Cable Reverse Wood Chop
What Is the Cable Reverse Wood Chop?
Cable Reverse Wood Chop is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core, with the obliques doing most of the work while the shoulders, glutes and back muscles help drive the handle upward. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you pull a cable from a low pulley diagonally up and across your body, from beside the knee nearest the machine to above your head on the far side.
It is the mirror image of the Cable Wood Chop, which pulls from a high pulley down toward the opposite hip. Physical therapists call this low-to-high diagonal the lift, the partner of the chop, and a clinical commentary on the chop and lift describes pairing both patterns with half-kneeling and tall-kneeling positions to assess and train core stability. Compared with the Medicine Ball Reverse Wood Chop, where gravity only pulls the ball straight down, the cable pulls back toward the machine along the whole path, so the trunk has to control rotation on the way down as well as on the way up.
The obliques turn the torso away from the machine, while the glutes and legs lift you out of the low starting position and the abs and back muscles keep the spine braced. Because the rep finishes with the arms extended overhead, the shoulders and serratus anterior carry more of the load than in the high-to-low chop, and most people use a lighter weight for this version. Turning the hips along with the torso spreads the rotation across the hips and upper back instead of concentrating it in the lower back. Kneeling on one knee removes most of the leg drive and body sway, which makes the movement stricter and easier to learn.
The exercise suits lifters and athletes who want core work that trains rotation and the transfer of force from the legs through the trunk to the arms, the same diagonal sequence used in throwing and swinging. It usually sits in the core or accessory part of a session, after the main lifts, done for controlled sets on each side. Anyone new to rotational training can build a base first with anti-rotation work such as the Cable Pallof Press and a light Medicine Ball Reverse Wood Chop before adding cable load.
Muscles Worked
- External Oblique
- Primary
- Deltoid
- High
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- Gluteus Maximus
- Medium
- Rectus Abdominis
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Rectus Femoris
- Minimal
Instructions
- Attach a single D-handle to a cable pulley set at its lowest position.
- Stand side-on to the machine, far enough away that the cable stays taut, with your feet wider than shoulder width.
- Bend your knees, push your hips back and turn your torso toward the pulley, then grab the handle with both hands, one wrapped over the other, beside the knee nearest the machine.
- Keep your arms long with a slight bend in the elbows, your back flat and most of your weight on the leg nearest the machine.
- Brace your core, then drive up through your legs as you turn your hips and torso away from the machine.
- Sweep the handle diagonally up and across your body, shifting your weight onto your far leg.
- Finish standing tall with your arms extended above your head toward the far side, ribs down and without leaning back.
- Reverse the path slowly, turning and bending back down until the handle returns beside your near knee.
- Complete your reps, then turn to face the other way and repeat on the other side.
Common Mistakes
Lifting with the arms
Bending the elbows or raising the handle with the shoulders turns the chop into a front raise, so keep the arms nearly straight and let the hips and torso move the handle.
Rounding to reach the handle
Bending over at the waist to grab the low handle loads a rounded spine, so sit into the hips and knees to reach it with a flat back.
Leaning back at the top
Arching the lower back to get the hands higher shifts the work away from the core, so finish tall with the ribs down and shorten the reach if needed.
Locking the hips
Keeping the hips and feet fixed forces the lower back to do all the twisting, so let the hips turn and shift your weight to the far leg as you rise.
Getting pulled back on the return
Letting the stack drag the handle back to the start skips the controlled half of the rep, so lower it as slowly as you lifted it.
Using too much weight
A heavy stack forces a jerky, momentum-driven swing, so choose a load you can move smoothly through the whole path on both sides.
Injuries
Cable Reverse Wood Chop is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The main strain point is the lower back, which can round as you reach down to the low pulley and then arch or twist hard as you rise and reach overhead. The shoulders are the second area to watch, since the arms finish extended overhead against the pull of the cable and a weight that is too heavy turns the rep into a strained front raise.
Start with a lighter weight than you would use for a high-to-low chop and keep the speed controlled in both directions. Reach the low position by bending the knees and hips rather than rounding the back, let the hips turn with the torso, and finish tall with the ribs down instead of leaning back. Straight arms make a longer lever and load the spine more, so keep a slight bend in the elbows and shorten the overhead reach if you feel your lower back arching.
To make it easier, kneel on one knee, which cuts out most of the leg drive and body sway, or practice the pattern with a light Medicine Ball Reverse Wood Chop. Anti-rotation work such as the Cable Pallof Press or Cable Half-Kneeling Pallof Press builds the bracing the chop relies on. Once the movement is smooth, add load gradually or move to faster, explosive work such as the Medicine Ball Rotational Throw.
Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the lower back, pain that travels into the buttock or leg, or pinching at the front or top of the shoulder as the arms go overhead. Anyone with a current back injury or disc problem should get clearance from a clinician before training loaded rotation.
Other Names for the Cable Reverse Wood Chop
The Cable Reverse Wood Chop is also known as:
- Low-to-High Cable Wood Chop
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is this different from the regular cable wood chop?
The Cable Wood Chop pulls from a high pulley down toward the opposite hip, while this version pulls from a low pulley up to above the opposite shoulder. Rising out of the low position brings in more leg and hip drive, and finishing overhead asks more of the shoulders.
- Q: Should I use the same weight as for a high-to-low chop?
No. Most people are weaker lifting the handle upward than chopping it down, because the shoulders have to raise the arms overhead, so start lighter and add weight only while every rep stays smooth.
- Q: Should my arms stay completely straight?
Keep them long with a slight bend in the elbows that does not change during the rep. Bending and straightening the arms turns the movement into a shoulder raise and takes work away from the core.
- Q: Can I do it kneeling?
Yes. Kneeling on one knee with the other foot forward removes most of the leg drive and body sway, which makes it a stricter core exercise and a good way to learn the pattern before progressing to standing.
- Q: Is it useful for rotational sports?
It trains the same diagonal sequence from the legs through the trunk to the arms that throwing and swinging use, so it is a sensible strength exercise for those athletes. For speed and power, pair it with explosive work such as the Medicine Ball Rotational Throw.