Cable Kickback: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The cable kickback isolates your glutes. Kicking your leg back in a semicircular arc against the cable's pull works your glutes through hip extension, while your hamstrings assist since they also cross the hip joint and help drive your leg back.
- Primary muscle:
- Glutes
- Secondary muscles:
- Hamstrings
Muscles worked
Your glutes are the prime mover in the cable kickback, contracting hard to kick your leg back and up against the cable's resistance, with the biggest squeeze at the top of the arc. Your hamstrings assist the movement, since they also extend your hip alongside your glutes.
Log Cable Kickback in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- Hook a leather ankle cuff to a low cable pulley and then attach the cuff to your ankle.
- Face the weight stack from a distance of about two feet, grasping the steel frame for support.
- While keeping your knees and hips bent slightly and your abs tight, contract your glutes to slowly "kick" the working leg back in a semicircular arc as high as it will comfortably go as you breathe out. Tip: At full extension, squeeze your glutes for a second in order to achieve a peak contraction.
- Now slowly bring your working leg forward, resisting the pull of the cable until you reach the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
- Switch legs and repeat the movement for the other side.
Form tips
- Keep a slight bend in your knee and hip on the working leg throughout.
- Kick your leg back in a smooth semicircular arc, not a sharp jerk.
- Squeeze your glutes hard for a second at the top of every rep.
- Keep your abs tight so your lower back doesn't arch as you kick back.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Cable |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the cable kickback really isolate the glutes?
Yes. With your knee and hip only slightly bent, the movement comes almost entirely from hip extension, which is your glutes' main job. Your hamstrings assist, but the exercise keeps the emphasis on your glutes.
How many reps work best for cable kickbacks?
As an isolation exercise, 6-12 reps per leg with a real squeeze at the top works well for building glute size. Pair it with the hip thrust for a heavier compound glute movement in the same session.
More glutes exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
