Beginner

Kneeling Cable Glute Kickback

Kneeling on all fours puts the hip in a stretched, flexed start and lets the cable load the glute through a long, controlled extension. The hands-and-knees base removes balance from the equation so you can focus purely on squeezing the working glute. It is an excellent isolation move to finish a glute session or to build the mind-muscle connection.

Equipment
Cables
Body part
Glutes, Hamstring
Type
Strength
Browse by muscle
Gluteus Maximus
Browse by movement
Hinge
Muscles worked
Target
Gluteus Maximus
Secondary
Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus
Tertiary
Erector Spinae

How to do it

  1. 1

    Attach an ankle strap to a low cable pulley and cuff it to one ankle.

  2. 2

    Get onto all fours facing the machine with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.

  3. 3

    Brace your core and keep a flat back with the working knee bent.

  4. 4

    Drive the working leg back and up until the thigh is in line with your torso.

  5. 5

    Squeeze the glute at the top, return under control without letting the weight stack rest, and repeat before switching sides.

Tips

  • Keep the spine neutral; do not arch the low back to gain extra height.
  • Lead with the heel and think about pushing the sole toward the ceiling.
  • Control the return so the cable does not yank the leg back into flexion.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The wrists take the whole set on a hard floor and give out before the glute does; use a mat or drop to your forearms so the setup is not what ends the set.
  • The hips slide toward the non-working side as the leg goes back, which means the pelvis is doing part of the travel; keep both hip bones pointing at the floor and the range will look shorter and feel harder.
  • Cable tension drags the whole body toward the machine rep by rep, and you finish two feet from where you started; reset the hands and knees between sides so the pull line stays behind you.
  • The knee opens up during the kick and the movement becomes a straight-leg lift, which reaches the hamstring more than the glute; keep the shin folded at about the angle you started with.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the kneeling cable glute kickback should a beginner do?
Three sets of 12 to 15 reps per side with a light stack and a one-second squeeze at the top; this version is about feeling the glute work, not about the number on the machine. Progress the squeeze first, then the weight. Because the position is easy on the rest of the body, it can be run twice a week without much cost.
What can I do instead of the kneeling cable glute kickback without a cable?
Set up on all fours with a band looped around the working foot and anchored in front of you, or step both hands through a loop band and hook it over the sole. With no band, hold a light dumbbell in the crook of the knee and press the sole toward the ceiling, keeping the shin folded. Both keep the stretched starting position that makes this version worth doing.
What is the kneeling cable glute kickback good for, and when is it a poor choice?
Starting on all fours puts the hip in flexion, so the glute is loaded from a stretched position through a long range, which makes it a good isolation move for feeling the muscle and adding volume. It is a poor choice if your wrists or knees complain in a quadruped position, and it is not a strength exercise, since cable stacks cap out well below what a hip thrust would use.

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