The Cable Wood Chopper is a beginner-friendly cable strength exercise that targets the abdominals. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesAbs
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentCable
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Cable Wood Chopper
Anchor the cable at the highest pulley setting and grip the handle with both hands above one shoulder.
Step out into a wide, athletic stance with feet planted and your knees softly bent.
Brace your core, then pull the handle down and across your body toward the opposite hip.
Drive the rotation with your trunk, letting your back foot pivot naturally as your hips turn.
Pause for a beat at the bottom with arms straight and core locked, feeling the obliques under load.
Return the handle slowly back to the start position above your shoulder, then repeat for reps.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds rotational power through the obliques and trunk.
Trains the core to transfer force between hips and shoulders.
Carries directly into golf, tennis, throwing, and striking sports.
03 Don't do this
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.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Cable Wood Chopper, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
