Cable Wood Chopper

How to do it

1. Anchor the cable at the highest pulley setting and grip the handle with both hands above one shoulder.
2. Step out into a wide, athletic stance with feet planted and your knees softly bent.
3. Brace your core, then pull the handle down and across your body toward the opposite hip.
4. Drive the rotation with your trunk, letting your back foot pivot naturally as your hips turn.
5. Pause for a beat at the bottom with arms straight and core locked, feeling the obliques under load.
6. Return the handle slowly back to the start position above your shoulder, then repeat for reps.

Common mistakes

• Pulling with the arms instead of rotating through the trunk, which removes the obliques from the lift.
• Letting the hips stay locked so all the motion happens at the lower back, risking strain.
• Using too much weight and yanking the cable, which trades clean rotation for momentum.
• Standing too close to the stack so the cable loses tension at the top of every rep.