ExercisesPrimal / Animal Movement
Donkey Kick Walk: A Complete Guide
Quick Intro
The Donkey Kick Walk is an animal-movement exercise performed from a bear-crawl position, hands and feet on the floor with the knees hovering, shifting the weight into the hands and kicking both heels toward the ceiling together so the body briefly inverts, then landing softly and advancing one crawl step before repeating. That brief inversion on each step makes this a low-level handstand entry as much as a crawling pattern.
Equipment Needed
No equipment is required. A yoga mat under the hands helps on a hard floor, though the kick itself needs nothing more than open space.
Why It Matters
Inverting briefly and landing softly before the next step takes shoulder strength, timing and balance. The front of the shoulder cap (deltoid, anterior) and the back of the upper arm (triceps brachii) bear the full bodyweight through the brief inversion, and a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset (transverse abdominis) keeps the trunk stable through the kick. The largest glute muscle (gluteus maximus) and a muscle at the back of the thigh (hamstrings, biceps femoris) drive the heels upward, and a muscle along the side of the ribcage (serratus anterior) stabilizes the shoulder blades as the hands take the full load.
When to Do It
The Donkey Kick Walk works well as a shoulder-loading and coordination drill inside a primal movement session, once a standard bear-crawl position feels stable and controlled. Building it in two or three times a week, resting a day between sessions, is a sound way to develop this pattern.
Anyone with a current wrist, shoulder, neck or lower back issue should get individual guidance before starting, since the hands briefly bear the full bodyweight during each kick.
Getting Ready
A few minutes of wrist circles and a bear-crawl hold prepare the hands and shoulders for load-bearing before any kicking begins. A few gentle, low heel kicks, staying close to the floor, previews the pattern before a full working set begins.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. The setup. Get into a bear-crawl position, hands and feet on the floor, knees hovering just above it.
2. The shift. Shift the weight firmly into the hands, confirming they’re stable and load-bearing.
3. The kick. Kick both heels toward the ceiling together, briefly inverting, then land softly with the knees bent.
4. The step. Advance one crawl step forward and repeat the kick.
How Many, How Often
The Donkey Kick Walk is dosed by reps, with each kick-and-step counting as one rep.
| Level | Where you’re at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | New to kicking the heels toward the ceiling | 3 sets of 4 to 5 reps, keeping the kick low and controlled |
| Intermediate | The kick and soft landing feel stable | 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps |
| Advanced | Comfortable with a confident kick and soft landing | 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps, working toward a higher kick each time |
Landing softly with the knees bent matters more here than how high the heels kick, since a hard, stiff-legged landing is the clearest sign the kick has gotten ahead of what the hands and shoulders can currently control.
Modifications and Variations
As the easier version, Donkey Kick — Single Leg kicks only one heel toward the ceiling at a time while the other stays grounded, reducing the shoulder-loading and coordination demand of the bilateral inversion.
As the harder version, Donkey Kick — High Kick drives both heels higher toward a near-vertical handstand-like line before landing, increasing the shoulder-loading and hip-extension demand at the top of each kick.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Letting the hands shift or slide during the kick. Allowing the hands to move once the weight is loaded removes the stable base the whole kick depends on. Confirming a stable hand position before every kick keeps the pattern safe.
Landing with straight, stiff legs. Landing without bending the knees to absorb the impact sends the force straight into the joints instead of the muscles built to handle it. Landing softly with bent knees on every rep protects the wrists and shoulders.
Kicking higher than the hands can currently support. Reaching for a bigger kick before the shoulders are ready leads to an unstable inversion and a harder landing. Building the kick height up gradually keeps the demand within what the shoulders can currently handle.
After Your Set
Sitting back into a child’s pose style stretch, hips toward the heels and arms extended forward, releases the shoulders and wrists after a set of kicking. A few gentle wrist stretches finish easing the hands that bore the load.
Going Deeper
The Donkey Kick Walk is a handstand-entry and shoulder-loading step up for anyone who already holds a standard bear-crawl position with stable, load-bearing hands, since the brief inversion asks the shoulders to accept far more bodyweight than a standard crawl does. The kick feels like the exciting part, so it is tempting to chase kick height before the landing is soft and controlled. Putting a soft, controlled landing ahead of a higher kick builds shoulder tolerance faster than rushing the height.
Someone new to this pattern typically manages a low, controlled kick within the first few sessions, then works toward a confident, higher kick with a soft landing over two to four weeks.
How to Know You’re Improving
- Hands that stay stable and load-bearing through every kick
- A landing that stays soft, with the knees bending to absorb it
- A kick height that increases while the landing quality holds
- A crawl step that advances smoothly between kicks
A soft, controlled landing on stable hands says more about progress than kick height alone.
Muscles Worked
- Anterior Deltoid (the front of the shoulder cap, taking the full body weight as the hips pass overhead)
- Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, holding the ribs and hips together through the brief inversion)
- Gluteus Maximus (the largest glute muscle, snapping the hips open to throw the heels up)
- Triceps Brachii (the back of the upper arm, keeping the elbows locked so the arms hold the inverted position)
- Serratus Anterior (a muscle along the side of the ribcage, pressing the shoulder blades up into the floor for support)
- Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, adding to the kick once the hips have started to rise)
FAQ
Is a handstand needed for this exercise? No, the kick is brief and the body only inverts partway before landing back down, unlike a held handstand. It builds the shoulder-loading tolerance that a full handstand eventually needs, without asking for a sustained hold.
What’s the difference between this and Donkey Kick — High Kick? Donkey Kick — High Kick drives both heels considerably higher, toward a near-vertical line, which increases the shoulder-loading and hip-extension demand at the top of the kick.
Is Donkey Kick — Single Leg easier or harder than this version? It’s easier. Kicking only one heel at a time removes the bilateral timing and shoulder-loading demand of kicking both heels together.
Is some shoulder or wrist fatigue after this exercise normal? Yes, fatigue through the shoulders and wrists after several sets of kicking is expected. A sharp pain in the wrist, shoulder or neck is different and worth having a doctor or physical therapist look at.
How often should the Donkey Kick Walk be trained? Two or three sessions a week, with a day of rest between them, suits most people well given the shoulder-loading demand.
Related to Donkey Kick — Single Leg as the easier version and Donkey Kick — High Kick as the harder one.