The 15-Minute Lumberjack Workout That Builds Explosive Power and a Rock-Solid Core

Nearly every movement you do in the gym mimics something done in everyday life. Rotation, for instance, allows you to control your center of mass over your base of support while your body is in motion. You rotate through your torso when you walk up stairs, reach overhead, load groceries, or perform basic household tasks. Accordingly, it's important to train rotational exercises to maintain these movement patterns as we age.

If the muscles responsible for rotation in your core aren’t doing their job, your body will "borrow" range of motion from other joints, like the back, hips, and shoulders. Constant overcompensation can lead to chronic pain and injury over time.

While there are plenty of ways to train your core rotation, movements like woodchops and medicine ball throws stand out for their ability to build power while teaching the body to generate and control torque. Below, Chris Cooper, an NSCA-certified trainer, shares a core-focused workout that can be done as a standalone session or finisher at the end of a lift.

"For an effective woodchop-based circuit, it's important to use multiple angles, swap in different pieces of equipment, and change your base of stability," Cooper says.

Related: This Overlooked Lumberjack Move “Completely Cooks” Your Core (No Situps Required)

How to Do Split Stance Medicine Ball Throw

1. Start in a split stance, standing parallel to a wall. Keep the medicine ball at the hip of your back leg, loading into your rear hip and rotating your torso.
2. Explosively drive off the back foot, rotating through the hips and core, and throw the ball into the wall.
3. Catch or reset.
4. Perform 3 sets of 5 reps on each side.

How to Do Half-Kneeling Dumbbell Low to High Chop

1. Set up in a half-kneeling position with the dumbbell outside the grounded knee, keeping your chest tall and core engaged.
2. Move the weight diagonally across your body from low to high, finishing above the opposite shoulder.
3. Keep hips square and let the torso rotate while the arms guide the path.
4. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps on each side.

How to Do Wide Stance Band/Cable Horizontal Chops

1. Take a wide athletic stance perpendicular to a cable or anchored resistance band with arms extended at chest height.
2. Rotate through your midsection to pull the handle across your body while keeping arms long.
3. Control the return, resisting the pull.
4. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps on each side.

How to Do Standing Band/Cable High to Low Chop

1. Stand perpendicular to the cable or anchored resistance band with the handle starting higher than shoulder level.
2. Drive the handle downward across your body, rotating through the hips and torso.
3. Finish tall with the core tight and control the weight back to the start.
4. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps on each side.

Related: This 9-Minute Ab Workout Uses One Piece of Equipment to Build a Stronger, More Functional Core