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Exercises

Cable leg exercises for quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves

Published October 19, 2026

The best cable leg exercises are the cable goblet squat and cable split squat for your quads, the pull-through and glute kickback for your glutes, the standing cable leg curl for your hamstrings, and the cable calf raise for your calves. A cable keeps tension on the muscle through the whole rep and lets you change the load in small steps, which makes it ideal for one-leg work and for finishing a leg day after heavy squats. Pick one squat, one hinge or kickback, the curl and the calf raise, and four exercises cover the whole leg.

  1. Cable Goblet Squat Quads
  2. Cable Split Squat Quads, Glutes
  3. Cable Pull-Through Glutes, Hamstrings
  4. Cable Leg Curl Hamstrings
  5. Cable Glute Kickback Glutes
  6. Cable Calf Raise Calves

Cable exercises for quads

Both squats here use a low pulley with the cable running up to your hands, so the weight pulls you slightly forward and lets you sit upright and deep. That upright torso and forward knee travel is what puts the work into the quads rather than the hips. The split squat trains one leg at a time, which a cable loads far more easily than a dumbbell held at your side.

Quads, two-leg squat

Cable Goblet Squat

Quads

Holding the handle at your chest with the cable pulling down and forward lets you sit straight down between your heels, so the quads do most of the work. You can load it heavier than a dumbbell goblet squat without the weight crushing your arms, and the stack changes in small jumps.

How to do it

  1. Attach a bar or rope to the low pulley, hold it at your upper chest with elbows pointing down, and take two small steps back so the cable is under tension.
  2. Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly.
  3. Sit down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes, until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
  4. Drive up through your whole foot to standing, keeping the handle pinned to your chest.

Cues

  • Handle glued to the chest
  • Knees forward, torso tall
  • Sit between the heels

Common mistakes

  • Standing so far from the pulley that the cable drags you forward: one or two steps back is enough.
  • Cutting depth as the set gets hard: the bottom half is where the quads work most.

Swap for: Cable Split Squat, Goblet Squat, Leg Press

Build a session with Cable Goblet Squat

Quads and glutes, one leg

Cable Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

With the load hanging from the cable instead of in your hands, you can push each leg close to failure without your grip or balance giving out first. It is the best quad builder on a cable stack and evens out a stronger and weaker leg.

How to do it

  1. Hold the bar from a low pulley with both hands and step back into a long split stance, one foot well in front of the other.
  2. Keep your chest up and the bar close to your body with arms straight.
  3. Drop your back knee toward the floor until the front thigh is about parallel, letting the front knee move forward.
  4. Push through the front foot to rise, finish all reps on that leg, then switch.

Cues

  • Back knee straight down
  • Front foot flat through the rep
  • Most of the weight on the front leg

Common mistakes

  • Taking such a short stance that your front heel lifts: lengthen the stance until the heel stays down.
  • Pushing off the back foot: it only balances you; the front leg lifts.

Swap for: Cable Goblet Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat, Dumbbell Split Squat

Build a session with Cable Split Squat

Cable exercises for glutes and hamstrings

The pull-through is a hip hinge with the load coming from behind, so the glutes are working hardest at lockout, where a deadlift goes light. The kickback isolates one glute at a time with an ankle strap, and the standing leg curl is the only way to train knee flexion for the hamstrings on a cable. Use one hinge and one isolation per session.

Glutes and hamstrings, hip hinge

Cable Pull-Through

Glutes, Hamstrings

The cable pulls you backward from between your legs, so the glutes have the most to do at the top, where you squeeze them hard. It teaches a clean hip hinge with almost no load on the lower back, which makes it a good hinge for days after heavy deadlifts.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to the low pulley, face away from the machine, and reach between your legs to grab the rope with both hands.
  2. Walk forward until the weight lifts off the stack and set your feet a bit wider than your shoulders.
  3. Push your hips back toward the machine with soft knees and a flat back until you feel your hamstrings stretch.
  4. Drive your hips forward to stand tall and squeeze your glutes at the top. Your arms stay straight the whole time.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Arms are hooks
  • Stand tall and squeeze

Common mistakes

  • Squatting instead of hinging: keep your shins nearly vertical and move from the hips.
  • Leaning back at the top: finish with your ribs stacked over your hips.

Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Swing

Build a session with Cable Pull-Through

Glutes, one-leg isolation

Cable Glute Kickback

Glutes

An ankle strap lets you load hip extension on one side with nothing else working, so your glute gets trained even if your quads or lower back usually take over on squats and hinges. Light weights and strict reps work best here.

How to do it

  1. Fasten an ankle strap to the low pulley and strap it on one ankle, then turn toward the machine and hold the frame with both hands.
  2. Lean your torso slightly forward, put your weight on the standing leg, and keep that knee soft.
  3. Drive that leg back behind you by squeezing your glute, without arching your lower back.
  4. Hold the end position for a second, return the leg slowly until the foot is under you, and repeat. Switch legs.

Cues

  • Squeeze, do not swing
  • Hips square to the machine
  • Ribs down, back still

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to kick higher: stop where the glute stops, even if it is not far.
  • Using so much weight that you swing the leg: drop the pin until each rep has a one-second hold.

Swap for: Cable Pull-Through, Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Build a session with Cable Glute Kickback

Hamstrings, knee flexion

Cable Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Hinges train the hamstrings at the hip; this trains them at the knee, which is the other half of the job. If your gym's leg curl machine is taken, or you train on a home cable tower, this is the curl you have.

How to do it

  1. Strap your working ankle to the low pulley, face the machine, and hold the frame for balance.
  2. Stand tall with your thighs lined up and the working knee slightly behind the standing one.
  3. Curl your heel up toward your glutes without letting the thigh swing forward.
  4. Pause at the top, then lower slowly until the leg is straight. Finish the set and switch legs.

Cues

  • Thigh stays put
  • Heel to glute
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the thigh forward to finish the rep: that turns it into hip flexion. Keep the knee pointed at the floor.
  • Rushing the lowering: the hamstrings grow from the slow part too.

Swap for: Seated Leg Curl, Lying Leg Curl

Build a session with Cable Leg Curl

Cable exercises for calves and hip flexors

Two smaller muscles that are awkward to load without a machine. A low pulley with a bar turns the calf raise into a loaded standing raise with nothing on your shoulders, and an ankle strap lets you train hip flexion against real resistance, which helps sprinters, kickers, and anyone whose hip flexors limit a high knee drive.

Calves, standing raise

Cable Calf Raise

Calves

A low pulley with a bar gives you a loaded standing calf raise with no weight on your back. Stand on a plate or step so your heels drop below your toes, and the cable keeps tension through the whole range.

How to do it

  1. Attach a straight bar to the low pulley, let it hang at arm's length against your thighs, and stand on a plate or low step with your heels hanging off.
  2. Lower your heels until the calves are fully stretched and pause.
  3. Rise as high as you can onto the balls of your feet with straight knees.
  4. Hold the top for a second, lower slowly, and repeat.

Cues

  • Stretch at the bottom, squeeze at the top
  • Knees locked
  • Push through the big toe

Common mistakes

  • Doing it flat on the floor: you lose the stretched half of the rep. Stand on a plate.
  • Leaning back against the cable: stay tall so the calves lift the weight.

Swap for: Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise, Seated Calf Raise

Build a session with Cable Calf Raise

Hip flexors, one leg

Standing Cable Hip Flexion

Abs

Your hip flexors lift your knee when you sprint, climb, and kick, and they rarely get loaded directly. An ankle strap and a low pulley train them against resistance you can measure and increase, one leg at a time.

How to do it

  1. Fasten an ankle strap to the low pulley and to one ankle, turn your back to the machine, and hold the frame or a post beside you.
  2. Step forward until the cable is tight with the strapped foot slightly behind you.
  3. Bring the strapped leg forward and up in front of you without leaning back.
  4. Return the leg slowly until it is behind you again, finish all reps, then switch.

Cues

  • Torso stays tall
  • Drive the thigh, not the foot
  • Control the way back

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to lift the leg higher: that moves the work to your lower back.
  • Letting the stack slam between reps: keep tension the whole set.

Swap for: Hanging Knee Raise

Build a session with Standing Cable Hip Flexion

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

A cable station is your whole leg day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable

You train in a gym where the cable towers are free but the racks and leg machines are not, or you simply prefer cables to a barbell.

Without heavy squats, the cable split squat and goblet squat carry the quad work, so they come first while you are fresh and run at 1 to 2 reps in reserve. The pull-through and leg curl split the hamstring work between hip and knee, and the calf raise closes each session. Day B adds the kickback for one more glute exercise. The isolations go to 0 to 1 reps in reserve because a cable makes them safe to push. That is 14 hard sets per session.

Legs A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Cable Goblet Squat1 warm-up set firstTwo steps back from the pulley. 4 × 8–12 2 2 min
Cable Pull-ThroughSqueeze 1 s at the top. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Cable Leg CurlPer leg. Thigh still. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Cable Calf RaiseOn a plate. Pause at the bottom. 4 × 10–15 0 1 min

Open Legs A in the session builder

Legs B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Cable Split Squat1 warm-up set firstPer leg. Weaker side first. 4 × 8–12 1 90 s
Cable Glute KickbackPer leg. 1 s hold. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Cable Leg CurlPer leg. 3 s lowering. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Cable Calf Raise2 s hold at the top. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Legs B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Legs A and Legs B on two days each week with at least two days between them. Warm up with one light set of the first exercise.
How to progress
When every set hits the top of its rep range at the target reps in reserve, move the pin down one plate. For the one-leg exercises, start every set with your weaker side and match those reps on the other.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Finisher after barbell squats or leg press

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable

You already squat or leg press, and you want 15 minutes of cable work at the end to cover glutes and hamstrings.

After a heavy squat, your quads have had their work, and what is usually missing is direct hamstring curling and glute lockout. So this plan skips the cable squats and uses three exercises your squat leaves undertrained, each paired into a superset to save time. Two to three sets each at 1 rep in reserve is enough on top of a full leg day.

Cable Finisher
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Cable Pull-ThroughSuperset with the leg curl. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
A2 Cable Leg CurlPer leg. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Cable Glute KickbackPer leg. Light and strict. 2 × 12–20 1 45 s
How to run it
Run it at the end of every leg day. Do the pull-through and leg curl back to back as a superset, rest, and repeat; then do the kickbacks.
How to progress
Add reps to the pull-through and curl until both reach 15, then move the pin. Keep the kickback light and add a 2-second hold before you add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

A home cable tower or functional trainer, single-leg focus

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets32 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable

You train at home on a functional trainer or cable tower with a light weight stack, and two-leg squats run out of load quickly.

A home stack often tops out before two-leg squats get hard, so this plan trains each leg on its own: the split squat for quads, the kickback and leg curl for glutes and hamstrings, and the hip flexion to balance the hip. The pull-through stays because a two-leg hinge still challenges a light stack. One-leg sets run high in reps and finish at 0 to 1 reps in reserve so a light load still builds muscle. Three sessions of 12 sets fit easily around other training.

Home Legs A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Cable Split SquatPer leg. 3 s down. 4 × 10–20 1 90 s
Cable Pull-ThroughSqueeze 1 s at the top. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Cable Glute KickbackPer leg. 3 × 12–20 0 45 s

Open Home Legs A in the session builder

Home Legs B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Cable Split SquatPer leg. Pause at the bottom. 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Cable Leg CurlPer leg. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Standing Cable Hip FlexionPer leg. Torso tall. 2 × 12–20 1 45 s
Cable Calf RaiseOn a plate. 3 × 12–20 0 45 s

Open Home Legs B in the session builder

How to run it
Alternate Home Legs A and Home Legs B, three sessions a week, so each one comes up three times every two weeks.
How to progress
Once you reach the top of the rep range, slow the lowering to 3 seconds, then add a pause at the bottom of each split squat. Use a heavier attachment only when the stack is maxed out.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Can you build legs with only cables?

Yes, as long as each set gets close to failure. The cable split squat and goblet squat train your quads, the pull-through and leg curl your hamstrings and glutes, and the calf raise your calves. The limit is the stack: when two-leg squats get too light, switch to one leg.

What is the best cable exercise for legs?

The cable split squat. It trains quads and glutes one leg at a time, and a cable loads it more heavily than you can comfortably hold dumbbells. Add a pull-through or leg curl for the back of the leg.

Are 4 exercises enough for leg day?

Yes. A squat for quads, a hinge for glutes and hamstrings, a leg curl, and a calf raise cover every major leg muscle. Three to four hard sets of each is around 12 to 16 sets, enough for most people when done twice a week.

What can I do instead of a leg extension on a cable machine?

Use the cable split squat with your front knee travelling forward over the toes, or the cable goblet squat with a narrow stance and an upright torso. Both put most of the load on your quads, and the split squat does it one leg at a time like a single-leg extension.

Do cable glute kickbacks work?

Yes, for the glutes specifically. They are an isolation exercise, so use them after a squat or hinge rather than in place of one, and keep the weight light enough to hold the top of each rep for a second.

How heavy should cable leg exercises be?

Heavy enough that each set ends 0 to 2 reps short of failure in the rep range given. Pulley setups differ between machines, so a weight that works on one tower may feel different on another; use the reps you had left, not the number on the pin.