RepCount App IconRepCount

Glute kickback machine

Also called machine glute kickback, standing glute kickback machine.

What is a glute kickback machine?

A glute kickback machine lets you move one leg behind your body against a weighted lever. This guide uses a standing model with torso and forearm supports and a roller against the lower working leg. Keep your body supported as the leg moves at the hip.

Two side views of a man using a standing glute machine with torso and forearm pads, one planted foot and a padded lever against the other lower leg. The working leg moves backward between frames, with the gluteal region shaded red.

How do you perform a glute kickback machine?

Set up

  1. Adjust the supports and choose a manageable weight. Stand on the platform with your torso against the pad, forearms supported, and hands around the handles.
  2. Set the working leg against its padded lever as the machine directs, with the knee bent. Keep the other foot planted and both sides of your pelvis facing forward.

Execution

  1. Move the working leg backward from the hip, maintaining contact with the supports rather than turning your body.
  2. Stop before the pelvis rotates or your lower back arches to create extra travel.
  3. Guide the lever forward to the start without letting the stack slam. Finish the planned repetitions, then set up for the other leg.

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the pad to finish

    Reduce the weight or shorten the movement until the torso can remain supported.

  • Turning the hips toward the working side

    Keep your belt line facing the machine and stop the leg earlier if it pulls you around.

Where it fits in a session

Include this exercise where it fits your planned lower-body session.

Record the machine settings and controlled range along with repetitions.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

  • None listed in this guide

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The gluteus maximus is the main target. This guide uses a supported standing machine.

Variations

  • Two-frame rear three-quarter illustration of a woman facing a cable machine with an ankle cuff, moving one nearly straight leg behind her while the glute and upper hamstring are highlighted.
    Cable glute kickbackUses an ankle cuff and cable instead of the dedicated padded lever.
  • Two side views of a woman on hands and knees, first with both knees down, then lifting one bent leg behind her with the thigh level with the torso. The gluteal region is shaded.
    Donkey kicksUses a hands-and-knees floor position without the standing machine.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my gym's kickback machine look different?

Machines may use a footplate, a lower-leg roller, or a pad behind the knee, and some use a kneeling position. Follow that machine's adjustment instructions; this guide illustrates the supported standing model.

Should the working knee straighten?

Let the machine's path guide the leg without forcing the knee straight. On the pictured model it stays bent; keep the movement centred at the hip.

Sources

  1. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Gluteus Maximus Muscle. Adel Elzanie, Judith Borger. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK538193/

Track your progress over time with RepCount

Log every set, see plate loading in context, and track your strength over time. Available on iOS and Android.

Download on the

App Store

Get it on

Google Play