This exercise helps you free up your hips while your core keeps your lower back steady, lowering one leg to a bolster instead of the floor.
Chop From Half Kneeling With Cable Bar
This exercise helps you build core and shoulder control by pulling a cable bar diagonally down across your body while kneeling on one knee.
- Starting Position:
- Half Kneeling
Start: Set the cable arm high, about 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock. Attach the cable bar. Kneel on one knee directly under that hip, with the other foot flat in front so knee and ankle stack — the 90/90 position. Widen the front foot for easier balance, narrow it for more challenge; it should feel light enough to lift. Stay tall: one line from ear to shoulder to hip to down knee. Hold the bar palms down: one hand near the top, the other about three-quarters of the way down.
Action:
Pull the bar down and across your body — the lower arm pulls it to mid-chest, keeping it close so your elbows bend.
Then push down and across with the upper arm to finish at the opposite hip, bar level with your hips.
The angle of the cable never changes — one steady diagonal. Hips and knees don't move.
Reverse the path back to the start. Do your reps, then switch sides.
Feel: Your core braces to keep you still as the bar crosses. If your hips shift or your spine folds, the load is too heavy.
Related Exercises
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This exercise helps you build leg strength and balance by lowering into a split squat while holding a kettlebell at your chest.
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This exercise helps you open your upper back by rotating toward the floor while lying on your side and reaching both arms in opposite directions.
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This exercise helps you build shoulder strength and core stability by pressing two kettlebells overhead while standing mostly on one leg.