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Exercise library · Glutes

Cable glute kickback

Hip extension for the glutes on a cable.

How to do it

1 of 3

Cuff on your ankle, hold the frame

  1. Starting position

    Attach the cuff to one ankle, face the cable and hold the frame with your supporting knee slightly bent.

  2. The movement

    Move your leg back with a slight knee bend, squeeze your glute at the end and return slowly.

Most common mistake

Don't arch your back to get your leg farther back, brace your stomach and keep your hips still.

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Muscle group
Glutes
Equipment
Cable
Where
Gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The cable glute kickback is an isolation exercise for the gluteus maximus, which does most of the work as you move your leg back. Your hamstrings help with the same movement. On the standing leg, the smaller glute muscles on the side of your hip keep you steady, and your abs hold your trunk still. Leaning your upper body slightly forward and holding it there starts the movement with more bend in the hip, giving your glutes a longer range to work through.

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the leg. With too much weight, momentum replaces muscle work. Lower the weight until you can move your leg back at the same calm pace as you bring it forward.
  • Bending and straightening the knee during the rep. That turns it into a kick with the lower leg and takes work away from the hip. Set the knee angle at the start and keep it all the way back and forward.
  • Standing too close to the cable. If the cable hangs slack at the start, your glutes have nothing to work against in the first part of the movement. Take a step back so there is tension from the start.

Variations and alternatives

  • The band glute kickback is the same movement at home, with a resistance band round your ankles.
  • Donkey kicks are done on all fours with no equipment and are an easier way to learn the movement.
  • The cable pull through trains your glutes at the same cable station, but with both legs and more weight.
  • The barbell hip thrust is the main lift when you want to load your glutes really heavily.

Sets and reps

The kickback is about control rather than heavy weights. Many people do 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps per leg, and 15 to 20 also works with a lighter weight. Do all the reps on one leg, switch legs, then rest a minute or two. Start with the weaker leg and match the reps on the other. The guide to sets and reps explains how to choose.

Add reps first, and go up in weight once you reach the top of the range in every set with the same control. If you cannot keep your pelvis still with the new weight, go back and build the reps up again. That is progressive overload, even with small weights. Leave one or two reps in hand; see the guide to reps in reserve.

Also called

  • glute kickback
  • cable kickback

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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