stabilizing muscles you rarely notice.

Part of what makes this variation so inviting is how easily it adapts to different fitness focuses.

For example, the half-kneeling stance can bring intention and power to the more-isolated core, while a “tall” kneeling setup (both legs kneeling) can make your spine and posture play a bigger role. If you’re feeling up for a bigger stability challenge, you can add in small controlled rotations.

Whichever version you choose, the kneeling Pallof press offers meaningful core training without heavy weights or a complicated setup. Slow down, stay steady, and let your body practice resisting movement rather than creating it.

Kneeling Pallof Press: Step by Step

1. Get in your kneeling stance.

Take 1-2 steps and turn your body perpendicular to the cable machine.
Kneel down with onto a yoga or workout mat, for comfort.
Ensure both your shins rest horizontally along the mat or floor
Keep your hips square and ribs stacked vertically over your pelvis.

Variation Note: This is the general setup for a “tall” kneeling Pallof with both legs down. For the one-leg half-kneeling variation, start with your outside knee down and use your inside knee for stability.

2. Hold the handle to your chest.

With both hands, grip the attachment to your mid-chest.
Keep your elbows close to your torso, not flared outward or bending forward or backward.

3. Press forward.

Extend your arms in front of you horizontally, squaring your chest and shoulders with your hips
Do not let your torso rotate.
Move slowly enough to feel your core resisting the cable’s or band’s pressure.

4. Pause at full arm extension.

Again, ensure your hips, pelvis, legs, and chest are all aligned and level.
Hold at full extension for 1-2 seconds.

5. Return to your chest.

Draw the handle back to your chest.
Resist the urge to twist toward the cable machine. Keep the motion slow, steady, and horizontal.

Tip: Imagine your handle sits on a track. Your job is to “push” and “pull” it along that set track. This cue can be helpful for preventing too much wobble in the movement or overly swinging your arms.

Kneeling Pallof Press: reps & intervals

Use these rep and interval suggestions to help guide your volume. More importantly, your comfort and stability should set the pace.

Muscle development: 6-20 reps
Core endurance: 8-12 reps
Max core strength: 4-8 reps
Beginner intervals: 2-3 sets
Intermediate intervals: 3-4 sets

Average Duration of Kneeling Pallof Press

Depending on your natural tempo, your reps may take slightly longer or shorter, and that’s okay.

One Pallof press rep: ~4-6 seconds
One Pallof press set: ~40-60 seconds

Estimated Calories Burned

These are broad estimates influenced by several things, including your cable tension, hold time, rest periods between sets, and individual body metrics.

In general, worry less about burning lots of calories and more on your comfort with the cable machine and performing controlled motions.

Women (140-180 lbs): ~8-16 calories
Men (170-210 lbs): ~10-20 calories
Adults above 210 lbs: ~15-30 calories

Recommended Number of exercises Per Week

The kneeling Pallof press can be included 1-3x/week, especially as part of a stability-focused core routine. Beginners should stick with 1x/week, practicing good form and control while gradually increasing things like reps or sets.

Warmup & Cool Down Exercises

Warm-Up (choose 1-3):

Bird dog holds (30 sec)
Light trunk rotations (30 sec)
Glute bridges (30 sec)

Cool-Down (choose 1-3, done at the end of your full workout):

Side bend stretch (30 sec each side)
Seated spinal twist (45 sec)
Slow breathing with hands on ribs (30–45 sec)

Muscle Groups Targeted

The kneeling Pallof press should first and foremost target deep core muscles, including your obliques, transverse abdominis, and smaller but specific supporting muscles along the spine (like the erector spinae and multifidus muscles).

Because your arms move while your torso stays still, the exercise teaches anti-rotation strength, which is foundational for activities like carrying, twisting, and reaching.

Similar variations like the half-kneeling Pallof press can also challenge the hips to keep the movement aligned and steady, while adding extra resistance with rotation shifts the emphasis more toward the obliques.

Equipment Used for Kneeling Pallof Press

To perform a kneeling Pallof press, you’ll need access to the following:

Cable machine
Single-handle (D-handle) attachment
Optional yoga/workout mat, for comfort

At-home alternative:

Resistance band Pallof press

Who This Workout is Most Effective For

Beginners improving anti-rotation control and expanding their knowledge of effective and varied core exercises.
People who sit for long periods of time (e.g. desk jobs) and want movements that can support spine strength and posture.
Fitness enthusiasts working on improving core stability and developing some core muscle mass but who don’t have access to heavy weights.
Anyone practicing sports that include a lot of dynamic rotations, or simply supporting daily reaching and load-shifting tasks.

Answers to FAQs about Kneeling Pallof Press

The kneeling Palloff press is designed to be highly effective for improving foundational core stability. The exercise reinforces the type of control needed in many daily tasks thanks to the torso training to resist movement rather than creates it. Its simplicity makes it accessible while still offering a meaningful workout challenge across fitness levels.

Letting the torso rotate, leaning backward, and shrugging the shoulders are frequent issues. Using too much weight also encourages “cheating,” where your body may begin to rely on jerking movements and momentum to complete reps. A lighter, more controlled setup often feels smoother and builds better stability here.

You should feel this exercise primarily in your abs. If you aren’t, start playing around with your opening stance and concentrating on good form and execution.

Things like doing a press too close against the cable machine, setting your knees up too widely, flaring your ribs and elbows, or even a too-heavy cable weight can create demands outside of your core and stabilizers, thus muddling the exercise. Feeling your core re-engage and respond usually comes from slowing down and practicing form improvements.

For most versions, staying square is the goal. That tight, squared body position is a huge contributor to improving anti-rotation strength. Kneeling Palloff press variations with rotation can be added once your baseline stability feels solid. Overall, Tonal coaches recommend starting square and adding rotation gradually.

Concluding words on Kneeling Pallof Press

The kneeling Pallof press gives a reassuring place to begin when you’re brand new to resistance training and just want a clearer sense of how your core fully works.

You actually practice anti-rotation resistance already. It’s a skill you use every time you twist to look or reach behind you, carry something on one side of your body, dance, walk, run — or simply need to keep yourself from wobbling. Kneeling Pallof presses are an accessible way to support those real-world movements.

If this kind of focused training (with or without lots of heavy weights) resonates, check out more options with Tonal’s exercise tutorials in our Resource Hub. We have 60+ at-home friendly exercise breakdowns ready to help you show up stronger in your daily life, many inspired by workouts right here on Tonal.

Kneeling Pallof Press: Strengthen Core Stability

Contents

Kneeling Pallof Press: Step by Step