One-Legged Cable Kickback
Also works: Hamstrings
A single-leg hip extension against a low cable pulley with an ankle cuff, driving the leg back in a semicircular arc. The cable keeps tension even through the whole arc and, unlike a band or ankle weight, gives you a number in kilograms to progress week to week.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Set the pulley at its lowest position and strap the ankle cuff snugly above the ankle bone, not on it.
- Face the stack from around 60 cm away and hold the frame with both hands at chest height.
- Step back until the cable already has tension with the working foot beside the supporting one.
- Soften the supporting knee and hinge the torso forward only slightly — 10 to 15 degrees, then hold it there.
- Brace your abs and set your pelvis level before the first rep.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Exhale as the leg sweeps back, inhale on the return. Roughly two seconds back, one second squeeze, three seconds forward.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Start at 4-6 kg on the stack and expect it to feel like more than it looks, because of the long lever from hip to ankle. Add a plate only once you can hold a one-second pause at the end range on every rep of every set with a level pelvis. Most people top out in the 10-20 kg range; if you are far above that, check you are not swinging the torso.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Halve the weight. Correct load lets you pause one second at the end range with your torso completely still and your pelvis level.
Brace your abs and cap the range where your pelvis starts to tip. Put a hand on your lower back for one set to feel exactly when the arch begins, and stop the rep just before it.
Set the return to a three-second count and stop the leg just short of the start position, so the stack never rests. Continuous tension is the whole reason for choosing the cable.
Strap it just above the bone, tight enough that two fingers barely fit under it. A cuff sitting on the bone hurts within a few reps and makes you shorten the rep to avoid the pinch.
Why bother
An ankle weight loads the leg most when the femur is horizontal and least everywhere else; a band loads the end range and nothing else. A low cable pulls with the same force through the entire arc, so the glute is under tension from the moment the leg passes under your body until lockout.
It is also the only version of this movement you can honestly log. Five kilos on the stack for 15 reps is a record you can beat next month, which is why the cable version survives in serious programmes while ankle-weight kickbacks tend to stall at whatever the heaviest cuff in the gym weighs.
Where it fits
Accessory work at the end of a lower-body session, after squats, hinges or hip thrusts. Three sets of 10-15 per leg. It is also useful mid-session on a heavy day when you want more glute volume without more spinal loading.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
When this gets easy
Asked and answered
What if the gym has no ankle cuff?
Loop a nylon strap or a short towel around the low pulley carabiner and step your foot into it, or thread a single-handle attachment over the arch of your shoe and stand on it. Both work, both slip more than a proper cuff, so keep the return slow and stop the set if you are gripping with your toes. A cuff costs about the same as a month of protein powder and is worth owning if you do these weekly.
Do cable kickbacks build the glutes or just shape them?
They build them, within the limits of the load — muscle grows from tension and there is no such thing as shaping a muscle into a different form. They cannot match hip thrusts or squats for total load, so use them as supplementary volume rather than the main event.
Should my knee be bent or straight?
Nearly straight is standard here and gives the longest lever. A bent knee shortens the lever, so you can use more weight on the stack for the same effort, and it shortens the hamstrings so the glute does relatively more. Both work; pick one and stay consistent so your logbook means something.
Why do I feel it more in my hamstring than my glute?
With a straight leg the hamstrings are strong contributors, so some of that is normal. If the glute never joins in, you are probably pushing past your real hip extension range and finishing the rep with your back. Shorten the arc, squeeze the glute deliberately at the top, and try a slightly bent knee.