Has anyone found a video of the horizontal woodchop with dumbells? There's a blurb at the bottom of page 225 about the "home gym alternative" laying on your back and using a dumbell, but I'm hoping to see it done before I do it wrong.
This question brings up something I've been debating the last week. I learned to do a cable woodchop with an explosive effort and controlled return. That's how I've been doing them for Stage 2. But I opened the book to look at this home-gym alternative and read the exercise description for the woodchop again. The book doesn't say that the movement should be explosive, but it doesn't say it shouldn't be either. But if doing a rotational movement on the floor or swiss ball is an acceptable alternative, then it would imply that the woodchop should be perform with control (rather than explosively). The swiss ball russian twist (which is the ball version and was one of the exercises used in the original NROL) is a controlled movement. And I think a floor version would have to be executed with control also. But if metabolic disturbance is the determining factor in exercise selection, then an explosive movement would be the better choice.
So, my question is, did the authors intend for the horizontal woodchop to be performed with an explosive effort and controlled return, or with controlled movement throughout?
Here's Eric Cressey doing an explosive cable horizontal woodchop. (You have to scroll down to near the end of the article. It's just past the pictures of the planks.) The Angry Trainer
Maybe the only determining factor is what the individual is capable of performing correctly. If I had to choose, I'd say do it explosively if you can and controlled if your explosive movement is sloppy.
The answer to that question would affect my choice of alternate exercise selections for the home gym.
I doubt I'm going to find any video showing the floor rotation. It would certainly be the easiest of any available choices because your back would be supported by the floor.
The original NROL used an upper-body Russian twist that would work as an alternate exercise choice assuming we want controlled motion. If you don't have a swiss ball, then the floor version would be the same, just without the ball. There are a lot of bad videos of this movement. So read the written description in this PDF file, which is excellent, and look at the accompanying picture before you watch any videos. Stability Ball Russian Twist
Now watch this video, which was sadly the best I found, and you'll see that the guy demonstrating allows his same side hip to drop as he rotates. The hips should remain level. But seeing the movement in a video is still helpful. It's also helpful to see what you should be attempting to avoid! Russian Twist on Stability Ball Video
Hopefully from those you can extrapolate to a floor version.
However, if we decide that an explosive movement is more desirable (and I think it is), then an alternate exercise choice would need to be explosive. If you don't have a cable stack for the cable horizontal woodchop, then an explosive alternative would be a rotational medicine ball slam. There are several version, but I like this one from Mike Boyle. It's a half-kneeling MB rotational throw. I'd start with throwing the ball over the upper leg, which is the second way she demonstrates the movement (next to last demo on the video): Kneeling Medicine Ball Exercises
So, my question is, did the authors intend for the horizontal woodchop to be performed with an explosive effort and controlled return, or with controlled movement throughout?
I was wondering about the same thing. Intuition told me to go explosive. Thanks, Lisa, for all the info.
On the funny note: I was wondering how am I going to do my 'horizontal' wood chops, when my gym has only top and bottom positions on the 2 cable stacks they have. Now, I've gone to this one gym for 2 years, and only today noticed an extra cable stack that was adjustable throughout the whole height of the stack They hid it pretty well....
The original NROL used an upper-body Russian twist that would work as an alternate exercise choice assuming we want controlled motion. If you don't have a swiss ball, then the floor version would be the same, just without the ball. There are a lot of bad videos of this movement. So read the written description in this PDF file, which is excellent, and look at the accompanying picture before you watch any videos. Stability Ball Russian Twist
Now watch this video, which was sadly the best I found, and you'll see that the guy demonstrating allows his same side hip to drop as he rotates. The hips should remain level. But seeing the movement in a video is still helpful. It's also helpful to see what you should be attempting to avoid! Russian Twist on Stability Ball Video
Hi Lisa
In my home gym for the moment I have no choice but to do the Russian Twist on Stab. ball. My question: I understand my hips have to stay stable, but what about my shoulders. Should one shoulder rotate off the ball as I move my weight to the opposite side, or should both my shoulders stay stable and just my arms move towards the side. It seems to work my obliques more if I keep my shoulders stable (I think), but just checking. Also I feel it working very high up in my obliques, right underneath my ribcage, higher than my waist. Is this correct.
Russian Twist on Stab. ball. My question: I understand my hips have to stay stable, but what about my shoulders. Should one shoulder rotate off the ball as I move my weight to the opposite side, or should both my shoulders stay stable and just my arms move towards the side. It seems to work my obliques more if I keep my shoulders stable (I think), but just checking.
Your shoulders should rotate so that only one shoulder remains on the ball at the midpoint of the movement. The picture of the guy in the first link I posted is perfect.
Quote:
Also I feel it working very high up in my obliques, right underneath my ribcage, higher than my waist. Is this correct.
Yes. You should feel it at the top of your external obliques: The Abdominals
Just wanted to bump this thread up, in the hopes that those who have been through this stage already, working out at home, would share how they did this.
__________________ Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
Joseph Addison
I did not do the workout at home, but as a trainer my recommendation would be to do a band woodchop. I think it's worth buying a band if you don't already own one (or more). A band is a good addition to a home gym.
Band as in resistance bands? I do have a fine collection of those. Lisa, can you explain or point me in the right direction to learn how that would be done, please? (I'm on dial-up so I can't go searching through videos, but I can take the time to download one if it's worth it)
__________________ Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
Joseph Addison
I couldn't find a good video of a horizontal woodchop done with a band, but it would look just like a cable horizontal woodchop, except you'd hold a band attached to an upright support at waist height. Watch the video I linked above from the article titled The Angry Trainer.
Woodchop video or pictures?
They hid it pretty well....
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