Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Strength Training 101: Woodchoppers

Hi Friends!
Hope you're having a great week! This week, I wanted to touch on an exercise that is great for your core, but is often done incorrectly. You can even anchor a resistance band under one foot, and perform them that way, just make sure the band doesn't slide as you rotate your foot! :)
Here's the breakdown: Start with abs in and dumbbell in hand. (You can either practice this move with no weights at all, which I recommend for beginners.) You won't need a very heavy dumbbell, either. Squat down, holding dumbbell in both hands by right knee. Twist and rotate with straight arms, moving dumbbell up diagonally to the left. Slowly rotate and lower dumbbell back to the right side in a squat. This move should never be rushed, and abs should be contracted throughout this movement.


This is a great move for working the obliques, but should not be performed with momentum for safety reasons. This move is great for not only working the core, but also getting a total body cardio workout! Get out there and get moving!

Happy Workout Wednesday!
Julie 

3 comments:

  1. One of my favorite exercises! I do them up and down, but need to add this twist. Thanks for sharing!

    Maria @ The Good Life

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's one exercise that is hard to teach in a group setting, a lot of people have the wrong body posture when performing the swing. Thanks for the explanation and I will share it on my business page. Thanks for stopping by #wowlinkup.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love wood chops. I also tend to feel these in my buttocks and thighs.Thanks for participating in this week's #wowlinkup.

    ReplyDelete