Training guide
A glute kickback drives one leg back from the hip: on all fours with your knee bent, standing at a cable with an ankle strap, with a band, or on a kickback machine. Keep your hips square, push your heel back until your thigh is in line with your body, and stop before your lower back arches, because any extra height comes from your back, not your glutes.
Kickbacks work as an extra: in the one MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) trial, which we could read only as an abstract, 10 weeks of cable kickbacks grew the main glute muscle by 9%, mostly its lower part. They belong after squats, hip thrusts and hinges rather than instead of them.
This guide covers the cable and all-fours kickbacks step by step on the 3D figure, band and machine versions, a bent or straight leg, how heavy and how many, and keeping your lower back out of it.
One leg driven back from the hip: on all fours with the knee bent (often called a donkey kick), standing with a cable ankle strap or a band, or on a kickback machine. It works the gluteus maximus, the big buttock muscle, with the hamstrings helping.
In 17 adults, 10 weeks of cable hip extension on one leg grew the main glute muscle by 9%, and its lower part by 14%, against 5% for cable side-leg raises (hip abduction) on the other leg. It's one small MRI trial, read as an abstract, that doesn't describe the cable set-up; a review also lists kneeling hip extensions among the exercises that grew the glutes.
Hip thrusts and squats grew the glutes about equally over 9 weeks, and no trial has compared kickbacks with them. Do a squat or split squat, a hip thrust or bridge and a hinge first, then add kickbacks, as our grow your glutes guide suggests.
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In 20 adults pushing a leg back while lying face down, with the knee bent 60 degrees or more the glutes outworked the hamstrings; with it straight, the hamstrings worked hardest.
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Lift until your thigh is in line with your body, not higher. In 20 adults lifting a leg while lying face down, bracing the tummy cut lower-back muscle activity from 49% to 17% of its maximum, raised glute activity from 24% to 52% and cut the forward tilt of the pelvis from 10 to 3 degrees.
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Cable or band kickbacks, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, stopping 2 or 3 reps short (their move pages); all-fours kickbacks, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 each side (our editorial starting point); 45 to 60 seconds' rest. Count them in your weekly hard glute sets.
On all fours, the knee stays bent at a right angle and the heel drives up until the thigh is level with your back. Standing, an ankle cuff clips to a low cable, or a band loops round your ankle, and the leg sweeps back. A kickback machine has a chest or forearm pad and a foot plate or roller; we don't have a 3D demo of one.
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The gluteus maximus straightens your hip, with the hamstrings helping, more so when the knee is straight. The glute medius works too: at 46.7% of its maximum on the moving side in one study. Your trunk and your standing or kneeling side hold you steady.
Straightening the hip is the hip movement people lose most with age. In 20 adults lifting a leg while lying face down, the pelvis tipped forward 10 degrees without bracing and 3 degrees with it: that tipping, with the lower back arching, is where extra "height" comes from.
"Donkey kick" is a common name for the all-fours kickback with a bent knee, though names vary; studies call it quadruped hip extension.
Most kickback studies use EMG (electromyography: electrodes measuring how hard a muscle works over a few reps), which isn't a validated predictor of growth. Only one trial has measured the muscle itself.
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In 24 healthy adults, the all-fours kickback worked the glute max at 59.7% of its maximum on the moving leg, eighth of 18 rehab exercises; a forearm plank lifting one bent leg came first, at 106.2%. A review of bodyweight exercises found 32.2% with the knee bent and 29.9% with it straight in one study of 20 people, against 39.9% for the single-leg bridge. In an industry-funded study of 12 people, the all-fours kickback had the highest glute activity of 8 exercises without any added weight, though nearly all were statistically similar.
15 resistance-trained women did 3 reps at 75% of their estimated maximum of six exercises. Peak glute activity in cable kickbacks, as in step-ups, was higher than in Nordic curls and leg curls, and average glute activity, as in 45-degree hip extensions, was too. Cable kickbacks also worked the outer hamstring more than Romanian deadlifts, step-ups and hip extensions.
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In 20 adults pushing a leg back as hard as they could while lying face down, hip extension force fell as the knee bent past 60 degrees, the outer hamstring worked hardest with the knee straight, and the glute max outworked the hamstrings at 60, 90 and 110 degrees of knee bend.
In 20 adults (10 men, 10 women) lifting a leg while lying face down, drawing the tummy in, checked with a pressure cuff, cut lower-back muscle activity from 49% to 17% of maximum, raised glute activity from 24% to 52% and cut the pelvis's forward tilt from 10 to 3 degrees. In 30 adults, drawing in raised glute activity more in those with a deep lower-back curve.
17 young adults trained one leg with cable hip extension and the other with cable hip abduction, twice a week for 10 weeks, about 10 sets a week of 8 to 12 reps. The glute max grew 9% with hip extension and 5% with abduction; extension grew its lower part most (upper 5%, middle 8%, lower 14%), and abduction its upper part (10%, 4%, 1%) and the side glutes. We could read only the summary, which doesn't describe the cable set-up.
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Across 11 pooled studies in a review of 318 people, training grew the glute max by a moderate amount, with single exercises and combinations alike. The review lists hip thrusts, squats, leg presses and kneeling hip extensions among the exercises that grew it.
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In untrained college-aged adults training for 9 weeks, glute growth on MRI was similar with hip thrusts and back squats, slightly favouring the hip thrust with wide variation, and the squats grew the front and inner thighs more. No trial has compared kickbacks with either.
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111 women aged 18 to 30 did squats with a 5 kg bar, donkey kicks with 2.5 kg at each ankle, or nothing, 3 times a week for 6 weeks. "Muscle bulk" was measured as hip circumference, which fell after donkey kicks along with skinfold thickness, so the trial can't tell us whether the glutes grew.
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A review of 16 studies found very high glute activity in step-ups, hex bar and conventional deadlifts, hip thrusts, split squats and lunges. Kickbacks weren't among the loaded exercises studied.
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Steps and cues from our move page; keeping tension on the cable follows our cable machine guide.
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The movement on the figure: Standing cable glute kickback
Steps from our move page and the rehab study's set-up; the tummy brace follows the bracing study.
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The movement on the figure: Glute kickback (quadruped hip extension)
With the knee bent at about a right angle, the glutes do more of the work; with it straight, the hamstrings join in more.
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A straight leg lets you push harder, with the hamstrings helping, and cable kickbacks worked the hamstrings hard. Our standing band and all-fours straight-leg versions keep the knee straight.
Both are hip extension. Pick the one you can do with your back still (our view).
Past that point, the extra height comes from your pelvis tipping forward and your lower back arching, not from your glutes.
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Drawing the tummy in cut lower-back muscle activity by about two-thirds and doubled glute activity in a lying hip extension, and the industry study's instructions say to slightly contract your abdominals to steady your torso.
No study has tested kickbacks for back pain. If they hurt your lower back, shorten the range and brace; our back pain guide has the exercises with evidence.
The bird dog first, 2 sets of 6 each side (as in our fascia release for the back workout); all-fours kickbacks 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 each side (our editorial starting point); the all-fours straight-leg raise 1 to 2 sets of 5 to 10 each leg (its move page); band and cable kickbacks 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, stopping 2 or 3 reps short (their move pages). The reverse hyperextension is a harder relative for later. There's no 3D demo of a kickback machine or a Smith machine kickback: the cable kickback shows the movement.
3D demoBird dogBeginner · No equipment
3D demoGlute kickback (quadruped hip extension)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoAll-fours straight-leg raiseBeginner · No equipment
3D demoStanding band hip extensionBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoStanding cable glute kickbackIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoReverse hyperextensionAdvanced · A bench or box2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, stopping 2 or 3 reps short (their move pages). Our glute gym workout uses 2 sets of 8 to 12 each side with 45 to 60 seconds' rest.
2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 each side (our editorial starting point, in line with our 30-day glute challenge's 1 to 2 sets of 12 to 15 and our home glute workout's 3 rounds of 12). Add a band or an ankle weight once sets feel easy, as the move page says.
The last set can end 0 to 2 reps short of failure, as our plans allow for small isolation moves, but the set ends when your back starts to arch.
Count kickback sets in our grow your glutes guide's 10 to 20 hard glute sets a week, once or twice a week. The MRI trial used about 10 sets a week over two sessions: a study dose, not a starting point.
Enough that 8 to 12 reps feel hard while your hips stay square and your back stays still. Stack numbers differ between machines, as our cable machine guide explains, so judge by the reps you have left; people underestimate that by about 1.
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45 to 60 seconds, as our glute workouts use.
Stop at back level and brace.
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Keep them square, as our move pages cue.
Slow down and pause at the top.
Keep the right angle so your glutes do the work.
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If the cable goes slack, step back to about 60 cm, as our move page says.
Add a band, an ankle weight or a cable, as the move page's caution says.
Hip thrusts 3 sets of 6 to 10 and the hip abduction machine 3 sets of 12 to 20 (our glute gym workout); glute bridges 3 sets of 10 to 15 (our hip thrust guide); single-leg bridges 10 each side and band walks 10 steps each way (our home glute workout); dead bugs 2 sets of 8 each side for trunk control (our Smith machine workout).
Shorten the range, brace, or use a glute bridge instead; see our back pain guide.
Pad them, or use the standing cable or band versions.
Rest on your forearms, or stand (our suggestion).
Kickbacks on all fours or standing keep you off your back; the NHS advises against lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes later in pregnancy. Keep the weights moderate and stop if you feel faint, overheated or in pain, as Tommy's says.
Our pelvic girdle pain guide lists standing on one leg among the things that bring it on and says to swap one-legged moves that bring on pain, and our glute challenge limits one-leg moves. Kickbacks work one leg at a time, so drop them if they bring it on (our suggestion).
Follow your surgical team's movement limits, as our hip mobility routine says.
Our glute gym workout ends with optional cable kickbacks, 2 sets of 8 to 12 each side; the home glute workout puts all-fours kickbacks in a circuit, 12 each side; session B of the 30-day glute challenge uses all-fours and band kickbacks; and the resistance band workout has band hip extensions.
A 50-minute gym glute workout: hip thrusts, deep squats, Bulgarian split squats, back extensions and hip abduction, with sets, reps and rest.
50 minIntermediate11 movesA band, A barbellA 25-minute glute workout with bodyweight and a mini band: bridges, clamshells, band walks, kickbacks and lunges.
25 minBeginner9 movesA wall, A bandSession B of the 30-day glute challenge: a hinge ladder to Romanian deadlifts, step-ups and standing band work, at home or in the gym.
20 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A dumbbellA full-body resistance band workout: squats, rows, push-ups, presses, pull-aparts, band walks, good mornings and flyes.
30 minBeginner9 movesA band, An anchor pointA 25-minute Pilates class for your glutes: bridges, the side kick series, face-down kicks and standing work at a wall, with a band to make it harder.
25 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A bandThe glute workout plan counts 2 optional kickback sets a week; the 30-day glute challenge and the resistance band plan use the home versions.
An 8-week glute workout plan: two glute days and two upper-body days a week, with hip thrusts, squats, hinges and side-hip work, plus a home option.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA free 30-day glute challenge for home or the gym: three 20-minute sessions a week with bridges, split squats, hinges and side-hip work, and rest days.
3 training days20 minBeginner3 days a weekAn 8-week resistance band workout plan: three full-body sessions a week at home or away, with how to choose bands, add tension and anchor them safely.
3 training days35 minBeginnerIf you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing, or spreads to your arms, neck or jaw; a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while straining; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, breathlessness or feeling faint; or severe difficulty breathing. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
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For severe hip pain after a fall or injury, or if you can't stand, walk or put weight on your leg.
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For back pain with feeling hot, cold, shivery or unwell, or severe pain that came on suddenly; severe hip pain that started without a fall or injury, or a hot, swollen hip; or a sudden sharp pain at the back of the thigh that's very painful or getting worse, with a lot of swelling or bruising, or that you can't put weight on, which may be a hamstring strain (see our hamstring strain guide).
For back pain that isn't improving after a few weeks, or hip pain that stops your normal activities or hasn't improved after 2 weeks.
In the one MRI trial, read as an abstract, 10 weeks of cable hip extension grew the glute max by 9%, more than hip abduction did, and a review lists kneeling hip extensions among the exercises that grew the glutes. They're an extra, not a replacement for squats, hip thrusts and hinges.
In that trial, hip extension grew mostly the lower part of the glute max (14%), and abduction the upper part (10%). No study measured shape, and none can promise a look.
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No study has tested them for back pain. Done with an arched back, they load the lower back muscles more: bracing cut that activity from 49% to 17% of maximum in a lying hip extension.
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Past the line of your body, the extra height comes from the pelvis tipping and the back arching; our move pages stop the leg where the lower back starts to arch.
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The one trial measured hip circumference, which can't separate fat from muscle, after donkey kicks with light ankle weights, so it can't show where fat was lost.
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No trial has compared them. Hip thrusts and squats grew the glutes about equally, so build your sessions around those and add kickbacks.
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Yes, as an extra. In the one MRI trial, 10 weeks of cable kickbacks (hip extension) grew the main glute muscle by 9%, more than side-leg raises did, though it was a small trial we could read only as an abstract. On all fours with just your body weight they work the glutes only moderately, so add load as you get stronger.
No trial has compared them. Hip thrusts and squats grew the glutes about equally, so build your sessions around those and add kickbacks for extra glute work.
Bent at about a right angle if you want the glutes to do more: with the knee bent 60 degrees or more, the glutes outworked the hamstrings. A straight leg works the hamstrings more.
You're probably lifting your leg past the line of your body, which arches your back and tips your pelvis. Brace your tummy and stop when your thigh is in line with your body: bracing cut lower-back muscle activity by about two-thirds in a study.
Usually, yes: "donkey kick" is a common name for the all-fours kickback with a bent knee, though names vary. Studies call it quadruped hip extension.
Start on all fours, then add a band, an ankle weight or a cable as it gets easy, because body weight alone works the glutes only moderately. The cable version is the one tested in a growth trial.
With a cable or band, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, stopping 2 or 3 reps short; on all fours, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 each side. Rest 45 to 60 seconds, and end the set when your back starts to arch.
Mostly the lower glutes: in the MRI trial, kickbacks grew the lower part of the main glute muscle most, while side-leg (abduction) work grew the upper part and the side of the hip. Do both.
Loop a long resistance band round your ankle and anchor it low, or do the all-fours version with an ankle weight. That's our suggestion; the band version has its own 3D demo on this page.
Enough that 8 to 12 reps feel hard while your hips stay square and your back stays still. Stack numbers differ between machines, so judge it by how many reps you have left, not by the number.
No study has tested them for back pain. If your back is sore, glute bridges and the exercises in our back pain guide are better places to start, and kickbacks done with an arched back load the lower back muscles more.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
