How many reps of the cable reverse woodchopper should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side at a lighter weight than you'd use on a standard high-to-low woodchopper, since the upward sweep is harder to control. Once the quarter-squat start and the sweep both look identical rep to rep, add a third set before you add any load.

What can replace the cable reverse woodchopper without a cable stack?

The band reverse woodchopper trains the identical low-to-high rotational pattern using an anchored band instead of a stack. A kneeling or standing medicine ball throw, swept diagonally from hip to opposite shoulder, also builds the same upward rotational power without any machine.

What is the cable reverse woodchopper for and who should skip it?

It trains the obliques and hips to generate upward rotational power, the pattern behind an uppercut, a golf swing, or a sidearm or underhand throw from the hip. It is a poor fit for beginners who have not yet built basic rotational control on the standard high-to-low woodchopper, since the upward direction is harder to control under load.

Intermediate

Cable Reverse Woodchopper

The reverse woodchopper flips the classic high-to-low chop: the handle starts at a low pulley and is driven up and across the body as you rise out of a quarter squat. The obliques and hips produce the rotation while the glutes and legs help you stand, training the low-to-high power used in throwing, swinging and lifting objects up and across. Keep the load moderate so the hips lead and the arms simply carry the line.

Equipment: Cables
Body part: Abs
Type: Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle: Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Rotation

How to do it

1
Set the pulley to its lowest point and grab the handle with both hands.
2
Stand side-on to the stack, feet hip-width, and lower into a quarter squat with the handle by your outside hip.
3
Brace your core, then rotate and stand as you sweep the handle up and across to above the far shoulder.
4
Let the back heel pivot so the hips open with the movement.
5
Reverse the arc under control, returning the handle to the starting hip without letting the stack yank you around.
6
Complete the set, then turn around and work the other side.

Tips

Drive the motion with hip and trunk rotation, not by yanking with the shoulders.
Keep the arms long and mostly straight so the load stays over the core.
Exhale as you rotate up and keep the ribs from flaring at the top.

Variations

Common mistakes

The quarter squat at the bottom turns into a full squat, which buries the setup and turns the chop into a squat-and-shrug instead of a rotation.
Yanking the handle up with the shoulder before the hips start turning lets the arm, not the trunk, drive the whole rep.
The ribs flare open at the top of the sweep instead of staying stacked over the pelvis, which arches the low back at the exact top of the range.
Some lifters let the weight stack slam down on the return, using gravity to yank them back into the quarter squat instead of lowering under control.
The back heel stays planted through the whole rotation, so the hips can't open and the low back twists to make up the difference.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the cable reverse woodchopper should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side at a lighter weight than you'd use on a standard high-to-low woodchopper, since the upward sweep is harder to control. Once the quarter-squat start and the sweep both look identical rep to rep, add a third set before you add any load.
What can replace the cable reverse woodchopper without a cable stack?: The band reverse woodchopper trains the identical low-to-high rotational pattern using an anchored band instead of a stack. A kneeling or standing medicine ball throw, swept diagonally from hip to opposite shoulder, also builds the same upward rotational power without any machine.
What is the cable reverse woodchopper for and who should skip it?: It trains the obliques and hips to generate upward rotational power, the pattern behind an uppercut, a golf swing, or a sidearm or underhand throw from the hip. It is a poor fit for beginners who have not yet built basic rotational control on the standard high-to-low woodchopper, since the upward direction is harder to control under load.

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