...I call it Pallof Pullover Press Sit-Ups.

This exercise is going to light up your entire core from just about every angle and function you can think of. It is horrible...in an awesome sort of way.

There are a number of concepts at work all at the same time during this exercise...

1. The Pallof Press - anti-rotation
2. Dumbbell Pullover - peak stretch on rectus abdominis
3. Abdominal Sit-Up - abdominal flexion
4. Core Bracing - anti-flexion

Put these all together and you've got an exercise that will challenge your core like nothing else.

To do this one, you'll need a few pieces of equipment...a bench, a rolled-up towel (I'm using a couple of foam wedges but the function is the same), a dumbbell (I'm using an 85 lb dumbbell here...start lighter), a light band, and something solid to hitch it onto (doesn't have to be a power rack post...it can be anything solid).

This is going to seem a bit complex to start with, but once you get the overall concept, you'll get it pretty quick. It all ties together nicely.

The "base" exercise is an Abdominal Sit-Up. This is what looks like a "normal" sit-up movement done with a rolled-up towel set in your lower back. This changes the movement from a primarily hip flexion exercise to a spinal flexion exercise. You can read more detailed info on Abdominal Sit-Ups here.

It's a fantastic six-pack and overall core exercise.

You're going to be using a dumbbell for extra weight on the exercise, loading the core even more.

In addition, you'll be adding in direct lateral-pulling resistance via the band. The primary exercise that does this is called the Pallof Press. We're adapting the lateral-resistance concept from it to work with this exercise.

You're going to do all of this on top of a bench, placing yourself so that your head and a small part of your upper back can hang over the end of the bench (not the entire upper back...just a few inches down to allow for some spinal movememt). This is where the pullover comes in.

At the start of the sit-up movement, you're going to be doing a dumbbell pullover, which is going to put a tremendous stretch on the rectus abdominis (six-pack abs). Then you're going to bring the dumbbell up to the top of the pullover, then do the abdominal sit-up, then bring the dumbbell forward, while getting lateral band tension the ENTIRE time.

There is no mercy.

Here's what it looks like.

Set the bench beside your solid object and your band that is hitched to it. It should be far enough away that you get a little stretch in the band.

(if you need bands, here's my recommended source - use coupon code rbtfitstep to get 10% off packages)

Set your towel (or foam wedges) onto the bench so that when you're lying on the bench your head and a little of your upper back are off the end. Loop one end of the band around the handle of the dumbbell.

Sit on the bench and holdl the dumbbell with both hands.

Lie back onto the bench and onto the lower back "block". Hold the dumbbell as you would for a pullover. You should be comfortable with the dumbbell pullover exercise before trying this one.

Notice where my feet are in this picture...clamped onto the sides of the bench. This is CRITICAL because this is what keeps you from falling over sideways during the exercise, due to the lateral band tension.

If your feet are set on top of the bench, the band pulling sideways will pull you off balance. Clamp down.

Bring the dumbbell back and down behind your head, into the bottom position of the pullover. Hold for a few seconds and focus on the stretch on the abs. We're not worried about it's effects on the lats or chest here...just the abs.

Now start the pullover, bringing the dumbbell up.

Bring it all the way up to the top position, over your chest.

Now start the Abdominal Sit-Up, using the wedge in your lower back as the pivot point so that the tension goes onto the core, not the hip flexors.

Keep coming up until your torso is about at a 45 degree angle. You want to maintain contact with the towel/block in your lower back. When using a heavier weight like this, you can keep the dumbbell in closer to your body. If you're using a lighter weight, you can push the dumbbell out in front of you, like an actual Pallof Press.

Hold for a second or two, then lie back slowly and under control and repeat.

When you've finished your reps facing one way (I like to do this one as a lower-rep exercise, aiming fo 4-6 reps per set), take a rest before turning around and facing the other way, so that the band is pulling from the other side.

You want to take the rest because even though the band is coming from the other side, most of the core is still getting worked strongly and it will need rest in order to actually get the reps on the other side.

When doing this during a workout, I would recommend finishing your workout with it...especially if you plan on doing any heavy training with exercises like squats, deadlifts or overhead press that need a lot of core strength and stabillity.

Keep it even on both sides, doing either 2 sets or 4 sets of it. And you CAN use a lighter weight and aim for higher reps, too (e.g. 10-15). It'll be very effective in that range, too.

Bottom line, even though it LOOKS complicated, once you get the idea of how it works, you can really hammer your core hard with this one.

It covers almost every aspect of core strength and stability in one awesome exercise.

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