Donkey Kick
How to Do a Donkey Kick
Start on hands and knees on a mat with the hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips.
Set the spine in a neutral position and brace the abdominal wall.
Keep the working knee bent and the foot flexed or relaxed in a comfortable position.
Extend the working hip by lifting the thigh backward and upward while keeping the pelvis square to the floor.
Stop before the lower back arches or the torso rotates to gain extra height.
Pause briefly and squeeze the working glute.
Lower the knee under control toward the starting position without crashing onto the mat.
Complete the planned reps on one side, then switch legs.
Form Check & Technique
DO THIS (Technique Tips)
- Hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Brace before lifting the leg.
- Keep the working knee bent.
- Keep the pelvis square.
- Stop before the back arches.
- Pause and squeeze the glute.
- Add bands or ankle weights gradually.
AVOID THIS (Common Mistakes)
- Arching the Lower Back — Fix: brace the core and stop the leg earlier.
- Opening the Working Hip — Fix: keep both hip bones facing the floor.
- Swinging the Leg — Fix: slow the movement and pause briefly at the top.
- Lifting the Leg Too High — Fix: use hip extension range, not lumbar extension.
- Shifting Bodyweight Side to Side — Fix: press evenly through both hands and the support knee.
- Adding Band Resistance Too Soon — Fix: master bodyweight pelvic control first.
- Resting Completely Between Reps — Fix: keep controlled tension if your goal is muscular endurance or hypertrophy.
About Donkey Kick
The donkey kick is a quadruped hip-extension exercise performed from hands and knees. Keeping the knee bent, lift the thigh backward and upward while the pelvis and spine stay controlled. The gluteus maximus is the main target, while the hamstrings, lateral glutes, core, and lower-back stabilizers assist. The useful range ends before the lower back arches or the pelvis rotates.
Donkey Kick Muscles Worked
Hinge Health identifies the gluteus maximus as the main hip extensor and notes contributions from the gluteus medius and minimus, hamstrings, core, and lower-back stabilizers.
- The exercise works best when the movement stays at the hip instead of coming from lumbar extension.
Sets & Reps Guidance
Technique / Learning
Technique / activation: 2–3 sets of 10–15 bodyweight reps per leg.
Strength Focus
Loaded accessory: 3–4 sets of 10–15 reps per leg with a mini-band or ankle weight.
Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)
Muscle growth: 3–4 sets of 12–20 reps per leg with a controlled top squeeze.
General training baseline. Need.fit automatically adjusts exact sets, reps, and working weight based on your individual fitness level, recovery, and progress over time.
Exercise Variations & Alternatives
Fire Hydrant
Quadruped hip-abduction movement for lateral glute training.
Glute Kickback Machine
Machine hip extension with guided external resistance.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Unilateral floor hip extension with greater load on one glute.
Banded Glute Bridge
Floor hip extension with added band abduction resistance.
Hip Thrust
Learn proper hip thrust form, muscles worked, bench and foot setup, top-position cues, common mistakes, progressions, variations, and practical sets and reps.
Barbell Bench Press
Learn proper barbell bench press form, muscles worked, grip and bar-path cues, common mistakes, and practical sets and reps for strength or muscle.
Donkey Kick vs Fire Hydrant
Donkey kicks emphasize hip extension by moving the thigh backward and upward.
- Fire hydrants emphasize hip abduction by lifting the bent knee out to the side.
- Both begin in quadruped but target different primary hip actions.
How High Should You Lift the Leg?
Lift only until the glute can extend the hip without the pelvis opening or the lower back arching. Hinge Health specifically offers reduced range as an easier modification, reinforcing that maximum height is not the goal.
How to Keep the Lower Back From Taking Over
Brace the core and imagine keeping both front hip bones facing the mat. If the ribs flare or the spine arches as the leg rises, shorten the range.
Banded Donkey Kick
A loop band around the knees can increase resistance.
- Hinge Health also lists ankle weights as a progression.
- Add resistance only when the pelvis remains stable.
Donkey Kick Benefits
The exercise is simple, equipment-light, and easy to scale. It can add direct glute work, hip-extension practice, and lower-body variety without requiring a standing load.
Donkey Kick vs Cable Kickback
Cable kickbacks use external resistance and allow easier progressive loading while standing. Donkey kicks are bodyweight-based and add more quadruped trunk stabilization.
How to Program Donkey Kicks
Use them in warm-ups, home workouts, or as a high-rep glute accessory after heavier compound exercises. Keep reps controlled rather than chasing leg height.
Sources & References
- [1]
- [2]