Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and extend both arms in front of you at shoulder height, hands together. Swing your arms in a wide arc to one side, letting your torso rotate with them while your hips stay pointed forward, then swing across to the other side. Keep the arms straight and the arc level, like sweeping a shelf clear from end to end - the power comes from your waist, not your shoulders.

Works: obliques, shoulders, abs, upper back

Breathing: Exhale with each chop, inhale as the arms pass through center.

Common Mistakes: Swinging the hips along with the arms so the waist never rotates, letting the arms drop as they travel, and turning the head side to side instead of keeping the eyes forward.

Make Easier: Slow the swings down and shorten the arc, or do them seated to take the lower body out entirely.

Make Harder: Sink into a shallow squat and hold it while you chop, pick up the pace, or switch to the diagonal plane with Cross Chops.