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Exercises

Pallof press alternatives: anti-rotation core work without a cable

Published October 23, 2026

With one dumbbell, the best Pallof press alternative is the dumbbell suitcase carry: the weight pulls you sideways with every step and your trunk has to stay still, the same job the Pallof press trains. In the gym with the cable taken, use the landmine twist. With no equipment, plank shoulder taps make your abs stop your body from rolling each time a hand lifts.

What a Pallof press alternative has to replace

The Pallof press trains your abs and obliques to stop your trunk from twisting. The cable pulls you sideways toward the stack, and the hardest moment is with your arms fully out, where the pull has the most leverage.

So a swap has to give your trunk a force to resist, not a twist to perform.

How to do the Pallof press

In the gym: landmine and another cable

If the cable you use for the Pallof press is taken, a landmine gives you a load to control from side to side, and any free cable can do a woodchop.

Best swap when the cable is taken

Landmine Twist

Abs

You guide a loaded bar in an arc from hip to hip, and your trunk has to brake it at each side instead of letting it fall. It is the closest gym swap that needs no cable, though it adds some turning that the Pallof press does not.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the free end of a landmine bar and hold it at arm's length at chest height with both hands.
  2. Brace and turn your torso to move the bar in an arc down toward one hip.
  3. Stop it before it pulls you off balance, then bring it back over the top to the other hip.
  4. Pivot slightly on the back foot each way and keep your arms long.

Cues

  • Arms stay long
  • Turn from the trunk
  • Stop the bar each side

Common mistakes

  • Letting the bar drop fast to each hip: control the arc both ways.
  • Bending the elbows to swing it: the movement comes from the torso.
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Another cable, with rotation

Cable Woodchop

Abs

If a different cable is free but you want a change, the woodchop moves the handle across your body under control. It trains rotation rather than resisting it, so use a weight you can stop at any point.

How to do it

  1. Set a handle at the top of the cable and stand side-on to the stack, feet wider than your hips.
  2. Hold the handle two-handed above the near shoulder.
  3. Bring it diagonally down to the far hip, rotating your torso and pivoting the back foot.
  4. Keep your arms long as the handle passes in front of you.
  5. Return slowly along the same diagonal.

Cues

  • Arms long, trunk turns
  • Pivot the back foot
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with your arms instead of turning: lock the elbows and let the cable move with your chest.
  • Rushing the return: resist the cable on the way back too.
Build a session with Cable Woodchop

Dumbbells: carries and chops

One dumbbell is enough. Carries let you use a heavy weight; walk until your posture slips, not until a number.

Best swap with one dumbbell

Dumbbell Suitcase Carry

Abs, Quads

One heavy dumbbell in one hand tries to bend you sideways with every step, and your trunk has to stay upright, the same refuse-to-move job as the Pallof press. Pick it as your main swap if you own one heavy dumbbell.

How to do it

  1. Pick up a heavy dumbbell in one hand like a suitcase.
  2. Stand tall with your shoulders level and the free arm relaxed.
  3. Walk forward with short, steady steps.
  4. Keep your torso from leaning toward the weight.
  5. Set it down after the distance or time, then carry it in the other hand.

Cues

  • Shoulders level
  • Stand taller than normal
  • Short, even steps

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the weight to balance it: you should look like you carry nothing.
  • Going so heavy that your grip gives out before your core does: shorten the walk instead.
Build a session with Dumbbell Suitcase Carry

Carry that adds your shoulders

Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry

Shoulders, Abs

Holding one dumbbell locked overhead while you walk makes your trunk stay stacked and still against a load that keeps trying to tip you. Pick it when suitcase carries are easy.

How to do it

  1. Press a dumbbell overhead with one arm until your elbow locks.
  2. Keep your bicep beside your ear and your ribs tucked down.
  3. Walk forward with slow, controlled steps.
  4. Hold the arm vertical the whole way.
  5. Lower the weight carefully at the end, then switch arms.

Cues

  • Lock the elbow
  • Ribs down, do not arch
  • Weight over your heel

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to hold the weight up: lighten it until you can keep your ribs down.
  • Letting the arm drift forward: keep it stacked over your shoulder.
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Kneeling chop with one dumbbell

Dumbbell Woodchop

Abs

Kneeling takes your legs out of it, so your trunk does the work of moving and stopping the dumbbell across your body. It is the dumbbell version of the cable woodchop.

How to do it

  1. Kneel tall on both knees on a mat and hold one dumbbell with both hands beside one hip.
  2. Keep your chest up and your hips square to the front.
  3. Lift the dumbbell diagonally across your body to above the opposite shoulder.
  4. Let your torso turn with the weight, arms nearly straight.
  5. Bring it back down the same line under control, and switch sides after the set.

Cues

  • Hips face forward
  • Turn through your ribs
  • Same line up and down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the dumbbell: if it pulls you off balance at the top, it is too heavy.
  • Bending the arms to lift it: keep them long and let your trunk do the turning.
Build a session with Dumbbell Woodchop

No equipment: planks, crawls and holds

Taking a hand or foot off the floor gives your trunk something to resist. Move slowly enough that your hips stay still.

Closest swap with no equipment

Plank Shoulder Tap

Abs

Each time a hand lifts, your body wants to roll toward that side, and your abs have to stop it. That is anti-rotation with only your bodyweight, and the closest no-gear copy of the Pallof press.

How to do it

  1. Start at the top of a push-up with your hands below your shoulders, feet a little wider than your hips.
  2. Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes.
  3. Lift one hand and touch the opposite shoulder while your hips stay still.
  4. Put the hand down and switch. Each tap counts as one rep.

Cues

  • Hips do not rock
  • Wider feet to start, narrower to progress
  • Slow taps beat fast ones

Common mistakes

  • Shifting your hips side to side with each tap: slow down or widen your feet.
  • Letting the lower back sag: keep the glutes tight.
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Anti-rotation on the move

Bear Crawl

Abs, Shoulders

Moving one hand and the opposite foot at a time makes your trunk resist twisting with every step, with your knees just off the floor. It is harder than shoulder taps.

How to do it

  1. Start on all fours with your hands below your shoulders, knees under your hips.
  2. Lift your knees an inch off the floor and keep your back flat.
  3. Crawl forward by moving one hand and the opposite foot a short step at the same time.
  4. Keep your hips low and level, take a set number of steps forward and back, then rest.

Cues

  • Knees an inch off the ground
  • Opposite hand and foot together
  • Back flat enough to hold a glass

Common mistakes

  • Hips rising high into a pike: keep them at shoulder height.
  • Taking long steps: short steps keep the brace.
Build a session with Bear Crawl

Hold that resists bending sideways

Side Plank

Abs

Lying on one side, your trunk holds a straight line against gravity pulling your hips down. It pairs well with shoulder taps to cover sideways and twisting control.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one side with your legs straight and your feet stacked, or with the top foot just in front of the bottom one.
  2. Put your forearm on the floor with the elbow right under your shoulder and your hand pointing forward.
  3. Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes, then press through your forearm and foot to lift your hips.
  4. Keep your head, hips and feet lined up, chest facing forward, and breathe steadily.
  5. Lower your hips with control when the time is up, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Hips high, not back
  • Head in line with spine

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag toward the floor: end the set the moment you can no longer hold the line, and use the knee version until you can.
  • Rolling the chest toward the floor or the ceiling: keep your shoulders and hips stacked so you face straight ahead.
  • Shrugging into the bottom shoulder: press your forearm into the floor so your shoulder stays away from your ear.
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Easiest on your lower back

Dead Bug

Abs

On your back, your abs keep your lower back flat while an arm and the opposite leg reach out, the same brace-and-hold idea as the Pallof press. Start here if standing holds bother your back.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up on a mat, arms straight up over your shoulders and knees bent 90 degrees directly above your hips.
  2. Breathe out fully and tilt your pelvis slightly so your lower back presses flat into the floor; keep it there for the whole set.
  3. Reach your right arm back toward the floor behind your head and straighten your left leg out toward the floor at the same time.
  4. Stop when your arm and leg hover just above the floor, or sooner if your lower back starts to lift.
  5. Bring both back to the start, then repeat on the opposite pair. One rep is one side.

Cues

  • Lower back glued to the floor
  • Exhale as you reach
  • Slow is the exercise

Common mistakes

  • Letting the lower back arch as the leg goes out: shorten the reach, keep the knee bent more, or lower only the leg until you can hold the position.
  • Rushing through the reps: take two or three seconds to reach out and the same to come back; speed lets momentum do the work your abs should do.
  • Holding your breath: breathe out as you reach and in as you return, so you learn to brace while breathing.
Build a session with Dead Bug

Example sessions without the Pallof press

Session 1

Gym, cable station taken

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentLandmine, Dumbbells

You train in a gym with a landmine and dumbbells, but the cable column is always busy.

The landmine twist takes the Pallof press's place as a side-to-side load to control, the overhead carry makes your trunk stay stacked under a weight, and the side plank holds you against bending sideways. 10 working sets.

Abs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Landmine TwistReps per side. Brake at the hip. 4 × 8–12 2 75 s
Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead CarryReps are steps per arm. 3 × 20–30 2 75 s
Side PlankSeconds per side. 3 × 20–40 1 1 min
How to run it
At the end of two training days a week, with a day between.
How to progress
On the landmine twist, add a small plate when every set reaches 12 smooth reps per side. On the carry, add steps until you hit 30 per arm, then move up a dumbbell. On the side plank, add five seconds per side.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home with dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You train at home with a pair of dumbbells or one heavy one, and no cable or band.

The suitcase carry replaces the Pallof press with a heavier sideways pull to resist, the kneeling dumbbell woodchop adds controlled rotation, and slow dead bugs finish with your back flat on the floor. 10 working sets.

Abs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Suitcase CarryReps are steps. Left, then right. 4 × 20–30 2 75 s
Dumbbell WoodchopReps per side. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Dead BugReps per side. 3 × 8–12 1 45 s
How to run it
Two or three times a week; walk the carry across a room and back.
How to progress
Add steps to the carry until you reach 30 per hand, then use a heavier dumbbell. On the woodchop, add reps to 15 per side before going heavier.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No equipment

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets36 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You train at home with just a mat and your bodyweight.

Shoulder taps and bear crawls make your trunk resist twisting each time a hand lifts, the side plank resists bending sideways, and the dead bug adds slow bracing on your back. 12 working sets.

Abs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Plank Shoulder TapEach tap is one rep. 3 × 16–30 1 1 min
Bear CrawlReps are steps forward and back. 3 × 10–20 2 1 min
Side PlankSeconds per side. 3 × 15–30 1 45 s
Dead BugReps per side. 3 × 8–12 2 45 s
How to run it
Two or three times a week, after a workout or on its own; move slowly on every rep.
How to progress
Add reps or seconds to the top of each range. Then narrow your feet on shoulder taps and pause each hand in the air for a second.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What can I do instead of a Pallof press?

With a dumbbell, do suitcase carries; in the gym without a free cable, the landmine twist; with no equipment, plank shoulder taps. All of them make your trunk resist being twisted or pulled sideways.

Can you do a Pallof press with a dumbbell?

Not really, because a dumbbell pulls straight down, not sideways. Hold it in one hand and walk instead: the suitcase carry gives your trunk the same kind of force to resist.

What is a good Pallof press alternative at home?

Plank shoulder taps and bear crawls with no equipment, or a suitcase carry with one dumbbell. Each makes your abs stop your body from twisting or tipping.

What is a Pallof press hold?

It is the Pallof press with a long pause at full reach, where the cable's pull is strongest. A side plank or a slow shoulder tap trains the same kind of hold without a cable.

What are some variations of the Pallof press?

Change your stance to change the challenge: kneeling on one knee locks your hips, feet together cuts your base, and pressing up overhead makes the lever longer. Without a cable, carries and shoulder taps do the same job.

Is the landmine twist the same as a Pallof press?

Not exactly: you move the bar side to side, so there is some turning. Keep the arc slow and stop it at each hip, and your trunk does the same braking work.