For your abs
For your abs, cable woodchop and dumbbell side bend score the same on every criterion.
Both are good choices, and they train the abs differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
For your abs, cable woodchop and dumbbell side bend score the same on every criterion. Both are good choices, and they train the abs differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Cable woodchop needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Dumbbell side bend needs dumbbells, so a home gym covers it.
About the same: both rate Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.