Core · Cable
Cable Half Kneeling Pallof Press
How to do the cable half kneeling pallof press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set a cable at chest height and kneel sideways to the stack in a half-kneeling stance, inside knee down. Hold the handle at your chest, then press it straight out in front of you and resist the pull to rotate you, before bringing it back. The half-kneeling base removes the legs and makes the core do the anti-rotation work.
- 1Obliques and deep core resisting the rotational pull
- 2Hips and shoulders staying square to the front
- 3Slow, controlled press out and back
Common mistakes
- Letting your torso twist toward the cable
- Leaning or shifting your weight off the base
- Rushing the press instead of fighting the rotation
Muscles worked
The cable half kneeling pallof press mainly works the obliques, upper abs, and lower abs, with the glutes assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- GlutesSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- LatsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- QuadsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the cable half kneeling pallof press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.