Cable Woodchop

Core · obliques · intermediate

Start

Finish

How to do it

Set a cable high and stand side-on with straight-ish arms, then pull the handle down and across your body toward the opposite hip by rotating through the ribcage and pivoting the back foot.

Muscles worked

Primary: obliques · Also works: core, shoulders, glutes

Equipment

Cables

Common mistakes

Pulling with the arms while the torso stays square, which turns it into a shoulder exercise
Keeping the back foot planted so the rotation is forced into the lower spine instead of the hips
Letting the weight yank you back up rather than controlling the return for two seconds

Variations

Low-to-high chop from a low pulley
Half-kneeling to remove the hip pivot
Band version anchored high at home

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