Ankle Straps: An Essential in Any Girl's Gym Bag

Ankle straps are quietly being slept on by so many women in the gym, and once you start using them, you’ll never train without them again.

They will help you build stronger, rounder, more defined glutes, which, let's be honest, is pretty much all of us. 🍑

So What Actually Are Ankle Straps?

You probably know already, but ankle straps are padded cuffs that attach around your ankle and clip onto a cable machine.

Once they're on, they open up a whole world of cable exercises that you simply cannot do without them. They are lightweight, they take up barely any space in your bag, and they cost less than a bag of protein, so there really is no excuse not to have a pair.

The Volume Problem (And How Ankle Straps Solve It)

Here is something that does not get talked about enough. Volume, the total amount of sets you do for a muscle per week, is one of the biggest drivers of muscle growth. More quality sets for your glutes almost always means more growth. But there is a catch.

Your big glute exercises, lunges, squats, RDLs, hip thrusts, are brutal. They are brilliant, but they are also incredibly taxing on your whole body. Your lower back, your legs, your nervous system all take a hit. There are only so many heavy sets of those you can do in a week before you are completely cooked, and piling on more and more of them will eventually lead to fatigue and burnout rather than results.

So how do you add more glute volume without digging yourself into a hole? Cable kickbacks and cable hip abductions.

These exercises isolate the glutes without adding much fatigue. You can throw them in at the end of a session when you are already tired from your main lifts, and they will still do meaningful work for your glutes. Therefore, your glutes get more volume over the week, which is exactly what they need to keep growing.

Think of your squats and hip thrusts as the hard-hitting foundation, and cable work as the smart, efficient top-up that keeps the gains coming. 🍑

The Cable Advantage

Here is something worth knowing: cable machines keep your muscles under constant tension throughout the entire movement. Unlike free weights, where gravity means the resistance changes as you move, a cable machine is pulling against you from start to finish.

What does that mean for you? More time under tension. And more time under tension means more muscle growth. Simple.

For glute development specifically, this is huge. The glutes respond brilliantly to exercises where they are working hard through the full range of motion, and cable work delivers exactly that.

The Best Exercises to Do With Ankle Straps

Cable Kickbacks — the classic. Set the cable at the lowest pulley, attach the strap, hinge slightly forward, and drive your leg straight back, squeezing at the top. Focus on driving through the glute rather than just swinging your leg. This is one of the best isolation exercises for the upper glute, and because it is so low in overall fatigue, you can programme it multiple times a week.

Cable Hip Abductions — attach the strap to your ankle, stand side-on to the cable, step over the cable with your non-working leg, and drive your leg out to the side. This targets the glute medius, which sits on the side of your hip and is responsible for that rounded, lifted look. 

Bonus: Cuffed Cable Lateral Raises

Here is where ankle straps show their versatility. Slip the cuff around your wrist, attach it to a hip height cable, and you have one of the best lateral raise variations.

The cable keeps constant tension on your side delt throughout the full range of motion, something a dumbbell simply cannot do, where the resistance would drop off at the bottom of the movement. The cuff also means you are not gripping anything, which takes your grip and forearm out of the equation and lets you really focus on feeling the delt working.

If you have seen this one all over your Instagram feed lately, there is a reason for it. It works. And the fact that your ankle strap doubles up as the perfect attachment for it makes it an even better bit of kit to have in your bag. 💪

What to Look For in a Good Pair

You might be thinking: my gym already has ankle straps available, why would I need my own? Here is the honest answer: those straps have been on the sweaty ankles of every person in that gym for the last several years. They are usually worn, fraying, and about as padded as a piece of cardboard.

Beyond the hygiene factor, gym-provided straps tend to have loose, rattly clips that shift around mid-set, poor velcro that gives up after a few reps, and zero padding, meaning they dig into your ankle and become the main thing you are thinking about instead of the muscle you are trying to work.

Here is what actually matters in a good pair: a thick, well-padded cuff so there is no digging into your ankle during sets, a strong, secure closure that is not going to slip mid-set, and a durable metal clip that can handle the weight you are pulling. And honestly? Colours that you actually want to wear, because if you feel good, you train better. That is not vanity, that is just facts.

Our Lolli ankle straps come in Signature Pink, Baby Blue, and Lilac, and are built to stay put no matter how hard you are working. At £20 a pair, they are one of the best investments you can make in your training. 🎀

Build Your Full Lolli Kit

If you are serious about your training, ankle straps are just one part of the puzzle. Pair them with a Lolli lifting belt for your squats and RDLs, lifting straps for RDLs and back days, and a barbell pad for hip thrusts, and you have everything you need to train smarter, lift harder, and get better results.

The Bottom Line

Ankle straps are small, affordable, and completely transformative for anyone who wants to build serious glutes. If you are not using them yet, you are leaving results on the table.

Get yourself a pair, find a cable machine, and get to work. Your future glutes will thank you.
💪✨

~ Lucy x