Core · Bodyweight
Double Woodchoppers
How to do the double woodchoppers, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold your hands together in front of your chest. Swing both arms diagonally down across your body toward one hip while you rotate your trunk and bend your knees, then reverse the path back up to the opposite shoulder. Move in a controlled chopping rhythm and work both diagonals evenly.
- 1Drive the rotation from your obliques, not your arms
- 2Brace your core as you chop down toward the hip
- 3Pivot the back foot so your hips follow the turn
Common mistakes
- Do not let your lower back round at the bottom of the chop
- Do not swing purely with the arms and shoulders
- Do not rush; control the turn in both directions
Muscles worked
The double woodchoppers mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, lower abs, lower back, quads, and glutes assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the double woodchoppers for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.