Woodchop is one of the popular exercises to train the obliques. You will find many people in the gym doing cable wood chop alternatives with a cable machine. However, do you know that there are many other exercises to hit the obliques?
Many people don’t have enough time to go to the gym. So how can you train your obliques?
Many of us do not train obliques and as a result, these muscles get weaker and weaker. Also, obliques are one of the important muscles to provide stability and balance during heavy compound movements. So ignoring these muscles will have an impact on your performance on other exercises.
So here, in this article, I have shared some of the most effective alternatives to cable wood chop alternatives that you can do at home. Most of these exercises are easy and can be done easily on the floor without any equipments. So if you want to add some new exercises for your obliques, then do read this entire article.
But before talking about the alternatives, it’s very important to know which muscles are engaged during a cable wood chop alternatives.
Muscles Worked During Cable Wood Chop Alternatives
Cable wood chop alternatives exercise is done primarily to hit the obliques. Along with obliques, some other secondary muscles like the transverse abdominus, serratus anterior, and rectus abdominus are also engaged to assist during a movement.
You should also know that the best way to target the obliques is by rotation of the torso. You can also target the obliques and side muscles with unilateral movements or by walking straight while holding a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand.
We have selected alternatives by considering all these factors. So let’s start with the alternatives now!
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Cable Wood Chop Alternatives
1. Side Crunches
Side crunch is a great exercise to target the obliques. It can be done easily on the floor. This can be done by beginners and people having trouble doing other difficult exercises. So you can easily do side crunches at home as an alternative to cable wood chop alternatives.
Targeted muscles – Obliques and transverse abdominis
How to do
1. Lay down on the floor and keep your hand on the backside of your head. Look straight and place the other hand on the obliques you are targeting. This will be your starting position. cable wood chop alternatives
2. Start the exercise by lifting your torso with the help of your obliques. Bring your rib towards your hip.
3. Slowly bring your torso down and stop until the head touches the floor. Repeat the same from the other side.
Recommended reps – 15-20
Rest – 10-20 sec
You can also increase the range of motion on this exercise by moving your head slightly back when you bring your torso down. This stretches the obliques and creates an angle that puts extra tension on the obliques.
If you find this exercise easy then don’t worry, many other challenging exercises are coming up. So read the entire blog. cable wood chop alternatives
2. Side Plank
This is another great exercise you can do instead of a cable wood chop alternatives. Side plank is an awesome exercise to improve stability and core strength. As the core muscles are slow-twitch muscles, you should do static exercises like side planks to work these muscles better. cable wood chop alternatives
Targeted muscles – Obliques, lower back, and transverse abdominis
How to do
1. Lie on your side and keep your elbows on the floor such that your elbows are under your shoulder.
2. Keep both legs straight on top of each other and bring your hips up by engaging your core and obliques and stop when your hips and waist are in a straight line.
3. Now hold this position for about 30 seconds to a minute according to your strength. Atop the exercise when your hips starts going down.
4. Repeat the same position from the other side.
Recommended time- 30-60 sec
Rest- 30 sec
Make sure that you keep your torso straight and flat. You should feel the tension on your side. You can also keep the other hand on the floor just for balance.
3. Plank With Hip Twist
This is another best alternative to cable wood chop alternatives. If you can do planks easily, then this exercise will be a great variation you can add to challenge your core. Here, the twisting motion of your hip engages your obliques and other side muscles.
Targeted muscles – rectus abdominus (abs), obliques, and transverse abdominis
How to do
1. Go down on a plank position by placing both hands on the floor with both feet close to each other.
2. Keep your elbows under your shoulder. Your hips and back should be in a straight line. This will be your starting position.
3. Start the exercise by moving your left hip toward the floor. Keep your hips up as you move.
4. Almost touch the floor and then use your core muscles to bring your hips up towards the starting position. Repeat the same procedure from the other side.
Rest- 45 sec
Recommended reps- 15 each side
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Along with your abs, you will also engage your obliques and transverse abdominis. These exercises will also help you in improving your squats and other big lifts because your core is engaged in a lot of during compound movements like deadlifts and lunges. So do these exercises to improve your overall strength and performance.
4. Landmine Oblique Twist
In order to target the obliques, you should do twisting movements. Just bending to the side will not give you the best results. That’s why you should do exercises like landmine oblique twist. In this exercise, you will activate all of the core muscles which will help you in improving balance and stability.
Landmine oblique twist looks and works similar to the cable wood chop alternatives. Here, you will activate the same muscles and can get amazing results. If you haven’t tried this before then you must try it.
Targeted muscles – obliques, transverse abdominis, and deltoid
How to do
1 Attach a bar to the landmine setup and then grab the other end of the bar. Hold the bar with one hand above the other. Then bring your arms up as you hold. This will be the starting position.
2. Start the exercise by bringing the bar down to the left side with the help of your arms. Twist your torso as you move and make sure not to bend your back too much.
3. Stop when your hand reaches the waist level and then move the bar up and take it to the right side while keeping your arms straight. cable wood chop alternatives
Recommended reps- 12-15
Rest- 45 seconds
Make sure that you do this with proper form and technique. You should feel your obliques firing as you twist. For that, you should focus on the obliques as you move the bar rather than just swinging the bar. cable wood chop alternatives
5. Side Bridge
A side bridge is one of the best alternatives to cable wood chop alternatives. Here, you will target the same muscles in a much better way. When you do a dumbbell side bend, there is no continuous force on your obliques and core. cable wood chop alternatives
However, when you perform side bridge you will have continuous tension on the core. This is due to the gravitational force. It also improves your balance and muscle coordination which will help you to perform better in heavy squats or deadlifts. cable wood chop alternatives
Targeted muscles – Obliques, gluteus medius, and transverse abdominis
How to do
1. Lie on your side and keep your elbows on the floor such that your elbows are under your shoulder. Lift your hips such that your hips and waist are in a straight line. This will be your starting position.
2. Start the exercise by bringing your hips down towards the floor and stopping until it almost touches the floor.
3. From the down position, lift your hips straight up with the help of your side waist muscle. Move your body straight up instead of leaning back or front.
4. Repeat the same procedure for the other side.
Rest- 45 sec
Recommended reps- 12-15
You can also do this exercise by placing your feet and arms on the bench. This makes it more challenging as your range of motion will increase.
For beginners, I would recommend you do this exercise by keeping the other hand on the floor so that you can balance yourself when you move your hips up and down.
6. Side Plank With Rotation
This is another way to challenge your core to the next level. This is an advanced version of the regular side plank. This is a much more effective way to hit the obliques and to strengthen those core muscles lying close to your love handles. The rotational movement makes this exercise much more challenging.
Targeted muscles – Obliques, gluteus medius, and transverse abdominis
How to do
1. Get in a side plank position by lying on your side and keeping your elbows on the floor, under the shoulder. Keep the other hand straight up.
2. Start the exercise by twisting your torso and moving your hand down and bringing it under your waist. Keep your hips and torso up as you move.
3. Now move your hands up while bringing your torso back to the starting position with the help of your core.
4. Repeat the same procedure for the other side.
Rest- 45 sec
Recommended reps- 12-15
This exercise is a little advance. So if you are a beginner, then stick with the basic side plank. Once you master the form. Then you can try this exercise.
7. Hanging Side Knee Raise
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Hanging side knee raise is a great exercise to target the obliques. It is one of the difficult exercises as you need to hang and perform the movement, which requires a lot of balance stability, and core strength. However, if you can hang and can balance yourself, then you should do this exercise.
How to do
1 Hang on a bar and keep your arms extended. Balance yourself and try not to swing. This is the starting position.
2. Start the exercise by lifting your legs and bringing your leg up to the side. Do it with knees bent if you are a beginner.
3. Try to lift your hips as well such that your hips are visible from the front. Use your abs and obliques to lift your legs.
4. Stop at the top and then slowly return to the starting position.
Recommended reps- 8-10 ( even 1 rep is fine if you can do it with the right form and can feel the obliques)
Rest- 1 min
Make sure that when you lift your legs, the person standing next to you should be able to see your hips. That means you should lift and show your hips. This puts extra tension on the obliques and you will get a much better contraction.
You can either do this with your knees bent or by lifting the legs with your knees extended. If you are a beginner and you cannot hold the bar properly or if you are swinging too much, then do this exercise on a pull-up and dip station where you can keep the elbows on the pad and can perform the exercise.
8. Cross Knee Plank
Cross knee plank is an advanced version of the plank. Here you will touch your knee with one hand while being on a plank position. This will be a great alternative to a side bend because it will engage your obliques and many other small muscles present near the waist and love handles.
Targeted muscles – Obliques, abs, and transverse abdominis
How to do
1. Get down on the floor and place your arm on the floor such that your elbow is under the shoulder. Keep your toes on the floor with your back flat and glutes tight.
2. Start the exercise by lifting one arm and the opposite leg from the floor. Bend your knees and bring your knee towards the torso.
3. Touch your knee with your hand while maintaining proper form and then place your arm and foot back to the floor.
4. Repeat the same procedure for the other side.
Rest– 45 seconds
Recommended rep– 10- 15 tap
Make sure that your hips, waist, and back is in a straight line. Don’t bring your hips or torso down. Hold a plank position as you perform the movement.
This exercise is also good for those who want to challenge their core by making plank difficult. If you can do plan easily for 1-2 minutes, then you should make plank difficult by adding these movements.
9. Woodchopper With Resistance Band
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If you don’t have a cable machine, don’t worry. You can do woodchoppers with a resistance band. This exercise will target the obliques just like cable wood chop alternatives. So it is a great alternative you can add to your workout program.
Targeted muscles – obliques, transverse abdominis
How to do
1. Hook a resistance band to a pillar at about the waist height. Hold the band and stand 4 feet away from the attached point. Keep your arms straight in front.
2. Stand straight with both feet wider than shoulder-width. Keep your arms straight in front while holding the band with both hands. This will be your starting position.
3. Start the exercise by moving your arms to the side as if you are about to hit a wood. You can rotate your feet as you move.
4. Bring your arms to the side and squeeze your obliques as you move. Then slowly return to the starting position.
Rest- 45 seconds
Recommended reps- 12-15
Make sure that you just twist your torso. Don’t just turn the entire body to the side. You must feel the tension on the obliques otherwise you are doing something wrong. Make sure to engage your core as much as you can during the movement.
10. Single Arm Farmers Carry
This is the easiest exercise you can do to strengthen the core muscles. You just need a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell to perform this exercise. cable wood chop alternatives
When you do farmers carry with a single hand, the other side of your core muscles has to work hard to keep your body straight and neutral. This puts an extra load on the obliques and other core muscles. Thus it is another great alternative to cable wood chop alternatives.
Targeted muscles – Obliques, transverse abdominis, traps, and forearms cable wood chop alternatives
How to do
1. Hold a heavy dumbbell or a kettlebell in one hand and stand straight. Keep both arms straight down to the side and keep your head neutral. This will be your starting position.
2. Start the exercise by walking straight in the gym, ground, or at home. Keep your body straight and don’t lean or bend your back. Keep your chest up and shoulder retracted. cable wood chop alternatives
3. Switch your arms and then do the same from the other hand.
Rest- 1 min
One of the great advantages of this exercise is that you are strengthening various other muscles apart from the obliques and core. Farmers carry also increases the grip strength, increases the size of your traps, and helps you in lifting heavier weights. So this exercise will complement increasing the performance during a squat or deadlift.
So these were some of the best alternatives to cable wood chop alternatives exercise. You can do all these alternatives at home as all of them are bodyweight exercises and many of them don’t require any equipment.
It will not take too much time to train your obliques. Just 10-20 minutes a day is enough to train the entire abs along with obliques. So you must train these muscles and should never ignore obliques. All these muscles are very helpful in improving your form and posture during heavy compound lifts. cable wood chop alternatives
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You need enough core strength to perform those basic compound movements like squats and deadlifts. You can train your obliques and abs 3-4 times a week. Make sure that you can feel those muscles during an exercise, otherwise just moving or swinging your body is not enough. You should always aim for quality reps.
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