Glute Exercises on the Cable Machine or on All Fours
A girl with a great physique doing cable glute kickbacks… yes, she does “this,” but she also does squats, lunges, etc., because otherwise she would NEVER have that butt. Believe it.
Are Cable Glute Kickbacks Effective?
A major problem with cable isolation exercises for the glutes is the difficulty of working through a large range of motion with heavy loads.
Whether standing (with the torso perpendicular to the floor), the resistance arm becomes very short at the end of the eccentric phase; or on a bench, where the torso would be parallel to the floor, the resistance arm becomes very short at the end of the eccentric phase.
Range of Motion
The range of motion at the hip joint is quite limited (around 45º). Some might say… it’s easy to solve the range-of-motion issue… just lean over a bench with your torso parallel to the floor. In terms of range of motion, that’s acceptable, but not in terms of balance! And this instability greatly reduces the glutes’ ability to produce force.
The Right Stimulus
And, as we know, it’s essential to stimulate this strong, resilient muscle properly to get any results… not with random little kicks.
It’s also important to consider that during glute isolation exercises, it’s very difficult to achieve this because of the interference caused by fatigue in postural and stabilizing muscles. If your trainer assigns this exercise, find out more before condemning it.
After all, they certainly know this information… There may be other reasons for prescribing this exercise, and the main one is cultural here in Brazil…
In Summary: Cable or All Fours?
Let’s get to the point: For effective glute hypertrophy training, I’d highlight two exercises: squats and lunges. I’d also mention the leg press and Romanian deadlifts.
Cable Glute Kickbacks or Quadruped Glute Kickbacks?
Choose other options for your glute workout.
Most people think of glute exercises as purely aesthetic. Although regularly exercising these muscles results in a firmer, better-looking butt, there are other reasons to focus on this area of the body.
Working this area involves rotating and extending the hips, as well as developing muscular endurance and strength. The most popular exercises are squats, leg presses, and Romanian deadlifts.
When someone starts working toward a more toned body and a firmer butt, they also need to consider that the whole body can function better.
Another option is to increase the weight you use when performing specific movements. Just make sure to increase the weight slowly. Increase it too much, too quickly, and you risk injuring yourself.
