I Thought Core Work Meant Crunches Until I Tried This

I used to think core work meant crunches. Hundreds of them. Planks until you shake. Sit-ups until your neck hurt.

Then I learned the Pallof Press.

It looks simple. You stand, hold a resistance band at chest height, press it away from you, hold it steady, bring it back. That's it.

Except it isn't simple at all.

The first time I tried it properly, with enough resistance that I actually had to work, I felt my entire torso light up. Not my abs doing a crunch. My whole core, deep muscles I didn't know I had, firing hard to stop the band from pulling me sideways.

That's when it clicked. Your core's most important job isn't moving. It's resisting movement.

Think about real life. Carrying shopping bags on one side. Lifting a toddler who's wriggling. Reaching into the back seat of the car while twisted. Your core isn't crunching in those moments. It's bracing, stabilising, keeping you upright and safe.

The Pallof Press trains exactly that.

Why it works better than crunches

Most traditional core exercises train flexion. You curl forward, you crunch, you flex your spine.

But how often do you actually need to curl your spine in daily life? Not often.

What you do need, constantly, is anti-rotation strength. The ability to stay stable when something is trying to pull you off balance.

That's what the Pallof Press builds. It teaches your core to resist twisting, to hold you steady under load, to keep your ribs stacked over your hips even when there's force trying to move you.

And because it's an anti-rotation exercise, it works the deep stabilisers. Your transverse abdominis. Your obliques. The muscles that actually support your spine and pelvis, not just the six-pack on the surface.

How I teach it

I use a resistance band, set at chest height. A door anchor works, or a bannister, or anything stable at roughly sternum level.

Stand side-on to the anchor point, feet hip-width apart. Hold the band with both hands at your chest.

Here's the important bit: stack your ribs over your hips before you start. Don't let your ribcage flare forward. Pull your front ribs down gently, engage your core, feel solid through your centre.

Now press the band straight out in front of you, arms extending fully. The band is trying to pull you sideways. Your job is to stay square, stay stacked, not let it rotate you even a millimetre.

Hold for three seconds. Feel everything working. Bring it back with control.

That's one rep.

Do six to eight reps on each side. If it feels easy, use more resistance. You should feel your core engage hard to hold position. If you're wobbling, or your torso is twisting, the resistance is too high or your setup isn't quite right yet.

What it actually does for you

After a few weeks of Pallof Presses, the women I train notice things.

They feel steadier carrying shopping. They don't feel that pull in their lower back when they're standing at the kitchen counter chopping veg. They can lift their kids without bracing for pain.

One client told me she felt taller. She didn't grow. But her posture improved because her core was actually doing its job, holding her upright without her having to think about it.

That's functional strength. Not a flatter stomach for a photo. Strength that shows up in your life, in the movements you actually do, in the confidence you feel in your own body.

The Pallof Press also fits anywhere. You can do it at home with a cheap resistance band. No gym. No machines. No lying on the floor doing endless crunches that make your neck ache.

Just you, a band, and three minutes.

The lesson it taught me

Training your core to resist movement, not create it, changed how I program for every woman I work with.

Especially women in their 40s and beyond. Especially mums. Especially anyone who's been told they need to do more sit-ups to fix their stomach.

Your core doesn't need fixing. It needs training for the job it actually does.

The Pallof Press does that. It's not flashy. It doesn't burn in a way that feels like punishment. But it works, and it works in the way that matters: in real life, when you need it, without you even thinking about it.

Give it a go. Let me know how it feels.

If you want to build this kind of strength at home, with exercises that actually make sense for your life, come join one of my live online sessions. Real coaching, real-time form checks, real women training together. Or book a free session and we'll talk about what you actually need. No hard sell. Just help.