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  • Gluteus maximus
  • Cable
  • Beginner

Cable pull-through

The cable pull-through works your glutes and hamstrings, with your lower back and inner thighs helping. Start with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, stopping with about 3 reps in reserve. To build muscle, do 2 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

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Video on the way

We film every move with real women. Until then, follow the steps and the 3 tips.

  1. Tip 1Hips back, not down
  2. Tip 2Arms just hold on
  3. Tip 3Squeeze your glutes at the top

Where you should feel it

In your glutes and hamstrings, which stretch on the way down and drive you up. Your lower back just keeps your spine steady. If it all goes to your lower back, check your hip hinge.

Main muscles
Gluteus maximus and semitendinosus and semimembranosus
Also working
Biceps femoris, spinal erectors, and adductor magnus

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to the low pulley, stand facing away from it and hold one end of the rope in each hand between your legs.

  2. Walk two or three steps forward until the cable is taut and set your feet slightly wider than your hips.

  3. Hinge by pushing your hips back, knees slightly bent and back flat, until you feel your hamstrings stretch and your hands pass between your thighs.

  4. Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall, arms straight, without pulling with them.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake

    Squatting down instead of pushing your hips back.

    How to fix it

    Keep your knees only slightly bent. Think about reaching your glutes back to touch a wall behind you.

  • Mistake

    Pulling the rope up with your arms.

    How to fix it

    Keep your arms straight and relaxed. The power comes from your hips driving forward.

  • Mistake

    Leaning back and arching your lower back at the top.

    How to fix it

    Finish standing tall, glutes squeezed and ribs down. Don't go past a straight line.

Sets and reps for your goal

GoalSetsRepsReps in reserveRest
Getting started2 to 38 to 12360 to 120 s
Muscle and definition2 to 46 to 121 to 31.5 to 3 min

Reps in reserve: how many more reps you could still do with good form when you end the set.

Variations

Same movement, other equipment

  • Resistance band

    The band anchored low behind you, like the base of a rack. Great for home.

  • Kettlebell swing

    The same hinge and hip drive, done explosively with the kettlebell swinging.

  • Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

    The same hip hinge, with the load lowering in front of your legs.

  • 45-degree hip extension

    Your torso lowers and rises with your hips on the pad and your feet locked in.

At home or with more support

  • At home: banded pull-through

    Anchor the band low on something sturdy, like the leg of a heavy bed or a door anchor, and do the same movement facing away from it.

  • Prefer more stability? Glute bridge

    Prefer to lie down? In the glute bridge your back stays on the mat and your hips rise and lower, with the same glute squeeze at the top.

Taken? Swap it for one of these

They work the same main muscle.

Keep exploring

Sources

  • Sets and reps

    Currier BS, D'Souza AC, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851-872.

    Full textPubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Martín-Fuentes I, Oliva-Lozano JM, et al. Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0229507.

    Full textPubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Delgado J, Drinkwater EJ, et al. Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension. J Strength Cond Res. 2019;33(10):2595-2601.

    PubMedDOI

Review

Draft. This guide is waiting for review by a certified strength and conditioning professional.

Updated October 31, 2026