Ever feel pain in your back after deadlifting? How about after RDLs or squats? The truth is: While these are great exercises to build serious glute, hamstring, and lower back growth–they can come with the price of lower back pain on the other end. If you want an exercise with similar benefits and muscle work–without the lower back pain–I recommend the cable pull through.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying to fully ditch the deadlift or RDL. These are staples to anyone’s strength-building workout routines.
But if you’re dealing with consistent back pain, it might take some work to build your muscles up to the challenge. At Back Muscle Solutions, we teach a 4-step approach to help you release the muscles and relieve the pain:
1) Massage
2) Stretch
3) Strengthen
4) Habit Correction
Massage:
So, if back pain is stopping you from pushing it at the gym, start by calming down your muscles and massaging them with a device like the QL Claw.
Stretch:
Next, stretch those muscles, so they’re ready to do some serious work. Check out this article for the best lower back stretches:
“13 Potent Stretches For Lower Back Pain That Actually Work”
Strengthen:
And after that, you’re ready to strengthen your muscles and get back to it. This doesn’t typically mean diving right into the deadlift PRs you were trying to hit last week. It DOES mean scaffolding your way up there with an exercise like the cable pull through.
The cable pull through:
→ Works the same muscles as deadlifts and RDLs
→ Takes less of a toll on your lower back
→ Allows you to practice the hinge motion
→ Provides the opportunity for some serious glute growth through targeted movement
Today, I’ll cover everything you need to know about the cable pull through. Here’s what we’ll talk about:
- Cable Pull Through How To
- Cable Pull Through Muscles Worked
- Cable Pull Through Pro Tips
- Cable Pull Through Benefits
- Cable Pull Through Alternatives
- Our Best Glute Resources
- Cable Pull Through FAQs
Cable Pull Through How To
Let’s start with the basics. Here’s a simple cable pull through how to:
1) Find a cable pulley station, and set the pulley to its lowest setting.
2) Attach a double rope handle.
3) Stand with your back to the machine–feet just slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out just slightly.
4) Grab the rope between your legs with an underhand grip.
5) Take a few steps out from the machine, so you feel some tension on the cable.
6) Bring your butt and hips back towards the machine, maintaining a neutral spine, and aligning your torso so it’s parallel to the floor.
7) Next, thrust your hips forward, bringing your torso upright.
8) Pause at the top, really squeezing those glutes.
9) Then, bring your hips and butt slowly back again.
10) Repeat for 8-15 reps.
Cable Pull Through Muscles Worked
So, now that you know the basic cable pull through how to, let’s answer the question: What muscles do cable pull throughs work?
Cable Pull Through Muscles Worked:
- Glutes: Glutes are the primary muscle worked by the cable pull through–including maximus, medius, and minimus.
- Hamstrings: You’ll also feel this in your hamstrings.
- Erector Spinae: The cable pull through works your lower back muscles without putting a ton of strain on them.
Overall, the cable pull through is a great exercise for glute growth since you can go lighter on the weight and really focus on form and targeted glute work.
Cable Pull Through Pro Tips
Lots of people try the cable pull through and end up getting frustrated, asking, “Why don’t I feel the cable pull through in my glutes?”
This exercise is easy to learn but there are lots of small form details to pay attention to, which could impact how much you feel the cable pull through working your glutes.
So, here are some of the best pro tips for how to look like a pro and feel the cable pull through in your glutes!
Cable Pull Through Pro Tip #1: Foot Positioning
With the cable pull through, it’s not gonna work if your feet are too close together.
Or too far apart.
I recommend going just wider than shoulder width. Also, when it comes to working out your glutes, it helps if you open up your hips.
This can happen by pointing out your toes just slightly. The same concept applies to creating a glute focus for:
- And Back Extensions
Cable Pull Through Pro Tip #2: How Far Out to Step
The next step to consider when setting up for a cable pull through is how far out to step.
If you stay too close to the machine, you’ll lose range of motion in the movement.
And if you’re too far out, you'll lose the ability to lift a good amount of weight.
Two good rules of thumb:
- Take a few steps away from the machine.
- Make sure the weight stack doesn’t touch at the bottom of the movement.
Cable Pull Through Pro Tip #3: Relaxed Arms
As you know, the cable pull through is not an arm workout. It’s a great exercise for your posterior chain.
This gets minimized, however, if your arms get overly involved in the movement. Some people tend to flex their arms as they grip the rope, which actually takes the power out of your glutes and hips.
Instead, keep your arms relaxed and loose throughout the movement. Their only function is holding the rope handles.
Cable Pull Through Pro Tip #4: How to Hinge
The power of the cable pull through truly comes from the hinge form, which should be familiar to anyone using deadlifts or RDLs in their exercise routines.
Your form for the cable pull through should look very similar.
Avoid just bending over and coming back up. When you do this, your knees will tend to drive the action, and this will detract from the glute work.
Instead:
- Focus on hinging back–setting your hips and butt back as far as they will go.
- Keep a slight bend in your knees and a neutral spine.
- Then, allow your hips to drive the motion forward.
Cable Pull Through Pro Tip #5: Avoid Rounding Your Back
One of the biggest draws to the cable pull through is that it mimics the motions of a deadlift and RDL while being even safer for your back.
This benefit gets canceled out if you perform the exercise with a rounded back. That’s a recipe for disaster.
So, take a load off your back, keep it in neutral, and you’ll feel the benefits!
Cable Pull Through Pro Tip #6: Squeeze Those Glutes!
The cable pull through is a glute exercise, right? So, let’s treat it as such.
When you get to the top of the movement, extend your hips, and give those glutes a nice squeeze.
Pause there for 1-2 seconds, and you’ll be feeling those glutes the next day for sure.
Cable Pull Through Benefits
There are plenty of reasons to add the cable pull through to your workout routine. In my opinion, these are the best cable pull through benefits.
Cable Pull Through Benefit #1: Lower Back Safe
I’m gonna sound like a broken record here, but if you want a hinge exercise that’s safe for your spine, it’s all about the cable pull thorough.
Think about deadlifts, RDLs, and squats–where you lift super heavy weights using a barbell. Unfortunately, oftentimes, the lower back muscles just can’t keep up with other muscles like your glutes and hamstrings. So, what ends up happening is your lower back suffers as you try and build other lower body muscles.
So for people who have weak lower back muscles or who are recovering from a back injury, the cable pull through is like a cheat code.
You get similar muscle work, you use the hinge motion, but you don’t load up your spine with a heavy barbell.
As a reminder: If you're suffering from back pain, your first step is not the cable pull through or any other exercise for that matter.
Step 1 for healing from back pain is massaging the muscles that cause you pain.
There's no better tool for the job than the QL Claw.
It's a back muscle massage device that gives you the power to loosen up your muscles before every workout. Like going to get a massage but from home or right on the turf at the gym.
If your lower back pain is stopping you from reaching your fitness goals, learn more about the QL Claw by clicking below.
And check out some reviews of people like you who used the QL Claw to get back to an active lifestyle.
Cable Pull Through Benefit #2: Learn the Hip Hinge
One other benefit to the cable pull through is using it to learn the hip hinge before you overload the weight.
So, if you're a new lifter, and you want to perfect the hinge motion without destroying your lower back, this is for you, my friend.
Cable Pull Through Benefit #3: Glute Growth
The cable pull through is a great exercise for hypertrophy and adding size to your glutes. That’s because you will typically go with lighter weight and more reps than a deadlift.
Cable Pull Pull Through Alternatives & Comparisons
There are many cable pull through alternatives–most of which allow you to load up heavier weight with the risk of more back pain. I’ll explain each of the cable pull through alternatives, the muscles worked, and the pros and cons below.
Cable Pull Through vs. Deadlift
The deadlift works similar muscles to the cable pull through: glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae–while also adding in quad, core, and forearm work.
Because it works more muscles, the deadlift is more of a compound muscle movement, and it also provides the ability to load up heavier weight. In contrast, you’ll run into limitations doing this with the cable pull through.
The deadlift is generally a better option for building muscle. That said, if lower back pain is a limiting factor, the cable pull through is a perfect place to start building back up to deadlift.
I also like using the cable pull through in addition to the deadlift to provide a more targeted glute workout.
Learn more about deadlifting with back pain in the article below:
“Lower Back Pain From Deadlifts”
Cable Pull Through vs. RDLs
Many people ask the question: “Are cable pull throughs the same as RDLs?” And the answer is that RDLs are a good cable pull through alternative for people looking to go heavier with the lift.
The Romanian deadlift works similar muscles–glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae muscles. It’s often used as a supplementary exercise to aid in deadlifting.
Just like the deadlift, the RDL is an exercise that is better for heavier loads. The cable pull through provides a great option for people whose backs become painful after RDLs.
Check out our article all about back pain from RDLs below:
Cable Pull Through vs. Good Morning
Good mornings are also a great exercise to work your glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae muscles.
When comparing the cable pull through vs. good morning: You’ll notice the good morning uses the hinge–just like the cable pull through–and starts in the upright, standing position.
When it comes to lower back safety, the cable pull through is a safer option because, unlike the good morning, you don’t load weight onto your back.
When done properly, however, the good morning can also be a great back exercise. Personally, I like the Zercher variation of the good morning, which involves placing a barbell across your forearms–right at your elbows.
Learn more about the good morning exercise in the article below:
Cable Pull Through vs. Hip Thrust
Lots of people want to know: “Are cable pull throughs as good as hip thrusts?”
And the truth is: Not one exercise is better. They both have their benefits.
Hip thrusts work the same muscles–glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae muscles. That said, the hip thrust is a far more glute-focused exercise than the cable pull through, which will also provide more hamstring work.
Overall, hip thrusts are great for building power and strength in your glutes due to the heavy load you can add to the barbell.
In contrast, the cable pull through is great for adding size to your glutes since it uses more reps and less weight.
Learn more about hip thrusts below:
Our Best Glute Resources
There are plenty of other great glute exercises out there as well–and at Back Muscle Solutions–we provide all the best tips for back-safe glute workouts. Here are some other great resources:
“7 Best Glute Machines to Discover at Your Gym”
Glute Activation Exercises For Lower Back Health
Glute And Hamstring Stretches For Back Pressure Release
Cable Pull Through FAQs
What muscles do cable pull throughs work?
The cable pull through muscles worked include the glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae muscles.
Are cable pull throughs the same as RDLs?
Cable pull throughs work similar muscles and use a similar motion, but they are not the same as RDLs. RDLs use a barbell while cable pull throughs utilize a cable pulley.
Are cable pull throughs as good as hip thrusts?
Cable pull throughs and hip thrusts each have benefits. Hip thrusts are good for glute strength while cable pull throughs are better for hypertrophy.
How to feel cable pull through in glutes?
To feel cable pull throughs in your glutes, focus on thrusting forward with your hips. Pause at the top of the motion and squeeze your glutes.
What is the posture for cable pull through?
During the cable pull through, you’ll use a hinge motion, which means pushing your hips and butt back while maintaining a neutral spine and keeping a tall chest. During the exercise, you’ll start with your torso parallel to the floor.
Sources:
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6350668/
[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4595911/
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