Quadruped kickbacks on a chair
There may be reasons to prescribe this exercise, and the main one is its popularity here in Brazil.
Everyone does quadruped kickbacks
Everyone does quadruped kickbacks, whether on a machine…or with ankle weights. Even on the Smith machine!! They’re all over the internet and in magazines. Imagine showing up at the gym and getting rid of the so-called exercise.
There are better exercises
Another reason someone might choose this exercise is, for example, a health problem that prevents them from doing other, more effective exercises. “So, I wasted my time”? Yes… you did. There are better exercises… MUCH BETTER ones!
Like deep squats… Smith machine lunges, leg presses, deadlifts…etc. Remember, no exercise is good or bad; there are just professionals who know how to use them and those who don’t!
By the way
A few physiological “truths”: muscle isn’t modeling clay, and the idea that “this” shapes your body is one of the biggest myths in the gym!
Are quadruped kickbacks with ankle weights a good exercise?
I always make the same point. Trendy exercises may work for certain people, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be a good fit for your workout.
The key is to always focus on compound exercises, because they are safe and will definitely deliver what you’re looking for.
What we know is that these exercises are biomechanically more effective when performed through a full range of motion (depending on the client’s flexibility).
If you really want to work your glutes and have no limitations, these exercises should be part of your daily routine. So forget quadriceps exercises with ankle weights.
The most famous gluteus maximus exercises with ankle weights are quadruped kickbacks, which stimulate only 30% of the glute muscles. Of course, quadruped kickbacks provide a stimulus, but they don’t allow for much weight, and often the body ends up wasting energy.
When the leg performing the exercise moves to the other side, the spine is injured because excessive rotation overloads the muscles in the lower back.
Often, the lower back and gluteus medius get fatigued before the gluteus maximus, leading to overtraining.
Once again, the advice is to always get support to train with quadruped kickbacks or any other exercise.
This applies not only to weight training, which should be guided by a physical education professional, but also to diet and supplementation, which should be guided by a nutritionist.
