The vertical Pallof press trains your anterior core (internal and external obliques, TVA (transverse abdominis), rectus abdominis, hip flexors, lats) in an anti-extension pattern. That is, it trains your core to resist spinal extension and your pelvis being yanked in to an anterior tilt.
As the cable (or band) is closer to your body there's less resistance; just like with the standard Pallof press. As you push the cable further away, the challenge increases. In the case of the vertical Pallof press, the lever arm increases overhead making it harder to resist your back and hips being pulled into a sloppy position.
Here's how to do it...
1. Adjust the cable so that it starts around head height. You can adjust from here depending on what it feels like and what's comfortable.
2. Use a half-kneeling stance since it emphasizes the "stacking" of your rib cage and pelvis we want to see. There's no getting away with a saggy back and hips from here.
3. You can go narrow for more stability (as shown in the video), or wider for a more stable half-kneeling stance as you're learning to master technique.
4. Once you've got that down, take your vertical Pallof presses to a tall-kneeling, standing or staggered stance. Just no clown stuff on a stability ball, please.
Broadly, try 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps on each leg holding for 1-2 seconds at the top. Alternatively, longer duration holds also work well. Start with 10-second heavy-ish holds and go from there. – Gareth Sapstead
