The following is a guest post from my good friend Shane Mclean, a trainer in Dallas, Texas. Follow him at on his Facebook Page here.

Some things are better together.

• Peanut butter and jelly
• Eggs and bacon (granted, almost anything goes with bacon)
• Scotty Pippen and Michael Jordan
• Bicep curls and mirrors

Each of the above can stand alone in its own right, no question. But when you put them together, magic happens. Who can argue with six NBA championships?

Or seeing your biceps swell up in the mirror?

Flex away, I know you want to.

Lately I’ve been feeling the same way about the Pallof press and its numerous variations.

Alone the Pallof press trains the core (insert trunk if it makes you happy) to resist rotation, lumbar extension and posterior pelvic tilt. Pallof presses train the core in a dynamic fashion which simulates what really happens on and off the field.

As a stand-alone exercise, it’s awesome and deserves a place in everyone’s training routine. After some tinkering in my laboratory (some might call it a gym), I’ve been pairing Pallof press variations with strength movements so clients can get more bang for their gym bucks.

These are the results from my “experiment.” Once you implement The Best Pallof Press Exercise Pairings, you’ll find better strength, more stability, and improved performance across the board.

1. HALF KNEELING PALLOF PRESS WITH SPLIT SQUATS/LUNGES

Fitness industry heavyweights Mike Robertson, Gray Cook and Charlie Weingroff have made mainstream the message that we need proximal stability (core/trunk) to have distal mobility (hips and shoulders).

That means basically, if you’re not strong and stable through the mid-section, all bets are off. Well, the Half Kneeling Pallof Press would make these gentlemen very happy.

The half kneeling position alone has a narrow base of support increases the demand of the core and hip stabilizers to fire so you can avoid biting the floor.

Here’s the half kneeling position, as demonstrated by Will Levy of WillLevy.com

Now, things get really exciting: adding in the Pallof press.

In addition to hip and trunk stability of the half kneeling position, the arms extend away from the body. This incorporates additional rotational forces that attempt to pull the body over while you press in and out.

When using this pairing in my own trainings, I’ve found myself getting into better positions for both exercises faster, and holding neutral spine position and bracing harder.
Eric’s Note: With my athletes, I use trunk position as a limiting factor in the exercise. If the athlete flexes through the trunk, lift over. Risk versus reward. 

Half-Kneeling Pallof Press Pairings

Lately I’ve been adding the Half Kneeling Pallof Press as a filler between strength exercises. It’s a great way to add-in core work plus it provides an active rest before starting the next circuit.

For example:

1A. Split squat forward/reverse lunge variations.

1B. Any bilateral upper body exercise.

1C. Half kneeling Pallof press – 30 seconds on each side.

This allows for greater training efficiency, so you can pound down your protein shake a little sooner. That’s always a bonus.

2. HALF KNEELING SPLIT STANCE PALLOF PRESS WITH DEADLIFT

If you’ve been reading Eric’s blog for a while, you know he’s a fan of the deadlift. In fact he wrote about how you can dominate the deadlift in eight short week’s right here.

Two major players for safe and effective deadlifting are:

1. Maintaining full body tension
2. Hip mobility to set-up properly

When pulling heavy from the floor, muscular tension is needed to increase spinal stability to give you a stable base to pull heavy from. If you don’t, your spine gets ugly…real quick.

Also, if you have limited hip mobility, you really have no business doing deadlifts.

Having both of these attributes while lifting is extremely important to staying injury free and strong. If you’ve ever suffered a back injury, you know what I’m talking about.

That’s where the Pallof press can help.

Adding just a little Pallof before pulling heavy will help “prime” your muscles  around the core to provide the tension needed to protect your spine.

(The Effect of Heavy- Vs. Light-Load Jump Squats on the Development of Strength, Power, and Speed. Southern Cross University, School of Exercise Science and Sport Management, Lismore, NSW, Australia)

But wait there’s more…

When we think of hip mobility, the glutes and the hip flexors get all the love and the poor old adductors are the ugly stepchild in the corner.

Those large muscles of our inner thigh actually play a role in flexing/extending the hip, not just hammering away at the yes-no machine.

If those adductors are “tight” (and when aren’t they) then getting adequate hip flexion and extension to dominate the deadlift could become a little problem.

Enter the problem solver, the Half Kneeling Split Stance Pallof Press, an excellent variation I stole from LaVack Fitness.

The split stance combined with the Pallof press will

1. Give your adductors an active stretch.
2. Fire up your glutes.
3. Turn on some of the muscles responsible for spinal stability.

The trick here is not to fatigue your core musculature before lifting heavy but to prime it. Doing just 15 seconds on each side just before you lift should do the trick.

For example:

1A. Half Kneeling Split Stance Pallof Press 15 seconds each side

1B. Deadlift 3- 5 reps

Rest 2- 3min.

Core work and deadlifts are a match made in exercise heaven.

3.TALL KNEELING OVERHEAD PALLOF PRESS WITH ANY BARBELL OVERHEAD PRESS VARATION

We’ve all seen those gym goers cranking out their final few reps of the overhead press while heavily arching their low back, with their lower ribcage protruding, looking like they’re about to blow a gasket.

Hell, I use to do this on a regular basis.

After a while, my shoulders and back flipped me the bird. Compromising technique for a few extra pounds on the bar is never a good idea, unless you’re into spending six months in physical therapy.

Lets avoid that altogether and groove the overhead pattern with the Tall Kneeling Overhead Pallof Press.

For both exercises to be performed properly you need to:

• Keep your lower ribs down and anterior core engaged.
• Avoid hyperextending the lower back.
• Squeeze your glutes like they owe you money.
• Keep the biceps by or behind your ears.

It makes perfect sense to put these exercises together just like peanut butter and jelly. Getting boulder shoulders and a rock solid core simultaneously -what’s not to like?

If the overhead press is your big strength movement for the day you can program the pairing like

1A. Tall Kneeling Overhead Pallof Press 8 reps 3213 tempo

1B. Barbell overhead press

Keep the resistance moderate on the Pallof Press. The goal is to groove the overhead pattern and lock in proper technique.

Or if the overhead press is part of a circuit, get some additional core work in as follows –

1A Overhead press variation

1B. Lunge, squat or deadlift variation

1C. Tall Kneeling Overhead Pallof Press 8 reps 3213 tempo

In this case the Pallof press will act as filler exercise for smoother transitions between circuits and allow you to do more work in less time which leads to a more awesome you.

WRAP UP

Most of us avoid extra core work like the plague, but now you’ve seen the light, my brother. The Best Pallof Press Exercise Pairings will help you get bigger and stronger and have you crushing PR’s like never before. Plus, you’ll get in that “core” stuff that I know you’ve been neglecting.

Trust me, I’m a trainer.

About the Author:

Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is a A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Dallas, Texas. No, Shane doesn’t wear a cowboy hat or boots.  After being told that his posture blows by Eric Cressey, he has made it his mission to rid the world of desk jockeys, one person at a time and having a blast while doing so.