The Glute Kickback Machine is a beginner-friendly machine strength exercise that targets the glutes, with the hamstrings working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesGlutes
Secondary musclesHamstrings
EquipmentMachine
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Glute Kickback Machine
Set the pad and footplate positions to match your height.
Face the machine and hold the handles with your torso against the pad.
Place one foot on the plate or settle the knee into the pad.
Brace your abs and keep your hips square to the frame.
Drive the leg back by squeezing the glute, stopping before the lower back arches.
Return under control to the start, finish the set, then swap legs.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Machine support removes the balance demand, so the glute can be trained close to failure.
The fixed path keeps the movement at the hip rather than the lower back.
Simple to teach, which suits beginners and large group programming.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Pushing past the point where the hip stops moving, so the lower back extends instead.
Letting the hips rotate open, which adds range without adding glute work.
Bouncing off the stack at the bottom, which removes tension between reps.
Leaning heavily on the handles, which lets the arms take load off the working leg.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Glute Kickback Machine, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
