Cable Woodchoppers

Technique

Setup

Set a single handle on a high pulley and stand side-on to the machine, feet wider than shoulder width and knees soft. Hold the handle with both hands above your near shoulder, arms long.

Movement

Rotate through your hips and torso to pull the handle diagonally down and across your body until it reaches outside your far knee, pivoting on your back foot. Return along the same path under control, then finish the set and switch sides.

Form Tip

Turn from your hips and trunk with your arms nearly straight. Pulling with your arms, or twisting only through your lower back, loses the obliques and strains your spine.

Increase Difficulty

Pause for 1 second at the end of the chop, or step further from the machine.

Decrease Difficulty

Use a lighter stack and a shorter arc, or switch to Dumbbell Woodchoppers.