Standing Cable Hip Extension

Also known as: Standing Cable Glute Kickback, Straight-Leg Cable Kickback

StrengthFunctional

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Body Part: Glutes

Description

Stand facing a cable tower with an ankle cuff on the low pulley, lean forward with your hands on the frame and drive the straight leg back from the hip. The cable keeps the glutes under tension through the whole range, with the hamstrings assisting. You train one leg at a time.

How to Perform

Set the pulley to the lowest position and fasten the ankle cuff around one ankle.
Stand facing the cable tower and place both hands on the frame at chest height.
Lean your torso forward about 30 to 40 degrees, keep your back flat and brace your core.
Put your weight on the other leg with a slight knee bend and start with the cuffed foot just in front of it, with light tension in the cable.
Drive the cuffed leg straight back from the hip until the knee is straight and the leg lines up with your torso.
Squeeze your glute for a moment at the end, keeping your hips square to the machine.
Bring the leg forward slowly to the start. After the set, switch the cuff to the other ankle.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

Push the heel back and away, as if pressing it into a wall behind you.
Stand close enough that the cable is taut at the start without pulling the working foot forward.
Use your hands on the frame for balance, not to pull yourself toward the machine.
Choose a weight that lets you hold the end position for one second on every rep.
Exhale as you drive the leg back and inhale as you return it.
Start with your weaker leg and match its reps on the other side.

Common Mistakes

Arching the lower back at the end to move the leg higher than the hip allows.
Rotating the pelvis or turning the working hip and foot outward.
Bending the knee as the leg goes back and turning the exercise into a hamstring curl.
Swinging the leg with momentum instead of moving it under control.
Straightening up or dropping the chest during the rep instead of holding one torso angle.
Letting the weight pull the leg forward fast on the way back.
Locking the standing knee or letting it cave inward.