Few exercises engage as many muscle groups as the diagonal wood chop. This rotational exercise addresses the basic movement patterns used in rotational sports such as kayaking, canoeing, baseball, tennis, golf and dance. Free weights, cable equipment and medicine balls support the diagonal wood chop exercise, but resistance bands offer an affordable workout that you can take on the road.
Wood Chopper Anatomy
The latissimus dorsi, which extends along the sides of your back; obliques, which make a letter "X" across your abdominal region; and deltoids or shoulder area are the primary muscles engaged during the diagonal wood chop exercise. Your quadriceps or frontal thigh muscles, gluteal muscles, biceps and triceps assist the movement. The exercise involves as transfer of energy from your hips, upper torso and arms. This energy transference pattern simulates many of the movements used in rotational sports, and the fluid movements of the resistance band mimic the movement qualities evident in the most graceful athletic swings.
Using Your Lats
Your latissimus dorsi performs best when it has to pull a resistance down from a stable attachment point. Because using a dumbbell or medicine ball does not allow you to secure the weight to a stable attachment point, this version of the diagonal wood chop is less effective for engaging your latissimus dorsi. In contrast, when you attach a resistance band to a point above your head, you use your lats to pull the band downward away from the attachment point.
Resistance Band Benefits
All variations of the diagonal wood chop exercise have a direct transfer of training into sport-specific movements, but the resistance band offers special benefits. Aside fromlow-cost and portability, the resistance band offers accommodating resistance, which means that it provides less resistance when your muscles are at their weakest, and more resistance when your muscles are in a position of strength. If you perform the same exercise with a dumbbell, the weight might be adequate for the middle of the movement, but too heavy for movement initiation, and the excess weight may trigger lower-back injuries.
Breaking Down the Wood Chop
If limited upper-torso strength and flexibility prevent you from performing the exercise in optimal form, the seated rotation provides an effective alternative. Sit upright on a stability ball, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Attach the resistance band to a stable point to the left of your body. Hold the end of the band, and slowly rotate your upper torso to the right, as far as it will go while maintaining an upright posture. Perform 15 repetitions, then change sides.
Performing the Wood Chop
The diagonal wood chop has two variations. The first begins with the band attached to a point above your head. Stand sideways to the attachment point, and grab the band with both hands. Rotate your upper torso and pull the band down toward your opposite hip. Return with control. The lower point attachment method, sometimes called the reverse wood chop, requires more leg action. Attach the bend to a point on the floor. Stand sideways, bend your knees and hold the band with both hands. As you swivel your upper torso, straighten both of your legs. Complete the movement with your arms diagonally upward of your opposite shoulder.
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