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Exercise library · Abs

Cable woodchopper

Trunk rotation for the abs on a cable.

How to do it

1 of 3

Side-on to the cable, arms nearly straight

  1. Starting position

    Stand sideways to a high cable, hold the handle with both hands, and keep your arms nearly straight.

  2. The movement

    Pull the handle diagonally down toward the opposite hip, rotate your torso, then return slowly.

Most common mistake

Don't pull with only your arms, rotate your torso and let your back foot turn with you.

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Muscle group
Abs
Equipment
Cable
Where
Gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The cable woodchopper is a rotation exercise in which force travels diagonally through your whole body. The obliques do most of the work as your trunk turns, while the rest of your abs keep you steady. The movement starts in your legs and hips, passes through your trunk and out into your arms, so your glutes, shoulders and back work too. Set the pulley low and pull diagonally upwards instead, and you have a reverse woodchopper, with the same muscles working the other way.

Common mistakes

  • You stand too close to the cable. The cable then hangs slack at the start and the load only arrives halfway through. Take a step or two away so the weight stack is already lifted in the starting position.
  • Your legs are stiff. With locked knees your hips cannot turn, and more of the rotation ends up in your lower back. Stand wide with your knees slightly bent and your hips loose.
  • The weight is too heavy. When the cable moves you rather than the other way round, you start leaning and jerking. Choose a weight you can stop and hold still for a second at the end.

Variations and alternatives

  • The band woodchopper is the home version with a resistance band.
  • The Pallof press uses the same cable but trains your trunk to resist rotation instead of creating it.
  • The Russian twist rotates your trunk sitting on the floor, holding a dumbbell or weight plate.

Sets and reps

Woodchoppers are best trained with a moderate weight and full control. Two to three sets of 8 to 12 reps per side make a good base, with a minute or two of rest. Do the same number of reps in both directions. You will find more on choosing sets in the guide to sets and reps.

Move one step up the stack once every rep comes back under control. That is what progressive overload looks like in a rotation exercise. Alternate high to low and low to high between sessions. If you feel pain in your back or shoulder, not just effort, stop and have a doctor or physiotherapist look at it.

Also called

  • woodchopper
  • cable woodchop

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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