Donkey Kick
The donkey kick is a bodyweight glute exercise done on all fours: you keep one knee bent and drive that foot up towards the ceiling. The bent knee takes most of the work away from the hamstrings, so it isolates the glutes and is often used as a warm-up or high-rep glute exercise.
Also called: Quadruped Hip Extension, Glute Kickback, Bodyweight Donkey Kick, Bent-Knee Kickback · Equipment: bodyweight · Pattern: isolation
Step by step
- Kneel on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. You can rest on your forearms instead of your hands.
- Brace your trunk so your back is flat, and keep your neck long with your eyes on the floor.
- Keep one knee bent at about 90°, with the sole of that foot facing the ceiling.
- Squeeze your glute to drive the foot up until your thigh is in line with your body.
- Hold the squeeze for a second at the top, keeping your hips level and your back flat.
- Bring the knee back down under control until it is just above the floor.
- Complete your reps, then switch legs.
- Sole of the foot to the ceiling
- Knee bent at 90° throughout
- Back flat, hips level
- Squeeze your glute at the top
- Slow and controlled on the way back
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Gluteus maximus | Prime mover | C |
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (long head) | Secondary | C |
| Gluteus medius/minimus | Stabiliser | C |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Arching the low back
Fix: Brace your trunk and raise the thigh only until it is in line with your body.
Hips tipping to one side
Fix: Keep both hips level and pointing at the floor as the leg rises.
Straightening the knee
Fix: Hold the knee at about 90° for the whole rep.
Swinging the leg
Fix: Pause and squeeze at the top, then bring the knee down slowly.
Sagging through the shoulders
Fix: Push the floor away with your hands and keep your upper back flat.
What the research says
Rehab & prehab · first choiceGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Muscle activity — Reviews of bodyweight hip-extension exercises find glute activity varies widely between them, with single-leg and longer-lever versions among the highest. This measured activity, not growth.
- Glute growth — A 2025 meta-analysis found many exercises grow the glutes, including hip thrusts, squats and kneeling hip extensions. Bodyweight donkey kicks have not been studied directly.
- Effort with light loads — Research finds light loads build muscle similar to heavy loads when sets are taken close to failure, and that with light loads, how close to failure the set goes matters more.
- Progression — There is no research on progressing this exercise. A common approach is a pause at the top, a slower tempo, or adding a band or ankle weight once bodyweight reps are easy.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the donkey kick in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.