Exercise of the Week: Split-Stance High-to-Low Anti-Rotation Chop w/Rope

Written on March 11, 2014 at 9:08 am, by Eric Cressey

It's been a while since we shared a new "Exercise of the Week" video here at EricCressey.com, so I thought it'd be a good time to highlight one I was actually discussing with one of my staff members yesterday.

The split-stance high-to-low anti-rotation chop w/rope is one of my favorite "catch-all" core stability exercises.  While it primarily challenges rotary stability (the ability of the core to resist rotation), we also get some anti-extension benefit from it.  Because the cable is positioned higher up, we must use our anterior core to prevent the lower back from arching in the top position.  By adding a full exhale on each breath, you can increase the challenge to the anterior core even further - and, as Gray Cook would say, use breathing to "own the movement."  Check it out:

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Another important consideration that may be overlooked is the fact that rotational movements in sports include both low-to-high (tennis forehands/backhands) and high-to-low (overhand throwing, baseball hitting, tennis/volleyball serving) patterns, yet for some reason, we see a lot more low-to-high or purely horizontal patterns trained.  I love the idea of getting the arms up overhead more often, particularly in athletes who may lose upward rotation, or people who just sit at desks all day with their arms at their sides.

We'll usually work this in during the latter half of a strength training session, and do it for 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps. This video was actually taken from The High Performance Handbook video database, as this exercise was featured in the 16-week program.

Enjoy!

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5 Responses to “Exercise of the Week: Split-Stance High-to-Low Anti-Rotation Chop w/Rope”

1. Andy Says:
   March 11th, 2014 at 12:55 pm

   Eric,

   We tennis players appreciate your mentioning our sport! I appreciate how precise you are in describing this (and other ) exercises.
   Andy in Cincinnati

2. Andrew Says:
   March 12th, 2014 at 11:57 pm

   Exercise OK. If legs put in bosu maby result be better, whot do you thonk?

   Regards
   Andrew

3. Eric Cressey Says:
   March 13th, 2014 at 1:49 pm

   Andrew,

   I wouldn’t.

4. Bill Says:
   March 16th, 2014 at 5:58 pm

   Do you still train low to high? Or throw it out due to wanting more overhead dominant work?

5. Eric Cressey Says:
   March 17th, 2014 at 5:59 am

   Bill,

   Yes, we’ll still use low to high variations.