Cable Wood Chop

The Cable Wood Chop is a rotational strength exercise that trains your obliques and core to transfer force from your hips through your trunk. Your shoulders and hips also work to guide the handle through the motion.

Set the cable or band at about chest height and attach a handle. Stand sideways to the machine with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Grab the handle with both hands and step away until the cable has light tension. Your arms should stay nearly straight out in front of you.

Rotate from your hips and trunk to pull the handle across your body and down toward the opposite hip. Keep your arms long throughout the movement. Let your back foot pivot naturally on the ball of the foot so your hips can turn fully. Then control the return back to the start position without letting the cable snap you back.

Breathe out as you chop across your body and keep your core lightly braced. To make it easier, lower the tension or shorten the range of motion. To make it harder, increase the tension or slow down the return.

Fault: Bending the arms and pulling mainly with the shoulders instead of rotating. Fix: Keep your arms long and focus on turning from your hips and trunk together.

Fault: Keeping the back foot glued to the floor so the hips cannot rotate fully. Fix: Pivot the back foot on the ball of the foot as the cable moves across your body.

Fault: Letting the cable jerk you back to the start. Fix: Control the return by resisting the pull and moving slowly back to the starting position.