ProgreviaCable pull-through: proper form, muscles worked and common mistakes
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How to do it
Facing away from the low pulley, pass it between your legs and hinge: push the hips back and extend them squeezing the glutes on the way up, without turning it into a squat.
Muscles worked
Main muscle: glutes. Also worked: hamstrings. When it plans weekly volume, the generator counts each set of this exercise as one full set for glutes and half a set for each secondary muscle (what is known as fractional counting).
Cable pull-through: a hip hinge against a cable, without deep knee bend
The sumo goblet squat bends the knees a lot and drops the hips between them, with the quads and adductors very present. The cable pull-through does something else: it is a hinge, with the knees barely bent and the hips traveling back, while the cable, coming from behind, pulls you forward. The resistance opposes hip extension throughout the range, and there is almost no axial load on the spine and no bar to hold: the work lands on the glutes and hamstrings.
It is a good exercise for learning the hip hinge before moving on to the Romanian deadlift, and a good leg finisher when you do not want more load on your back. It works with medium to high reps, 10 to 15, and a brief squeeze at the top. If you do sumo squats, it is a complement that trains the glute from another movement pattern.
Stand far enough from the stack that the cable is already under tension when you are at the bottom, and let your arms hang long between your legs: they are just hooks, so do not pull with them. If it starts to feel like a squat, send the hips further back and keep your shins close to vertical.
Technical sheet
- Movement pattern
- Hip hinge
- Minimum level
- Beginner
- Technical demand
- Basic
- Fatigue it generates
- Moderate (0.9 out of 2.2)
- Risk if technique breaks down
- Low
- Peak tension in the stretched position
These are the values the generator uses to decide where the exercise goes within the session.
Recommended sets and reps
As a compound lift, it fits in 3–5 sets of 5–12 reps leaving 1–3 reps in reserve (RIR). Prioritize it at the start of the session, when you're fresh.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not locking out the hips at the top with a full glute squeeze, cutting the effective range short.
- Letting the weight stack touch down between reps: the cable loses its constant tension, which is its whole advantage.
- Cutting short the part of the range where the muscle is stretched: that is exactly where this exercise gives the most stimulus.
What the research says
Because it is a multi-joint lift, the 2021 review of the repetition continuum by Schoenfeld and colleagues leaves room to choose: both heavy and moderate sets build muscle if they finish near failure, but maximal strength needs some heavy work.
Its peak tension comes with the muscle stretched, and that matters: in the trial by Maeo and colleagues (2021), seated leg curls, which stretch the hamstrings more, built more muscle than lying curls, and Pedrosa and colleagues (2022) saw something similar in the quads when training the long end of the range.
On how hard to push: the meta-analysis by Refalo and colleagues (2023) found no clear advantage in going to failure over stopping just short of it. That is why the generator programs it with reps in reserve (RIR) instead of asking for failure on every set.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading recommendations for muscle strength, hypertrophy, and local endurance: a re-examination of the repetition continuum. Sports. 2021;9(2):32.
- Maeo S, Huang M, Wu Y, et al. Greater hamstrings muscle hypertrophy but similar damage protection after training at long versus short muscle lengths. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2021;53(4):825-837.
- Pedrosa GF, Lima FV, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths. European Journal of Sport Science. 2022;22(8):1250-1260.
- Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2023;53(3):649-665.
How Cable pull-through compares with other glutes exercises
Of the 15 glutes exercises in the catalogue, ranked from least to most fatiguing by the values the generator uses, Cable pull-through is number 9 (tied with one other).
It sits in the middle of its group: it works as the day's main exercise or as a second or third one.
With different equipment, the same movement pattern offers 6 alternatives, such as Banded hip thrust, B-stance hip thrust and Hip thrust.
| Exercise | Equipment | Fatigue | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banded hip thrust | resistance band | Low (0.6 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Cable pull-through | cable | Moderate (0.9 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| B-stance hip thrust | barbell | High (1.2 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Hip thrust | barbell | High (1.3 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Paused hip thrust | barbell | High (1.3 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Kettlebell swing | kettlebell | High (1.4 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Sumo deadlift | barbell | Very high (2 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
Tension with the muscle stretched. Cable pull-through loads the muscle when it is longest. In the review by Kassiano et al. (2023), across eleven studies, full range of motion and partials performed in the initial part of the movement — with the muscle long — produced more growth than partials performed at the end.
- Kassiano W, Costa B, Nunes JP, Ribeiro AS, Schoenfeld BJ, Cyrino ES. Which ROMs lead to Rome? A systematic review of the effects of range of motion on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2023;37(5):1135-1144.
Related guide
Glute exercises: the guide to actually building them
Alternative exercises
More hip hinge exercises
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does Cable pull-through work?
Cable pull-through mainly works the glutes muscle group, plus synergist and stabilizer muscles depending on the variation.
How many sets of Cable pull-through should I do?
Between 3 and 5 sets per session, adjusting the total weekly volume for glutes to your level (about 10–20 sets per muscle per week).
Is the cable pull-through a good way to learn the hip hinge?
Yes, because the cable pulls you back and forces you to push your hips behind you to stay balanced, which teaches the pattern with almost no load on the spine. Once the movement feels natural, you can move to dumbbell or barbell Romanian deadlifts. Keep the knees only slightly bent so it stays a hinge, not a squat.
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