A GLUTE Guide

Check out today’s post here:

Modern Meathead Notes:

• Glute recruitment in any kickback will primarily be determined by the direction of the cable.

  • This comes hand-in-hand with where the leg is moving in space. The leg’s direction should be parallel to the direction of the cable.

• To most target the glute max, use a kickback which is done forward-backward.

• To most target the glute medius, use a kickback which is done diagonally backward and outward.

• To most target the glute minimus, use a kickback which is done close to directly outward toward the side.

• There may be significant overlap in glute recruitment depending on the direction of motion and resistance.

  • If you choose a path which is mostly backward but slightly outward, you’ll mainly recruit portions of the upper glute max and glute medius.

  • If you choose a path with is somewhere between directly out to the side and “diagonal”, you’ll target a blend of the glute medius and glute minimus.

• The specific recruitment between glutes will not depend primarily on the rotation of your femur, but rather the direction you move your leg and how the cable interacts with your leg.

  • The rotation of your leg will be relevant, but you should not intentionally attempt to manage the rotation. The rotation in your foot/leg should come as a natural consequence of where you’re moving your leg as a unit.

Something that I did not detail in the above text/video was how you’d make these kickback motions more stable.

Often times, the limiting factor - eventually, if not immediately - will end up being your balance, or your ability to stabilize the non-working leg.

Stabilizing these motions may be somewhat cumbersome, but if you’d like to do more stable variations, here’s a detailed video guide on exactly how to do that (below is half of the full video - you’ll need to subscribe to the premium newsletter to see the full version instantly, which is just 16 cents per day!):

See the full-length video below:

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