In a previous post we talked about the heavy rope slam.  This exercise is great for warming up and for metabolic conditioning.  Another great exercise that can be used for both warming up and conditioning is the wood chopper.

There is more than one heavy rope wood chopper exercise, this post is going to start with the first variation.

To perform the wood chopper, the ropes start off on the floor.  Approach the ropes and straddle them.  Your feet should be between hip-width and shoulder-width apart.  Hold the ropes together and grip them with both hands.  Stand up with the ropes in your hands, your arms should be pretty straight throughout this exercise. 

Begin this exercise with a slight bend in your knees.  Pull your shoulders back and stick your chest out.  From here lift the ropes until they are over your head.  Push your hips back and slam the ropes on the ground between your feet.  Reverse directions and lift the ropes overhead.  Repeat for the desired time.  This should be a rhythmical motion.

This is a variation on an old medicine ball exercise.  Besides being a great warm up and conditioning exercise, it’s a great core exercise that also teaches integration of upper and lower body movements.

However, this is one of those exercises that is going to be difficult to perform in a team strength and conditioning setting. Only one athlete can exercise on the heavy ropes at a time. This means having enough sets of heavy ropes for a significant part of the team to be able to exercise at one time, which can be cost and space prohibitive.

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