How to Do a Wood Chop Exercise for Abs

The oblique abdominal muscles are tiny muscles on the sides of your waist. When not worked out properly, they are affectionately known as "love handles." Try the wood chop exercise to trim your obliques and give them a great workout.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Pick your equipment. You can perform the wood chop using a cable to tension weight machine with a handgrip. You also can perform this exercise with a medicine ball and intensify it by using a large exercise ball.
2. Start with the handgrip at shoulder height and stand sideways with your right side to the machine. Hold the handgrip with your right hand. Make sure you are far enough away from the machine so there is tension, or that the weight is slightly lifted to create tension in the pulley.
3. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bring your left hand across so you are holding onto the handgrip with both hands.
4. Keep your arms straight and bring them across your body as far as you can, ideally to the opposite side of the body. Slowly bring the handgrip back to your starting point.
5. Repeat 12 to 15 times, then turn to the other side and repeat to work out the left side. Alternatively, perform this wood chop exercise by starting in a sitting position and pulling upwards and across the body at the same time, or standing but pulling downward and across.
6. Use a medicine ball and a large exercise ball to perform the wood chop exercise while sitting. Sit on the large ball with feet on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
7. Hold the medicine ball between your hands and begin the exercise either at the side, moving horizontally or up above the right shoulder, moving down and to the left hip then back up again. Repeat with the other side, making sure to extend the arms and hold them straight for the entire motion.

Tips & Warnings

• Keeping the body stable while on an exercise ball subtly works the core muscles.