Here's How You Do Glute Kickbacks

by Katherine Holden
July 14, 2020
4 min read

If you're looking to build, shape, or strengthen your posterior (your behind!), then you can't beat a good glute kickbacks workout to really add muscle and definition.

Glute kickbacks are an effective exercise that will build your glutes and work your hamstrings. The best thing is, you don't need any fancy work out equipment or even a gym membership. You can do kickbacks in your front room, and you can add in a resistance band to make it more difficult.

In this article, we'll take a detailed look at what glute kickbacks are and why you should include them in your workout routines.

What are glute kickbacks?

Glute kickbacks are a popular exercise that's performed on all fours, in the kneeling push-up position. The exercise primarily targets the glutes, one of the body's most powerful muscles.

This exercise needs no specialist equipment, although a resistance band can help to add extra tension to the movements. They often form part of yoga sessions, resistance band workout routines, or glute building training circuits.

The exercise is predominantly focused on the extension of the legs, and as well as building muscles, it can help with balance and overall mobility.

What muscles do glute kickbacks work?

Glute kickbacks, and variations on the exercise, are designed to target the glutes. The glutes are one of the most powerful muscle groupings that the body has, and they are required for everyday movements as well as sports.

Your glutes are composed of three individual muscles:

Gluteus maximus
Gluteus medius
Gluteus minimus

Your glutes help protect and move your pelvis and your hips and are needed for even basic movements such as walking, or sitting and standing up. Your glutes are also the main muscle group making up your behind, and glutes are often trained as much for aesthetic reasons as they are for sporting reasons.

As well as looking good though, having great glutes will help you to run faster, lift weights more effectively, and much more. Although the focus is on your glutes, glutes kickbacks will also target a number of other muscles, too, including your hamstrings and back muscles.

Training your glutes has a number of great benefits for your health and your fitness:

Improve balance and mobility.
Improve your posture.
Improve the definition of your posterior.
Work on muscles needed for walking and running.
Build leg muscles for weightlifting.
Build muscles needed many sports and athletic pursuits.
Avoid everyday injuries from everyday movements such as lifting boxes or climbing stairs.

How to do glute kickbacks

You can perform glute kickbacks as a standalone exercise, but we recommend using them as part of a wider glute-based workout, or resistance band workout targeting multiple muscles in one session.

Try to perform three sets of glute kickbacks at a time, with 10-15 repetitions in each set. Focus on maintaining the correct posture and maintaining the movement itself before you start to speed up the exercise or increase the number of repetitions.

Before any kickbacks exercise session, you should stretch out and loosen up your muscles with light cardio.

Here's how to do the glute kickback exercise:

Place yourself on all fours, with your knees bent and your hands directly beneath your shoulders (the kneeling push-up position).
Keep your back straight and your core tight.
Lift up your right leg and kick it back, behind you (try to do this slowly and deliberately).
Keep extending your leg, and contract your glutes until your hamstring is in line with your back.
Your knee should stay bent at a right angle throughout the exercise.
Return your right leg to the floor.
Repeat the exercise for 10-15 repetitions.
Change legs and repeat.

You can alternate between legs, rather than completing 10-15 reps on each individual leg. As you practice the technique, try to speed up your repetitions.

How to do glute kickbacks with resistance bands

If you re finding that working out against your own body weight is too easy for you, then you can start to build more muscle in your glutes and in your hamstrings by adding tension through the use of a resistance band.

Only try this once you are confident in the technique above. You can change resistance bands to add more tension and resistance to the movement, as you become stronger.

Here's how to do glute kickbacks with a resistance band:

Place yourself on all fours, with your knees bent and your hands directly beneath your shoulders (the kneeling push-up position).
Keep your back straight and your core tight.
Place a resistance band around your right ankle and loop the other end firmly beneath the palm of your hand, to hold it in position throughout the exercise.
Lift up your right leg and kick it back, behind you (you'll feel the extra tension as the resistance band stretches out with your leg).
Keep extending your leg, and contract your glutes until your hamstring is in line with your back.
Your knee should stay bent at a right angle throughout the exercise.
Return your right leg to the floor.
Repeat the exercise for 10-15 repetitions.
Change legs, switch the resistance band to your left ankle and left hand, and repeat.

Glute kickback variations

There are several variations of the glute kickback, which can add variety to your workout routine and allow you to have a more targeted glute-focused session. The main variation is the cable glute kickback, which can be practiced standing, or as kneeling kickbacks.

Cable glute kickbacks

Perform cable kickbacks standing or kneeling, using a resistance band or a cable machine.

Place a cable around one ankle.
Stand with your back straight, but held forward. Hold a secure location for support.
Raise your cable-tied leg backward and slightly up.
Contract your glutes while maintaining the correct posture.
Return your leg to the ground and repeat for 10-15 repetitions.
Change the cable to your alternate leg and repeat the cable glute kickbacks.