The Donkey Kick: A Complete Guide From First Rep to Advanced Variations

Quick Intro

The donkey kick is a hip exercise performed from an all-fours position, driving one bent knee up and back until the heel points toward the ceiling.

Equipment Needed

Nothing beyond floor space and something soft to kneel on is needed for this one.

Why the Donkey Kick Matters

The donkey kick asks the glutes (gluteus maximus) to drive the thigh backward and upward from the hip, with the back of the thigh (hamstrings, specifically the biceps femoris) assisting the same hip extension. Keeping the knee bent at roughly 90 degrees throughout the kick removes most of the leg from the equation, so nearly all of the work stays at the hip joint and not the knee.

Squats and lunges also extend the hip, but they do it as one part of a bigger, multi-joint movement shared with the quadriceps and calves. The donkey kick isolates that single joint action, asking the glute to produce hip extension on its own without help from the rest of the leg. That isolation is useful for building targeted glute strength and for waking the muscle up before a heavier lower-body session.

The donkey kick is a muscular endurance exercise for the glutes, with some muscular strength and balance work from supporting the body’s weight through the supporting arm and knee while one leg moves independently.

When to Do It

The donkey kick fits well early in a lower-body or glute-focused session, often as an activation exercise before squats, lunges or hip thrusts load the same muscle under more weight. Most people can do it most days without much fatigue accumulation, given the light overall demand.

A tendency toward lower back arching is common enough here to call out directly:

• A tendency toward lower back arching. Kicking the heel higher than the hip can extend can pull the lower back into an arch to fake the extra range. Stopping the kick where the thigh reaches roughly the height of the torso, not higher, keeps the work at the hip.

For most people, this is a low-fatigue, targeted way to build glute strength that bigger compound lower-body exercises don’t isolate as directly.

Getting Ready

A minute of hip circles and a few bodyweight glute bridges warm up the hip before asking it to extend against gravity from this single-leg position.

Drive the kick using the glute, not the lower back. Arching the spine to gain height is an easy way to make the kick look bigger while quietly taking the work away from the target muscle.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Starting position. Get on hands and knees, hands under the shoulders, knees under the hips, spine in a neutral, flat line.

2. The kick. Keeping the knee bent at roughly 90 degrees, drive one heel up and back until the thigh is roughly level with the torso, without arching the lower back to gain extra height.

3. The return. Lower the knee back down under control to the starting position, keeping the hips level throughout.

Keep the supporting hand and knee firmly grounded, since any shift of weight toward the kicking side takes tension off the hip that’s doing the work.

How Many, How Often

Arching the lower back to kick the heel higher is the easiest way to make the rep look bigger while quietly shifting the work off the glute and onto the spine, so a flat, controlled back matters more here than how high the heel rises.

Modifications and Variations

The donkey kick connects to one alternative.

As an alternative technique, Fire Hydrant lifts the same bent knee out to the side instead of back, shifting the emphasis from hip extension toward hip abduction and the glutes’ role in that separate movement.

Adding a light resistance band around the thighs just above the knees, or pausing for a full second at the top of each kick, are reasonable ways to add difficulty once bodyweight reps stop feeling challenging.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Arching the lower back to kick higher. Letting the spine extend lets the lower back finish the range the hip was supposed to produce on its own, which undercuts the whole point of the isolation. Stopping around torso height keeps the rep honest.

Letting the hips twist open toward the kicking side. Rotating the pelvis as the leg kicks back changes the angle of the movement and reduces how directly the glute has to work. Keeping both hip points square to the floor preserves the intended muscle emphasis.

Kicking with speed instead of control. Snapping the leg back quickly builds momentum that carries the rep, not the muscle. A slower, deliberate kick keeps the glute under tension for the full range.

Not lowering the knee all the way back down between reps. Stopping the return partway shortens the range and lets the glute rest less between kicks than it should. Bringing the knee fully back to the starting position each time keeps the full range intact.

After Your Set

The glute that drove every kick has usually earned a direct stretch by the end of a set. Lying on the back and pulling one knee gently toward the chest stretches that same glute in the opposite direction from the kick itself. A seated toe reach afterward, legs extended long and the torso folding forward from the hips, loosens the hamstrings that assisted through every rep.

Going Deeper

Pairing this exercise with Fire Hydrant in the same short circuit covers hip extension and hip abduction, the two directions the glutes work in most often outside of bigger compound lifts, before heavier training begins. Runners and anyone doing single-leg sport movements tend to get the most out of this pairing, since both directions of glute strength support a stable single-leg stance.

The limit on this exercise is control over the lower back, not raw glute strength in most cases. Many people can generate enough force to kick the leg well past torso height, but that extra height typically comes from the spine arching rather than the hip extending further. Keeping the kick at a height the hip alone can produce builds more usable strength than chasing a bigger-looking range.

Someone new to hip activation work generally reaches a clean set of 12 reps per side within the first one to two weeks, with the lower back staying flat throughout, adding a resistance band without any loss of form somewhere in the four to six week range.

How to Know You’re Improving

Early sets often let the spine compensate a little, so here’s what a set the hip alone can produce looks like:

1. 12 reps per side with the lower back staying flat throughout
2. 15 reps per side with a clear pause at the top of each rep
3. 20 or more reps per side with no spinal arch even in the final reps
4. A resistance band added around the thighs without any loss of control

Whether the lower back stays flat through the final reps of a set, not just the early ones, is the clearest sign this exercise is doing its job.

Muscles Worked

• Gluteus Maximus (the largest glute muscle, driving the heel upward by extending the hip)
• Biceps Femoris (the outer hamstring at the back of the thigh, keeping the knee bent as the leg lifts)

FAQ

What’s the difference between a donkey kick and a fire hydrant? The donkey kick drives the knee straight back behind the body, training hip extension, while the Fire Hydrant lifts the same bent knee out to the side, training hip abduction instead.

Why does my lower back start to ache during this exercise? That’s usually a sign the spine is arching to add extra height to the kick. Keeping the kick at torso height or below removes that compensation entirely.

How high should I kick my leg? Roughly to the height of the torso, no higher. Going higher than that usually means the lower back has started compensating.

Can I do this exercise on a soft surface like a bed or couch? A firm, stable surface works better, since a soft surface makes it harder to keep the supporting knee and hand steady. A yoga mat on a hard floor is a reasonable middle ground.

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Next in this series: Lying Hip Abduction, a side-lying exercise that isolates a different part of the same glute group.