Cable kickbacks
Main muscle worked: Gluteus maximus
Cable kickbacks is an exercise without too much stress on your body compared to other intense lower-body exercises such as squats, hip thrusts, deadlifts, etc. You can do cable kickbacks as a warm-up for your lower body workouts, or you can also do this exercise between those intense lower body workouts.
- Set the cable height as low as your ankle and wrap your ankle with an ankle strap. Bent over to create a bigger range of motion and grab something stable for your balance
- Kick your leg back in a controlled movement, squeeze your glutes, and hold it for a moment for a moment at the top
- Bring your leg down back to the original position in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps each side for 2-3 sets.
Make sure you do not hyperextend your back. If you feel like your lower back and hamstrings are working more than your glutes, you can reduce the weight and make sure you focus on squeezing your glutes at full hip extension. Do not have to kick back far or high, but just stop before lower back arching happens.