Cable Pull-Through — form guide
Glutes · Hamstrings · Erectors. Equipment: Cable Machine + Rope Attachment. Difficulty: Beginner.
Best hip-hinge teaching tool ever invented. The cable pulls you backward, forcing you to drive hips through to stand. Pair with RDLs.
Sets & Reps
Programming defaults depend on your goal. Pick the row that matches yours:
Cues
- Face away from low cable, rope between legs
- Hinge at hips, soft knee bend
- Hams stretch at bottom
- Drive hips forward to stand, squeeze glutes hard
Common mistakes
- Squatting it — knees bending too much
- Using arms to lift the rope
Injury notes
Spine-friendly hinge teach. Mandatory before barbell RDLs for beginners.
Progression
Add 2.5–5kg/stack when 12 strict reps land with a clean glute squeeze.
Indian gym reality
Cable stations in most tier-2 and tier-3 Indian gyms sit at the back with one shared pulley — expect a queue during peak hours (7–9 am and 6–9 pm). Bring supersets or plan this lift for off-peak windows.
If your gym doesn't have this equipment
- Loop a resistance band around a fixed pole or rack — mimics the constant-tension profile of a cable.
- Use the free-weight version of the same pattern; the machine's guidance is convenience, not necessity.
Home & hostel version
Single-leg Romanian deadlifts with a filled water bottle in each hand — same hinge pattern, no bar needed.
Nutrition & recovery around this lift
Isolations recover fast — 24 hours is usually enough. You can hit the same muscle again the next day with a different exercise. For an Indian lifter, land 30–40g of protein within 90 minutes of finishing — 200g paneer, 4 whole eggs, 150g chicken, or a whey shake all work.
Programs that feature Cable Pull-Through
Full workout plans where this lift sits in the main slot — pick the goal, split, and frequency that fits your life.
Eat to support this lift
Recovery and growth happen at the plate. A meal plan matched to the training goal:
Frequently asked
What muscles does Cable Pull-Through work?
Primarily Glutes · Hamstrings · Erectors. Load and rep range shift the emphasis — heavy triples bias the primary mover, sets of 12+ bring more of the secondaries in.
How many sets of Cable Pull-Through per week?
For hypertrophy, 10–20 direct working sets per week across all exercises for that muscle. This exercise usually contributes 3–8 of those sets, depending on where it sits in your program.
My Indian gym doesn't have this machine — what do I do?
See the "If your gym doesn't have this equipment" section above — every variant listed is a legitimate substitute, not a compromise.
How often should I do Cable Pull-Through?
Most intermediates do best with 2× per week frequency on any given lift — one heavier session and one lighter, or two matched sessions with different rep ranges. Beginners can add a third if recovery holds up.