Bodyweight Wood Chop

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Wood Chop Exercise

Bodyweight wood chop (combined with a reverse wood chop exercise) is a serious functional maneuver with an emphasis on the obliques. This standing ab exercise helps to build the connection between your upper and lower body and creates a strong core for sports and life adventures.

This compound exercise requires engagement of much more muscles than just the abdominal muscles. As a result it helps to burn higher amount of calories when compared to regular ab exercises done on a mat. Having said that, it will fit ideally into any thoughtful weightloss training plan.

Bodyweight wood chop exercise suits everybody starting with beginners and ending with advanced athletes who care about a functionality of their body.

BODYWEIGHT WOOD CHOP VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:

BENEFITS:

  • No equipment needed. Do it anytime, anywhere.
  • Works a hech lot of muscles: shoulders, abs, obliques, glutes, quads, lower back, upper back, hamstrings, and abductors, adductors as well.
  • Works more muscles at once therefore burns more calories than regular ab exercises done on the floor.
  • Improves hip and shoulder mobility and stability.
  • Developes explosive power.

HOW TO DO BODYWEIGHT WOOD CHOP EXERCISE

Wood Chop Exercise Step 1

First, get in a starting position. Place your feet outside shoulder width and bend your knees while keeping your back straight and chest up. Turn your toes out slightly, and position your knees in line with your feet. Keep your weight over your heels and do not let your knees go past your toes.

Put your hands together and bring them on the outside of your left thigh while rotating your torso as much as possible. Keep your arms slightly bent but locked.

Place your weight on the left leg. Pull your abs in and embrace the core.

Wood Chop Exercise Step 2

To begin the exercise explosively lift your arms diagonally upright across the body to the right shoulder. Eyes stand on your hands at all times.

At the same time stand up and rotate your torso. Simultaneuously shift your weight from the left to the right leg. Keep your hips and head square and your feet planted throughout the motion.

Now reverse the movement and return to the starting position. Imagine you’re chopping a wood at this angle and your hands are your axe. Chop vigorously so your grandma would be proud!

That’s one rep. Perform prescribed number of repetitions or for time. Then, reposition and repeat the same series of movements on the opposite side.

TIPS:

  • To add a resistance take a dumbbell or medicine ball in your hands. Or perform cable wood chop.
  • To ensure a good mind-muscle connection, keep your abs tense at all times.
  • Do not create the movement with your arms. Focus on the rotation initiating in your torso.
  • Do not round your back at any point of the exercise.
  • If you experience pain or discomfort in knees or lower back, stop the exercise and consult your physician.
About Matiss Bartulis

Sweets and pizza addict. Online and real-life fitness coach. Author of the "From Fat To Six Pack" E-mail training course. You can find him on Google+ and Facebook.

Comments

  1. e.c. marquez says

    using 20 lbs.weight faster results in woodchop exercises ?