12 Cable Kickback Alternatives For Building Bigger and Stronger Glutes

It doesn’t matter how hard your friendly neighborhood gym bro tries to convince you that he doesn’t care about glute training—the truth is, deep down inside, the biggest and baddest gym bros want muscular and shapely buttocks. 

Cable glute kickbacks are one of the most popular gluteal isolation exercises to build strength and muscle mass. Trainers, especially men, often overlook direct glute work in a conventional training program. However, this is a blunder as the glutes are the human body’s biggest and strongest muscle group. 

Not only do strong glutes improve your physical performance, but they also add to your physique’s aesthetics. While compound exercises might be an effective way to build the perfect rear, they aren’t the be-all-end-all of lower body training. 

Adding isolation exercises like the cable glute kickback and its alternatives to your training regimen can help zero in on your glutes and build a butt the Kardashians will envy. 

If you’re an athlete or lifter or want to improve your daily functioning, you should add the cable kickback or its alternatives to your training regimen. This article will explore the benefits, target muscles, and alternatives of cable glute kickbacks. 

Cable Glute Kickbacks: Target Muscles

Knowing the muscles trained using the cable glute kickback helps you focus on the target muscles during your set. Plus, it will help you pick better alternatives if you’re not in the mood for cable kickbacks or if the machine is taken. 

The target muscles in cable glute kickbacks include:

1. Primary Muscles: Gluteal medius, maximus, and minimus.
2. Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, core, calves, and quad (planted leg)

How to Perform Cable Glute Kickback

Although the cable glute kickback is an isolation exercise, many people leave gains on the table by following an incorrect form. 

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to perform the cable kickback:

1. Set the pulley to the lowest setting and attach an ankle cuff to your ankle. 
2. Take a step back from the machine so that the weight is engaged. Hinge at the hips and hold onto the pulley machine for support. 
3. Brace your core and kick the leg back as far as possible while keeping your legs straight.
4. Pause and contract your glutes at the top.
5. Slowly return to the starting position. 
6. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides. 

Pro Tips:

Given below are a few tips to make the most of the exercise:

1. Many people make the mistake of performing the cable glute kickback while standing upright. Using an upright stance takes tension off the glutes and puts in your hamstring. 
2. Bending your working leg too much can take the tension off your glute and place it on your lower back. 
3. Do not move your upper body during the set as it takes tension away from your glutes. 
4. If you do not have access to ankle straps at your gym, you could also use a D-handle bar for the exercise. 

12 Cable Kickback Alternatives

Add these 12 cable kickback alternatives to your training regimen for fuller and rounder glutes:

1. Glute Bridge

You should start your workout with body weight glute bridges if you have trouble establishing a mind-muscle connection while training glutes.

How to perform:

1. Lie face up on the floor.
2. Bend your knees to place your feet flat on the floor. 
3. Keep your arms at your side with your palms down.
4. Lift your hips off the ground as high as possible. Your knees, hips, and shoulders should form a straight line. 
5. Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the movement.
6. Return to the starting position in a slow and controlled motion. 
7. Repeat for recommended reps. 

Pro Tips:

1. As you get better at this exercise, you can increase the intensity by placing a dumbbell on your hip crease.
2. Advanced variations of this exercise include the single-leg glute bridge and leg-up glute bridge. 

Check out our complete glute bridge guide!

2. Hip Thrust

The hip thrust is an advanced glute bridge variation and is one of the most popular gluteal exercises. It is incredibly effective in building explosive glute strength and a strong core and lower body.  

How to perform:

1. Sit against a flat bench with your knees bent and feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Your traps should be resting against the side of the bench. 
3. Place a barbell across your hips and grab it with an overhand wider than shoulder-width grip.
4. Brace your core, and lift your hips towards the ceiling while driving through your heels. 
5. Your shoulders, knees, and barbell should be in a straight line at the top. Pause and squeeze the life out of your glutes. 
6. Slowly return to the starting position until your hips are a few inches off the floor. 
7. Repeat for recommended reps. 

Pro Tips:

1. Use a pad or a sponge to protect your hip bones. 
2. Start with a lighter weight and focus on contracting your glutes with every rep. 
3. Only increase weight if you can pause and contract your glutes at the top. 
4. Keep your chin tucked in throughout the exercise as if you were holding an egg between your chin and chest. 

Check out our complete glute bridge guide!

3. Good Morning

Although mastering the good morning can take some practice, it delivers some of the nastiest glute and hamstring pumps if done correctly. 

How to perform:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Place a barbell on your shoulders so the bar rests on the trapezius muscles.
2. Take a deep breath and brace your upper back and abdominals.
3. Bend towards the floor by hinging at the hips, sending your hips backward. 
4. Go as far toward the floor as possible until you can feel a stretch in your hamstrings and glutes.
5. Pause and contract your glutes and hams at the top. 
6. Slowly return to the starting position while breathing out. 
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Pro Tips:

1. Going too heavy on this exercise might put unnecessary tension on your lower back. Plus, you might feel more tension in your hamstrings than glutes in the beginning. 
2. Keep your reps slow and deliberate to get the best bang for your buck. 
3. If you have trouble managing the bar during this exercise, you could also perform good mornings on a Smith machine or a hack squat machine. 

Check out our complete good morning guide!

4. Step-Up

Step-ups for glutes are widely different from step-ups for quads. We’ll be tweaking this exercise to put more emphasis on the tush. 

How to perform:

1. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance.
2. Take a step forward and plant your right foot on an elevated platform.
3. At this point, you should be in a staggered stance. 
4. Bend forward so your torso is at a 60-degree angle with the floor. 
5. Drive your right heel into the platform and lift yourself until your right leg is extended. (Don’t extend your leg fully as it will take away the tension from your butt.)
6. Pause and contract your butt at the top.
7. Slowly lower yourself until your left foot touches the floor. 
8. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides. 

Pro Tips:

1. The elevated platform should be at your shin level. Using a higher surface like a flat bench will lead to more quad recruitment. 
2. Don’t use your rear leg for lift-off. It is just for stability and balance. 

Check out our complete step-up guide!

5. Donkey Kick

Donkey kick is a great exercise to isolate your glutes as it doesn’t allow you to use momentum. 

How to perform:

1. Get into a tabletop position by placing your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. 
2. Brace your core and slowly lift your right leg off the floor by hinging at the hip. Keep your leg bent and your foot flat throughout the movement.
3. Lift your leg until your working quad is parallel to the floor. 
4. Pause and contract your glutes at the top. 
5. Slowly return to the starting position. 
6. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides. 

Pro Tips:

1. As you get more experienced, you could also perform this exercise using a resistance band, Smith machine, or a cable machine. 
2. Maintain a neutral spine and keep your head in line with your torso. Looking ahead can sprain your neck, taking tension away from your glutes. 

Check out our complete donkey kick guide!

6. Pull-Through

If you have trouble maintaining constant tension on your glutes throughout an exercise, the cable pull-through is the exercise you need. 

How to perform:

1. Attach a rope to a pulley machine set at the lowest setting. 
2. Reach between your legs to grab the rope handle with a neutral grip.
3. Walk 1-1.5 steps away with your back to the machine. The weight should be engaged at the bottom of the movement.
4. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
5. While maintaining a slight bend in your knees and an arch in your back, slowly lower your torso towards the floor by pushing your hips back. 
6. At the beginning of the movement, your hands should be under your hips, and your torso should be parallel to the floor. 
7. Explosively drive your hips forward until you’re standing upright. 
8. Pause and contract your glutes at the top. 
9. Slowly return to the starting position while feeling a stretch in your glutes and hamstrings. 
10. Repeat for recommended reps. 

Pro Tips:

1. Maintaining a restricted range of motion (ROM) on the cable pull-through is important for achieving a glute and hamstring pump in this exercise. 
2. If you feel more tension in your lower back than the glutes and hamstrings, you need to lower the weight and restrict your ROM. 

Check out our complete cable pull-through guide!

7. Resistance Band Kickback

The resistance band kickback is an incredibly effective exercise to smoke your glutes and hamstrings.

How to perform:

1. Place a resistance band around both ankles, and position your feet hip-width apart. Alternatively, you could wrap the band around your thighs just above your knees. 
2. Assume a staggered stance with your right foot a few inches behind the left. Maintain a slight bend in your knees throughout the exercise. 
3. Transfer your weight to the left leg and kick back with your right leg.
4. Hold onto a wall or place your hands on your sides for balance.
5. Raise the rear leg as high as possible. 
6. Pause and contract your butt at the top. 
7. Return to the starting position in a slow and controlled motion.
8. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides. 

Pro Tips:

1. The resistance level of your bands will determine your range of motion for this exercise. Use a light band for a greater ROM and a heavier band for a smaller and more concentrated ROM. 
2. You could also perform the resistance band lateral walk to target your abductors. 

8. Reverse Hyperextension

Reverse hyperextension is one of the most underutilized glute exercises. 

How to perform:

1. Assume a prone position on a hyperextension machine, GHD machine, or an elevated platform. 
2. Your hips should be dangling off the bench for a better range of motion.
3. Grab onto the bench for stability and balance. 
4. Raise your legs as high as possible. 
5. Pause and contract your glutes at the top. 
6. Slowly return to the starting position until your feet are just a few inches away from the floor. 
7. Repeat for recommended reps. 

Pro Tips:

1. You could wrap a resistance band around your upper legs to add more tension to your glutes. 
2. If you don’t have access to a hyperextension or GHD machine at your gym, you could perform this exercise on a flat bench after placing a couple of aerobic steps under each of its legs. 
3. You could also perform flutter kicks as an alternative for reverse hyperextension. 

Check out our complete reverse hyperextension guide!

9. Fire Hydrant

Fire hydrants, also called quadruped hip abductions, work the gluteus maximum and core. They help sculpt your glutes, improve back pain and balance, and lower your risk for injury while training.

How to perform:

1. Start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. 
2. Brace your core and lift your left leg away from your body at a 45-degree angle. Keep your knee at 90 degrees with your body.
3. Pause and contract your butt at the top.
4. Slowly lower your leg to starting position.
5. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.

Pro Tips:

1. Hold at the top for longer for a better muscle pump. 
2. Make sure your body is stable and straight. Bending at either side will take away tension from your glutes and put it on your sides. 

Check out our complete fire hydrant guide!

10. Walking Lunge

For the last three exercises, we’re going a little more conventional. Walking lunges are a great exercise to stimulate your glutes. 

How to perform:

1. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance and place your hands on your hips. 
2. Step forward with your right leg.
3. Bend the right knee to lower your body towards the floor until the right upper leg is parallel to the floor and the left knee is a few inches away from the floor. 
4. Pause at the bottom. 
5. Extend your legs to return to a starting position. 
6. Without moving your right leg, move your left foot forward. 
7. Repeat for recommended reps while alternating between legs. 

Pro Tips:

1. Pause at the top and bottom of this exercise for a better pump. 
2. Maintain a steady pace throughout the exercise. Going too slow or fast or switching speeds can throw you off balance. 

11. Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is a compound exercise that works your whole body with a focus on your posterior chain. 

How to perform:

1. Stand upright with a hip-wide stance.
2. Grab a barbell with a shoulder-wide overhand grip.
3. Lower the bar towards the floor by pushing back your hips and hinging at your hips until the bar is at your shin level. 
4. Maintain the natural arc in your back while lowering towards the floor and focus on contracting your glutes and hamstrings. 
5. Return to the starting position. 
6. Pause and contract your glutes at the top.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Pro Tips:

1. Use a weight that you can control for 10-12 reps without letting your lower back take over. 
2. Although you’ll be bending forward and pushing your hips back, all your focus should be on contracting your glutes and hams.

Check out our complete Romanian deadlift guide!

12. Squat

You shouldn’t be surprised to see the squat on a lower body exercise list. To target your glutes, you need to follow an ass-to-the-grass range of motion, meaning you need to squat as deep as possible.

How to perform:

1. Place a barbell across your shoulders on your traps. 
2. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance. 
3. Take a deep breath and brace your core. 
4. Lower yourself into a squat by pushing your hips back and down. 
5. Ensure your back is upright throughout the exercise, and your head is in line with your spine. 
6. Go as low as possible. 
7. Pause at the bottom for a second. 
8. Explode back to the starting position while exhaling sharply. 
9. Repeat for recommended reps. 

Pro Tips:

1. Bending forward will take away the tension from your glutes and put it on your lower back. 
2. If you are new to exercising, begin with air squats until you get the form right. 

Check out our complete squat guide!

Wrapping Up

The cable kickback is an incredibly effective exercise for training your glutes for size and strength. However, if you do not have access to a cable pulley machine or want to add variety to your workout regimen, the 12 exercises listed in this article will help you build a bubble butt. 

---