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Exercise Library / Cable Woodchopper

Cable Woodchopper

The cable woodchopper trains your core to rotate under control, the way you turn to lift or throw something.

Strength Training

What this exercise does

The cable woodchopper trains your core to rotate under control, the way you turn to lift or throw something. The cable pulls you, and your abs and sides resist it.

At a glance

Body part
Abs / Core
Muscles worked
Obliques, Core
Experience
Intermediate

How to do it

  1. Attach a handle to a high pulley. Stand sideways to the machine, feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Hold the handle with both hands, arms mostly straight.
  3. Pull diagonally down and across your body, turning your torso and pivoting your back foot.
  4. Finish by your opposite hip with your arms still straight.
  5. Return slowly. Do 8 to 10 on each side.

Common mistakes

  • Moving only the arms and not the trunk.
  • Using so much weight that you lose control.
  • Rounding the lower back.

Make it easier or harder

Make it easier

Use a band anchored high on a door and keep the rotation small.

Make it harder

Go low-to-high instead, or add a longer pause at the end of the turn.

Keep it safe

Twisting under load can strain a sensitive back. Move slowly and keep the weight light.

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