Tip: A New Exercise for an Athletic Butt

The cable pull-through is a good exercise for glutes and hamstrings, but it does have some drawbacks for strong lifters. Improvement can be rapid, and it doesn't take long to run out of weight on the stack. Enter the sled pull-through:

This exercise gives you another drill to add to your hip training arsenal. You can use substantially more weight for one thing. It also removes the eccentric or negative part of the lift and the loaded stretch at the bottom of the movement.

Those things are great for muscle gains, but not so great for in-season athletes who may already be experiencing muscle and tendon soreness at and around their hips. Since this exercise doesn't "tear down" the muscle, you can do it frequently and make gains.

How to Do It

1. Pre-set the upper and lower back into a healthy degree of extension.
2. Walk the rope out until all the slack is removed and you feel the tension from the sled.
3. Hinge at the waist until your trunk is parallel or slightly below parallel to maximize lengthening and loading at the hip.
4. Keep the elbows hyperextended and pinned onto your thigh.
5. Try and crush the rope with your hands to strengthen your grip and "irradiate" your upper back so that it works harder.
6. Explode vertically. Don't bend your elbows.
7. A great component of the drill is that the sled will try and toss you back. Don't lean excessively. Snap the hips and knees straight. This really helps with appropriate hip extension technique.