Obliques exercise
Cable Woodchopper (High to Low)How to do it, with form in numbers
How to do it
How do you do the Cable Woodchopper?
- Stand side-on to a high pulley and hold the handle with both hands, arms straight.
- Start with your chest turned towards the pulley and your weight on the near leg.
- Breathe out and pull the handle down and across to your far hip, turning your chest and hips.
- Let your back heel lift and pivot, then return slowly to the start.
Cues
- Arms straight, turn from the chest.
- Pivot the back foot.
- Stay tall, don't bend forward.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with your arms: keep the elbows straight and turn your body.
- Keeping your feet stuck: let the back heel lift and turn.
- Letting the weight yank you back: return slowly over two seconds.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Standing high-to-low chop with a single handle on the top pulley, pulley on the client's right, both hands on the handle, arms straight, back foot pivoting. Standing is the common gym version; kneeling and low-to-high chops are variations and are not shown.
Starting position
Standing side-on to the column, about a long step away so the cable is taut. Feet a little wider than shoulder-width (50–60 cm), knees soft. Both hands on the handle (fingers laced or one hand over the other), arms straight and reaching up and across towards the pulley so the hands are above and just outside the right shoulder. Chest and hips turned about 45° towards the pulley, weight mostly on the right leg, spine tall, shoulders down.
The movement
Pull the handle diagonally down and across the body to the outside of the left hip by turning the chest and hips together to the left, keeping the arms straight. Weight shifts onto the left leg; the right heel lifts and the right foot pivots on the ball so the knee turns in with the hips. Hold briefly, then let the handle return slowly up the same diagonal to the start. The hands travel in a near straight line; the head turns with the chest; the spine does not bend forward.
Breathing
Breathe out as you chop down, in as you return.
Tempo
1 s down, 0.5 s hold, 2 s back up (3.5 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Pulley at its highest setting (about 2.1–2.3 m); handle starts 15–25 cm above shoulder height.
- Chest turns from about 45° towards the pulley to about 45° past forward the other way (about 90°).
- Elbows straight throughout (flexion 0–10°); shoulder elevation about 140° at the start, 30° at the end.
- Knees soft at 10–20°; right heel lifts 5–8 cm as the foot pivots.
- Trunk stays upright, no forward bend at the bottom.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Cable Woodchopper is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
