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This versatile core exercise has a lot of great benefits for your core.

1. Multi-planer movement: This exercise challenges the 3 planes of motion:
   1. Sagittal Plane: Forward and backward movements.
   2. Frontal Plane: Side-to-side movements.
   3. Transverse Plane: Twisting movements.
2. PNF movement: The Wood Chop exercise is in the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation pattern, because of diagonal arc of motion within the midline of the body. PNF movement is fundamental to the human movement that involves spiral vectors or diagonal line of actions within the body using simultaneous coordination of several joints.
3. Versatility: Can be used for stabilization, strength, and power training depending on modification and acute variables. Sitting, standing, with an object, without an object, cable, or with bands…

The Seated Wood Chop

• Position: Sit on an object that will give you ideally 90 degrees of bend in your knees. Let your feet be flat on the floor and a shoulder width open or more. A wider stance will dictate the level of intensity of stability. A stability ball and the ilk will give balance a greater challenge as to a stable object.
• Resistance: You can choose to hold an object for resistance or you can use a cable system or bands. Be sure to orient yourself where the anchor of the resistance is on your flank. In other words, if you are starting with your left, the anchor point would be located to your left as you are facing forward. You will ideally have the anchor point higher than your shoulder.
• Motion: Clasp the resistance with both hands above on either side, then bring it down and across your body towards your hip on the other side below. Depending on the condition of the body, the most gentle variation is to not rotate the spine.
• Benefits: Targets the shoulders, core, and hip complex while limiting demand on the body’s lower half.

The Kneeling Wood Chop

• Position: The width of your stance will dictate the intensity. Tucking the toes of the back leg will provide more stability.
• Benefits: Targets the hips, core, and shoulders in a more integrated manner.

The Standing Wood Chop

The original gangster of of Wood Chops!

• Position: Your stance can vary in width as long as your feet is at least a hip width apart and your knees are aligned over your feet.
• Resistance: This exercise is typically used in gyms with cable systems, and almost anywhere with resistance bands. Similarly to the seated version, you will ideally have the anchor point higher than your shoulder.
• Motion: Using an athletic stance, clasp the resistance with both hands above on either side, then bring it down and across your body towards your knee as your rotate to the other side. Be sure to push with the leg closest to the anchor point and get triple extension (ankle, knee, and hip. Abs in and maintain optimal spinal alignment.
• Benefits: A wide “horse” stance integrates the foot and ankle. An athletic stance (wider than shoulders) is a sporting position that is used in most sports. A narrow stance will increase the stability challenge.

The Stagger Stance Wood Chop

• Position: If using the left side first, get into a split stance with the left leg forward and the right leg back. The heel on the back leg can be on the ground or can be up off the ground to enable greater intrinsic foot muscle action.

The Lunge Wood Chop

• Motion:
  • Ipsilateral: If using the left side first, step back with the right leg into a lunge while you perform the wood chopping motion down towards your right hip. Keep your knees from touching the ground.
  • Contralateral: If using the left side first, step back with the left leg into a lunge while performing the wood chopping motion down towards your right hip.

Single-leg Wood Chop

• Motion:
  • Ipsilateral: If using the left side first, stand with your left foot off the ground while you perform the wood chopping motion down towards your right hip.
  • Contralateral: If using the left side first, stand with your right foot off the ground while you perform the wood chopping motion down towards your right hip.

Goblet squat

Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell Clean

Kettlebell Clean and Press

See Kettlebell Clean.

Single-Arm Squat To Press

Kettlebell High Pull

Kettlebell Snatch

This anti-rotation hold is a total body-stabilization exercise designed to strengthen your stabilizing muscles in the shoulders and core. A strong core is essential for a successful backpacking adventure as the Earth will throw many unstable challenges to your core as it shifts throughout all three planes of motion. 

Anchor a light band into a structure about chest height, or you can use a friend to hold it for you! Your shoulders should be “locked”. To lock your shoulders press them down and together; feel a nice stretch in your chest. Hold the band with both hands in front of your chest. Play around with the distance to get moderate resistance. Pull your core in and engage your glutes. Slowly extend your hands away and feel the same hand / Glute engagement. Adjust your distance for resistance. Don’t let your shoulder and hip complex move out of alignment. Also remember to check your neck posture from the text-neck posture. Start light on resistance and aim for 12 repetitions with a set for both sides. The tempo means one second of timing to extend, two seconds of an isometric hold after full extension, and four seconds for retraction. 

The tempo 4/2/1:

• 4 eccentric: movements that lengthens muscles at the same time it is being contracted (lowering weights & the downward motion of squats).
• 2 isometric: muscle contraction without movement.
• 1 concentric: movements that shorten muscles while producing force (the contraction).

Progression

1. Max out at 20 reps and 1 set for each side (2 sets) for moderate choice of band resistance.
2. Further progression with increasing the number of sets to 4 (2 for each side).