The best AB exercise

EVERYTHING PALLOF’S

Everyone wants a nice midsection. Bros want that 6-pack while hunkettes want the flat tummy. There is no magical ONE exercise that will get you to see your abdominal muscles. Everyone has a 6-pack, it's a matter if you can see them or not. The subcutaneous fat on top of the rectus abdominal (ab muscles) is what we need to decrease to see the abs, but who are we kidding, ab exercises are the most popular google search on the web!

The best AB exercise that you aren't doing

If you haven't done a Pallof exercise, you need to begin incorporating TODAY! Dr. John Pallof is the founder of the exercise and he's based in Massachusetts. Check out his website here:

How to set up the Pallof

The Pallof exercise is classified as an anti-rotation movement and some even classify them as a core movement.

1- Feet outside of shoulder width apart for beginners, stack under the shoulders for more advanced.

2- Press the band or cable away from the body not allowing the Anterior Superior Iliac Spine (ASIS) to break parallel.

3- Do not elevate the upper traps while pressing out.

4- Hold the extended position for 3-5 seconds.

Pallof variations

Some of my favorite Pallof variations (which may in fact not fall under the “Pallof” exercise umbrella, but still cool to perform) are the following:

1- Trainer engagement (perturbations in all directions & taps)

2- Writing words of gratitude in the air (Kate a SUF-CPT thought of this one at our Orlando seminar. If you want to participate in one of our weekend seminars, check out where we will be in 2023.)

3- Jumps

4- Lunge / Squat

5- Hands-over head

6- Speed

7- Add a weight (make sure the band doesn't have any splits in it!)

How you would program a Pallof into a clients workout program

With the Core, Core, Accessory programming that we implement at Show Up Fitness – CPT, you would add Pallof's in during the accessory exercise. This exercise is challenging the transverse plane of motion (educational video on the planes of motion here) so make sure to own the sagittal plane (planks) and frontal plane (side planks) for at least 30-seconds before progressing into the Pallof variations. Here is what a program would look like for a client who's trying to lose fat and focus on his/her mid-section who I've been training for at least a month:

1- Core – Squat = Back Squats

a. Core – Push = Incline Dumbbells

b. Accessory – abs = Pallofs

2- Core – Hinge = Hip Thrusts

a. Core – Pull = Weighted Chin-ups

b. Accessory – abs = Bicycle Kicks

3- Core – Unilateral = Reverse lunges

a. Core – Push = Landmine Press

b. Accessory – abs = Landmine anti-rotations

4- Metabolic Conditioning (MET-CON)

Pallof Jumps – Farmers walks – push-ups – Wall sits

3 rounds of 10 (30-seconds) no rest

The following video is a short 3-4 minute video from our exclusive content for SUF-CPT which breaks down everything you need to know about the Pallof exercise&