glutes: 5 Best Cable Exercises for Toned Butt

While dumbbells and bodyweight workouts are essential for glute training, cable exercises have their own set of benefits when it comes to achieving a toned butt.

Cable exercises provide constant tension in the muscles throughout the exercise and are also a lot safer and more convenient than free weights. Moreover, they work on all three parts of the glutes, including the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus, and are an ideal way to build muscle mass.

Read on to learn about some of the best cable workouts you can do to strengthen and tone your glutes.

Top cable exercises for toned butt

Incorporate the following five cable exercises into your lower body routine to sculpt your butt:

1) Cable pull-through

The cable pull-through is one of the best and most common cable exercises for the glutes. It largelt targets the gluteus maximus – the largest glute muscle. The key is to focus on your form, as incorrect form can put more pressure on the lower back and hamstring than the glutes, leading to strain and back pain.

To do the exercise:

Set the cable at the bottom of the machine, and stand away from it so that there's tension on the cable throughout the exercise.
Position your feet at shoulder-width, with your toes facing forward.
Use a single-hand cable or rope cable, and hold it between your legs.
With your shins vertical and a slight bend in the knees, push your hips back towards the cable.
As soon as your back gets parallel, slowly push your hips till they get fully extended.
Repeat.

2) Cable squat

Cable squats are also one of the most effective cable exercises for getting toned butts.

Apart from the glutes, this exercise also targets the quads, improves the tendons, and strengthens the bones around the legs. Additionally, this exercise burns a lot of calories and helps reduce weight too.

To do the exercise:

Stand in front of a cable machine with your feet at shoulder width.
Grab the handles with both hands, and slowly lower your body while pushing your hips back. Perform a standard squat while ensuring that the knees are in line with the toes.
Stand back up while engaging the quads and glutes, and get back to the starting position.
Repeat the exercise.

3) Cable glute kickback

This exercise is one of the best cable exercises that isolates the glutes and also trains each side equally and separately.

It improves muscle stability and also develops overall lower body strength and endurance. If you're working out at the gym, perform this exercise on a cable machine that has an ankle cuff attachment. If that's not available, opt for a regular cable handle or ankle strap.

To do the exercise:

Set the cable to its lowest position, and choose an appropriate weight.
Put an ankle cuff on your left leg, and face the cable machine. Attach the cuff to the cable, and take a few steps back till there's some resistance.
Lift your left leg off the floor, and balance yourself on your right leg.
Engage your core, and slightly lean forward to grab onto the front part of the machine.
Kick your left leg back till your hip gets fully extended, and squeeze your glute at the top position.
Return to the starting position, and repeat. Switch legs. and perform the exercise with your opposite leg.

4) Cable single-leg Romanian deadlift

A cable single-leg Romanian deadlift is another great exercise to target the butts one leg at a time. This exercise corrects imbalance between both legs and also trains the entire lower body more efficiently.

To do the exercise:

Set the cable to the bottom of the machine, and use a single-hand cable handle.
Stand at least 2-3 feet away from the machine so that there's constant tension on the cable.
Grab the handle in your left hand, and hinge through your hips. Kick your right leg back in the air, and use the cable to pull your arm towards the bottom of the machine.
Complete a few reps on that side before switching sides to continue.

5) Cable lateral lunge

Cable lateral lunges are considered one of the best cable exercises to work on lower body stability and balance. This exercise primarily targets the butts and outer and inner thigh muscles and is equally effective for improving core strength.

To do the exercise:

Grab the handle in both hands, and stand straight with the cable machine to your side.
Hold the handle at hip level, and take a big step away from it. Lower down as far as you can, and push back up to the starting position.
Complete a few reps on this side before switching sides to repeat.

Bottom Line

Cable exercises offer smooth motion and take away stress and vulnerabilities from the bones and joints. They also reduce chances of injury and help you perform a higher number of reps too.

So, the next time you hit the gym, try to incorporate the aforementioned exercises to train and tone your butts. Just be careful, and choose an appropriate amount of weight you can handle easily without hurting your muscles.