How to Do the Wood Chop Exercise for Stronger Obliques

The wood chop exercise is a full-body move that strengthens your core — including your obliques — as well as your arms and legs. This exercise also boosts sports performance, especially in golf, baseball and tennis, as it improves rotational power.

"The wood chop is an incredibly functional movement. It strengthens your body in the gym to support how we actually move in real life. This helps reduce the chance of injury," Jonathan Jordan, CPT, owner of Jonathan Jordan Fitness, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

Read on to learn more about how to do the wood chop exercise, the muscles worked, benefits, form tips, variations and how to add it to your workout routine.

• ‌What is the wood chop exercise?‌ With this exercise, you're essentially making a wood-chopping motion, hence the name. You start with your trunk rotated in one direction and your arms overhead, and you move down (into a chopping motion) by rotating your trunk to the opposite direction as you squat down. You often do this by holding some weight, such as a cable pulley machine, dumbbell, kettlebell or resistance band.
• ‌Who can do the wood chop exercise?‌ This move is great for those who want to work their core, as well as their upper and lower body. It's great for athletes and those who want their bodies to move more efficiently. Anyone with back issues (lower back pain, disc injuries, etc.), shoulder impingement, tennis elbow or golf elbow should get the green light from their doctor before attempting this exercise, Jordan says. Additionally, anyone who experiences pain when doing this exercise should stop immediately and talk to a doctor or physical therapist.
• ‌What muscles does the wood chop exercise work?‌ The wood chop exercise (also called the cable twist or standing cable lift when done on the cable pulley machine) works your core — specifically your obliques and transverse abdominals. Your gluteal muscles work as stabilizers throughout this motion, while your quadriceps, hamstrings and calves get a workout as you squat and rotate. In addition, your arms (including your deltoids and rotator cuff) are worked as you move the weight from one side of your body, up overhead to the other side of your body.
• ‌What is the wood chop exercise good for?‌ "The rotational/twisting motion from your core will help develop functional strength to support strong, powerful and stable movements," Jordan says. It helps improve sports performance, as well as everyday activities. "Think about how you move in a day, and I'm sure you'll find ways you're 'chopping' — moving something from up high to the floor, for instance," he says.

The wood chop exercise has many benefits that make it worthy of adding to your exercise routine.

A small November 2019 study in the ‌Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences‌ found core exercises like the wood chop improved short-term and long-term symptoms in those with chronic low back pain. That's because this type of exercise improves trunk rotation endurance and strength, which helps support your spine to treat and prevent back injuries. (Because this is such a small study, more research is needed in this area.)

The wood chop is a more advanced exercise, however, and those who have back pain should talk to their doctor before doing this move. Make sure you're using proper form and start with light weights.

Those who play sports, especially activities that involve rotation — like tennis, baseball or golf — can benefit from the wood chop exercise, according to a small August 2017 study in the ‌Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research‌‌.‌ These types of sports require rotational power and endurance in the core. In addition, core strength allows you to generate more power in your arms and legs.

Performing this multi-joint exercise, along with other abdominal exercises, can help you build a strong, sculpted midsection, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). The wood chop strengthens your core, specifically your obliques (the muscles that run along the sides of your abdomen) and transversus abdominis (the deepest abdominal muscle layer).

You can perform the wood chop exercise with a dumbbell, cable pulley machine, kettlebell, resistance band or even your own body weight. You can also do this move standing or kneeling. This is a great exercise to work your abdominals, get your heart rate up and also work your upper and lower body.

"This move looks simple, but it's actually very challenging to maintain proper spine and shoulder posture," Jordan says. "This is largely due to 'desk life,' which has made it challenging for many people to keep their chest up, ribs down and shoulders back."

Here are a few common mistakes Jordan notices people making when they do the wood chop and how to fix them.

"Rotational movements like this are super important, and from the outside they look simple. But loaded rotation through the spine can lead to nasty injuries, especially in the lumbar discs," Jordan says. "So, keep the weight light and slow down. And ask for help from a trainer if needed."

You can also film yourself doing the exercise to ensure you're maintaining proper form with whichever weight you choose.

Don't lock in your knees and feet, Jordan says. As you turn your trunk to lift your arms overhead, the opposite foot should pivot to allow the rotation. As you rotate your spine the other way to bring the weight down, the foot should pivot again. "Allow your feet to pivot with you," he says.

"Keep your arms straight so the movement and work come from your core and trunk and not your arms," Jordan says. If you find yourself bending your arms or flexing your trunk to control the weight, lower the weight so you can better control it.

If you have access to a cable pulley machine at your gym, you can use it to perform the wood chop exercise.

If you don't have access to a cable pulley machine, using a resistance band is a great alternative.

If you want to take your legs out of this exercise and focus on your core and shoulder strength, the half-kneeling wood chop is a good variation to try. You can do this move with a dumbbell (as demonstrated below) cable pulley machine or resistance band.

Using a foam roller is a great way to practice your technique and form before working your way up to weights.

"There are endless ways of incorporating wood chops into your workouts. So don't overthink it, just fit in one or two varieties each week," Jordan says.

You can mix it up with dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands or the cable pulley machine.

"Start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps at a safe weight at a smooth, slow pace. You can build up the sets, reps and weight over time," he says.

As your strength improves, you can increase the weight. The last few reps should be difficult. If they aren't, it is time to increase the weight — as long as you can maintain proper form and you don't have pain.

You can work this into your core-strengthening day or into a total-body day. Both are effective, Jordan says. You can also add this move into a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routine.

"If you need help programming your weekly workouts and priorities, you can always chat with a trainer to help," he says.