Cable Woodchop
The cable woodchop is a rotational core exercise in which you pull a cable handle from a high pulley diagonally down and across your body towards the opposite hip. It works the obliques and the rest of the trunk, with the hips turning alongside, and the weight stack makes it easy to load in small steps.
Also called: Woodchop, Cable Rotation (Wood Chop), Cable Wood Chop, High-to-Low Cable Chop · Equipment: cable · Pattern: compound
Step by step
- Set a cable pulley above head height with a single handle attached. Stand side-on to the stack with your feet wider than shoulder-width.
- Hold the handle with both hands above the shoulder nearest the stack, arms almost straight, and step away until the cable is taut.
- Brace your stomach, stand tall and keep your knees soft.
- Pull the handle diagonally down and across your body towards the outside of your far hip, turning your hips and chest together.
- Let your back foot pivot as you turn so your hips follow the pull, keeping your arms long.
- Return the handle up and across to the start under control, resisting the pull of the stack.
- Complete your reps, then turn around and repeat on the other side.
- Turn your hips and chest together
- Arms long, pull from high to low
- Pivot your back foot as you turn
- Brace your stomach before each pull
- Control the handle back to the start
- Chest up at the finish
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Obliques (internal/external) | Prime mover | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Secondary | C |
| Latissimus dorsi | Secondary | C |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | C |
| Quadratus lumborum | Stabiliser | C |
| Gluteus maximus | Stabiliser | D |
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Stabiliser | D |
| Transverse abdominis | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Pulling with the arms
Fix: Keep your arms long and let your hips and chest turn the handle down.
Bending the elbows
Fix: Keep your arms almost straight from start to finish.
Feet locked flat
Fix: Let your back foot pivot so your hips follow the pull.
Letting the stack pull you back
Fix: Take about two seconds to return the handle to the start.
Rounding forward at the finish
Fix: Keep your chest up and finish with the handle beside your far hip.
Too much weight on the stack
Fix: Pick a weight you can turn through cleanly on every rep.
What the research says
PowerStrengthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance
- Muscle activity — A small EMG study found the cable woodchop partly reproduced the order in which trunk and hip muscles switch on during golf and tennis swings. It measured the timing of muscle activity, not performance.
- Power — Research on the standing cable woodchop found power output could be measured reliably at loads up to a one-rep max, with the highest power at roughly two-thirds to four-fifths of that max.
- Standing or kneeling — A study of trunk rotations found standing produced more power than seated at the same loads. Many lifters use kneeling chops when the aim is control rather than power.
- Load and reps — There is no research on the best load for this exercise. A common approach is 8–15 controlled reps per side, with the same work done on both sides.
- Sport transfer — A systematic review found core-stability training on its own gives only small and inconsistent gains in athletic performance measures.
Swap it mid-workout
- Cable Pallof Rotation
- Cable Reverse Woodchop
- Dumbbell Woodchop
- Medicine Ball Hip Toss
- Medicine Ball Woodchop
- Kettlebell Windmill
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the cable 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.