Cable Pull-Through

Stand facing away from a low cable pulley, straddling the cable. Reach between your legs and grip the rope attachment. Hinge at the hips, pushing your glutes back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then drive your hips forward to stand tall and squeeze your glutes hard at the top.

Pro Tips

• Keep your arms straight throughout — the movement comes entirely from the hips
• Maintain a soft knee bend but avoid turning this into a squat
• A great warm-up or finisher for lower body days

Muscles worked

Primary: Gluteus maximus — the cable’s constant horizontal tension teaches the hip to extend against resistance in the same direction the glute actually produces force, making this a highly effective glute-loading exercise compared to squat-pattern movements.

Supporting: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semimembranosus, semitendinosus — active in the hip-hinge descent and assisting at lockout), erector spinae (isometric lumbar extension throughout).

Common mistakes

Squatting instead of hinging: The pull-through is a hip hinge — the movement comes from pushing the hips back and loading the posterior chain, not bending the knees. If the knees are tracking forward, you are squatting the weight rather than hinging it.

Letting the arms do the work: The arms should stay straight and passive throughout. If the elbows bend or the arms pull actively, the upper body is contributing to a movement that should come entirely from the hips.

Not achieving full hip extension at the top: Standing up to only 80–90 percent of full extension leaves the glutes underloaded at their strongest point. Drive fully upright and squeeze the glutes deliberately at the top before returning.

Cable angle too high: The low cable pulley is essential. If the attachment point is above knee height the resistance vector changes and the glute loading diminishes. Always attach at ankle height or below.

Programming notes

The cable pull-through is particularly valuable as a glute-activation exercise at the start of a lower body session or as a finishing movement after heavy compound work. Because the resistance is horizontal rather than vertical, it loads the glutes without significant spinal compression — making it a useful accessory for lifters managing lower back fatigue alongside deadlifts or squats.

Programming: 3–4 sets of 12–15 repetitions, focusing on a deliberate pause at the top. It is also commonly used for 2–3 sets of 10 as a warm-up before heavy hip-hinge work (Romanian deadlifts, rack pulls) to prime the glutes before the main lift.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cable pull-through better than the Romanian deadlift for glutes?

They serve different purposes and work best together. The cable pull-through provides constant horizontal tension throughout the range of motion, keeping the glutes loaded even at the top of the movement where a barbell RDL goes slack. The Romanian deadlift, by contrast, allows far heavier loading and greater mechanical tension on the hamstrings. For pure glute hypertrophy, the pull-through’s resistance curve is highly favourable; for overall posterior chain strength and mass, the RDL wins. Most lifters benefit from programming both.

What weight should I use on the cable pull-through?

Start light enough that you can fully hinge — not squat — and achieve complete hip extension with a deliberate glute squeeze at the top. Most beginners find a moderate stack setting (around 20–40 kg) appropriate for sets of 12–15. Because the movement relies entirely on hip drive rather than upper body strength, the limiting factor is your ability to maintain form, not raw force output. Increase the load only when you can consistently reach full lockout on every rep without the arms pulling.

Why do I feel the cable pull-through more in my lower back than my glutes?

Lower back dominance usually means you are hyperextending the lumbar spine at the top rather than driving true hip extension. Focus on stacking the hips forward to a neutral pelvis at lockout — not arching the back. A cue that helps: think “hips forward and tall” rather than “chest up.” If lower back fatigue persists, check that your cable is set at ankle height, your arms are fully relaxed, and you are initiating the hinge by pushing your hips back first rather than bending over from the waist.