Exercise guide · evidence-graded

Cable Reverse Woodchop

The cable reverse woodchop pulls a handle from a low pulley diagonally up and across your body, from outside one knee to above the opposite shoulder. It trains the obliques and trunk to rotate upwards, with the hips and back extensors helping drive the lift.

Also called: Low to High Cable Woodchop, Cable Reverse Wood Chop, Low Cable Woodchop, Reverse Cable Chop · Equipment: cable · Pattern: compound

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How to do it

Step by step

  1. Set a single handle on the low pulley. Stand side-on to the machine, a step or two away, with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  2. Hold the handle with both hands and bend your hips and knees so the handle starts outside the knee nearest the machine, with your chest turned towards it.
  3. Brace your trunk and keep your arms long, with a slight bend in the elbows.
  4. Push through your legs and turn your hips and ribcage together, pulling the handle up diagonally across your body until it finishes above your far shoulder.
  5. Let your back foot pivot as you turn, and finish standing tall with your ribs down.
  6. Take the handle back down the same diagonal slowly to the start.
  7. Finish the reps, then turn around and work the other side.
Coaching cues
  • Turn your hips and ribcage together
  • Arms long, hands follow your chest
  • Pivot your back foot
  • Finish tall, ribs down
  • Control it back down the diagonal

In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.

Muscles worked

What it trains

MuscleRoleEvidence
Obliques (internal/external)Prime moverC
Rectus abdominis: lowerSecondaryC
Erector spinaeSecondaryC
Gluteus maximusStabiliserD
Posterior deltoid: posteriorStabiliserD
Quadratus lumborumStabiliserD

Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.

Common faults

What goes wrong, and the fix

Arching the low back to finish

Fix: Finish tall with your ribs down, turning through your hips rather than arching.

Pulling with the arms

Fix: Keep your arms long and let your hips and ribcage turn the handle.

Feet rooted to the floor

Fix: Let your back foot pivot as your hips turn.

Rushing the return

Fix: Take the handle back down the diagonal slowly.

Weight too heavy

Fix: Use a weight you can lift through the full diagonal with a steady trunk.

Programming

What the research says

PowerStrengthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance

  • Research base — There is no research on the reverse woodchop itself. A pilot EMG study found the standard cable woodchop partly reproduced the order in which muscles switch on during a golf or tennis swing.
  • Power — Testing research on the standard standing woodchop reports power peaking at roughly 67–83% of one-rep max. Standing trunk rotations produced more power than seated ones, which the authors put down to hip and leg drive.
  • Load and reps — Research finds lighter, higher-rep work favours local muscular endurance and heavier work favours strength. A common approach is 2–4 sets of 8–15 controlled reps per side.
  • Both directions — Coaches commonly pair the high-to-low woodchop with this low-to-high version so both rotational lines are trained. There is no research comparing the two.
Alternatives · VALDA FLEX

Swap it mid-workout

With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.

Log the cable reverse woodchop in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.

General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.