Most "isolation" glute exercises focus on the peak contraction portion of the range of motion.
You've likely seen glute kickbacks, cable glute extensions and hip thrusts in action. They're excellent exercises but they all target the contraction of the glute muscles, not the stretch.
Yet the stretch is an important part of the growth process and without it, you're shortchanging your glute growth.
You may also find that squats and lunges (which do have a strong stretch component) have a tendency to build your thighs more than you'd like and you want to put more focus just on the glutes.
That's where this exercise comes in.
I came across this exercise on the Instagram account of my friend and colleague, Bret Contreras (a.k.a. The Glute Guy) which he adapted from a move he picked up from the Glute Guru (both guys are worth following if you love glute training).
The version that Bret was using worked with a dumbbell or band resistance and a roller for your back leg to move back and forth on.
THIS variation doesn't require any rolling or sliding on the back leg as your back leg is going to be providing the resistance via a cable attached to it.
How to Set Up Low Pulley Kneeling Lunges
To do this one, you'll need a flat bench, a low pulley cable stack, and something to attach your leg to the stack (this could an ankle harness or a "Monkey Feet" boot).
The Monkey Feet boot is definitely the best but it's not a common piece of equipment. You can see my full review of Monkey Feet here...really innovative piece of equipment, great for leg training.
I've got the Monkey Feet boot attached to a single cable handle, which is attached to a short length of chain (optional) then the low pulley.
An ankle harness will work pretty much the same way.
Unfortunately, this one won't really work with a band...bands have very little to no resistance until they're stretched. With this one, we NEED the stretch resistance right away. A band would give you more resistance as you come to the top, though.
Set the bench about 3-4 feet away from the low pulley then walk yourself up to the bench. Set the shin of your unweighted leg on the bench and grip onto it.
Key thing to note...we're using GLUTE power to do the exercise. The grip on the bench is just to stabilize yourself and keep the weight from pulling you back.
This bottom position puts a GREAT stretch on the working side glute. You have a very small hip angle, which really targets the glutes. This position is very similar to the bottom of a very deep single leg step up.
This is the same position tilted 90 degrees so you can see what I'm talking about. Just imagine your foot on a chair or bench.
By taking the foot out of the equation, you take the thigh work out of the exercise.
Now, using glute power, push yourself up forward. Try to drive your shin into the bench as you push up. This will help activate the glutes.
You will notice that the resistance tapers off as you come up to the top. This exercise doesn't give you much in the top range of motion...that's where hip thrusts or kickbacks would come in.
In Bret's version of the exercise, he's holding the ends of a band that looped around the hips to provide resistance in that top range.
You can also do half range reps just coming up until your thigh is vertical and keep the tension on the glutes more consistently.
When you've done your reps on one side, switch up and do the other side. Since the weighted leg isn't really working, fatigue won't be much of an issue.
If you find while you're doing the exercise that your bench end is coming up a bit, you can set a weight plate on the end to counterbalance it and keep it down.
On the bottom of every rep, be sure to hold that stretch position for a few seconds. This is the "money" part of the exercise so we want to get the most out of it we can.
As you come out of the bottom, try and keep a small arch in your lower back. This will give you more hip extension, which will help increase glute stretch.
I recommend this one for 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps. Push it hard! It's an isolation exercise but the resistance you get on the glutes is fantastic.
For a complete glute workout, you can use a "Positions of Flexion" style of workout where you do a squat for mid-range work, then this exercise for stretch, then a hip thrust or cable glute extension for the peak contraction.
Another excellent single-leg glute exercise is the Pistol Side Squat.
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Want more unique and challenging exercises to work your entire body with simple equipment? All you need is just a barbell, dumbbells and a bench. Check out The Best Home Gym Exercises You've Never Heard Of!
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