Standing Cable Kickback
The cable glute kickback is a single-leg exercise in which you push one leg straight back against a low cable strapped to your ankle. It isolates the gluteus maximus, with the hamstrings assisting, and is used to add glute work alongside heavier hip exercises or as a warm-up.
Also called: Cable Donkey Kick, Cable Kickback, Standing Cable Glute Kickback, Cable Hip Extension · Equipment: cable · Pattern: isolation
Step by step
- Attach an ankle strap to a low pulley and fasten it around one ankle. Face the machine and hold the frame for balance.
- Step back until the cable is taut with the working foot just off the floor and slightly in front of you.
- Stand tall with a soft bend in your standing knee and your hips square to the machine. A slight forward lean is fine if your back stays flat.
- Brace your trunk and push the working leg straight back from the hip, leading with the heel and squeezing your glute. Keep a slight, fixed bend in the working knee.
- Take the leg back until your hip is fully extended, just before your pelvis tips or your low back arches.
- Bring the leg forward under control until it is back in front of you, keeping the cable taut.
- Finish the reps on one side, then move the strap to the other ankle.
- Squeeze your glute to move the leg
- Heel back, not up
- Hips square to the machine
- Soft knee, fixed angle
- Ribs down, low back still
- Control the leg forward
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Gluteus maximus | Prime mover | C |
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (long head) | Secondary | C |
| Hamstrings: semitendinosus | Secondary | C |
| Hamstrings: semimembranosus | Secondary | C |
| Adductors | Secondary | C |
| Gluteus medius/minimus | Stabiliser | C |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Arching the low back to lift the leg higher
Fix: Take the leg back only as far as your hip extends, with your ribs down.
Swinging the leg
Fix: Slow the tempo and pause briefly with the leg fully back.
Hips rotating open
Fix: Keep both hip bones facing the machine throughout the set.
Kicking with a straight, locked knee
Fix: Hold a slight, fixed bend in the working knee for the whole set.
Weight too heavy
Fix: Choose a weight your glute alone can move with a still torso.
Letting the cable yank the leg forward
Fix: Bring the leg forward slowly, keeping the cable taut.
What the research says
Rehab & prehab · first choiceMuscle growthGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Glute growth — A meta-analysis of glute training studies found that hip-extension exercises with added resistance produced moderate glute growth, and that many exercises, including kneeling hip extension, were effective.
- Muscle activity — EMG reviews rank single-leg and kneeling hip-extension drills among the higher glute activators for their load. EMG measures activity, not growth.
- Glute regions — A fine-wire EMG study found mainly hip-extension exercises worked the top and bottom portions of the glute to a similar extent, while adding hip abduction or outward rotation favoured the top portion.
- Rep ranges and effort — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, with a flattening return as sets approach failure.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Kickbacks are commonly used to add glute volume alongside heavier hip thrusts, squats or deadlifts.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the standing cable kickback in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.