Exercise Guide

Banded Woodchop

A diagonal chop across the body against a band. Trains rotation under load, which almost nothing else in a normal session does.

BeginnerStrengthPullCompound
Form
Banded Woodchop - Start position
Start
Banded Woodchop - Mid position
Mid
Banded Woodchop - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Core

Equipment

Bands

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Pull

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

ShouldersGlutes
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Anchor a band high and stand side-on to it, holding the end with both hands above your outside shoulder.

  2. 2

    Set your feet shoulder-width apart with soft knees.

  3. 3

    Pull the band down and across your body toward your opposite hip, rotating through your torso.

  4. 4

    Return under control along the same path, then switch sides.

Tips
  • Let the hips turn with the chop rather than locking them - forcing all the rotation into the spine is asking for trouble.
  • Keep your arms fairly straight so the movement comes from the trunk.
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