For glute growth
For glute growth, the two are close. Glute kickback machine rates slightly higher: easier on the joints.
Barbell back squat gives more stretch.
Both are good choices, and they train the glutes differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Barbell Back Squat. Deep squats grew the glutes about three times more than half squats in one study.
Glute Kickback Machine. Isolates one glute at a time on a fixed path. Simple to load and easy to recover from.
For glute growth, the two are close. Glute kickback machine rates slightly higher: easier on the joints. Barbell back squat gives more stretch. Both are good choices, and they train the glutes differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
Glute kickback machine is easier: it’s easy to learn, while barbell back squat takes some practice.
Barbell back squat needs a barbell and a squat rack, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Glute kickback machine needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Glute kickback machine: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Fair for barbell back squat.