Exercise How To:

Wood Chop with a Resistance Band

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Muscles Worked: Shoulders, triceps, biceps, quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, core muscles.

Starting Position: Stand on the resistance band with your feet shoulder width apart. Stand on the resistance band with one foot 2 to 3 feet from the end of one handle. Your palms should be fully around the handle and facing each other. Keep your feet square and at shoulder width apart.

Action: Start with a lightweight dumbbell, five pounds or even less. Remember, we are doing two to three sets of 15 to 25 reps.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Place the dumbbell to the side of your left foot. Bend down and grab the dumbbell with both hands. You will feel slightly uncomfortable and "twisted" in the starting position; this means you are doing it right.

This is the most complicated part of the exercise. You are doing three movements at the same time. With your lower body, you want to extend your legs so that they are straight. With your core, or stomach, you want to twist, as if you are swinging a golf club, baseball bat or an axe. When swinging, your arms should be as straight as possible, and you want the weight to move from your lower left foot to a fully extended position over your right shoulder. In other words, you are going from the lowest point near your left foot, to the highest point to the side and above your right shoulder, while keeping your arms as straight as possible throughout the exercise.

Now, keeping your arms straight, return back to the starting position.

Each movement should take two to three seconds to perform. The next time you perform the Wood Chop, you can pick up the pace, but make sure that you have your technique perfect before increasing the speed of your repetitions.

Muscles Worked

ShouldersTriceps MusclesBicepsQuadricepsGluteal MusclesHamstrings

More Resistance Band Exercises

One Arm Curl with a Resistance Band
Two Arm Curl with a Resistance Band
Front Shoulder Raise with a Resistance Band
Lat Pull with a Resistance Band
Lunges with a Resistance Band
Shoulder Press with a Resistance Band
Side Shoulder Raise with a Resistance Band
Squat Curls with a Resistance Band
Squat Shoulder Press with a Resistance Band
Squats with a Resistance Band
Static Lunges with a Resistance Band
Upright Row Squat with Resistance Band

 
 
 

Tips for Wood Chop with a Resistance Band:

1. Try to keep your shoulders as straight as possible throughout the exercise.

2. Simultaneously extend your legs and twist your upper body. It takes a bit of coordination, but you will improve with practice.

3. Make sure you maintain a regular breathing pattern. Exhale when extending up and inhale when returning to the starting position.