Muscles worked
Donkey kicks train the glutes on the leg you lift. With your knee bent, the hamstrings tend to do less, because they are already shortened, so your glutes take a bigger share of the movement. The muscles work hardest at the top, when your hip is fully extended. The rest of your body holds the position: your shoulders and arms support your upper body, and your abs keep your lower back still.
Common mistakes
- Your foot drifts out to the side. The movement then becomes a mix of a kick and a side lift. Lift your foot straight towards the ceiling, with your knee in line with your hip.
- Your knee straightens during the rep. As the angle opens, it turns into a kick with the lower leg, and your hamstrings take over. Keep roughly a right angle at the knee from start to finish.
- Your shoulders sag. When your chest sinks between your shoulder blades, the position becomes unsteady. Push the floor away with your hands and keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Variations and alternatives
- The cable glute kickback is the same movement standing at a cable, for when bodyweight is not enough.
- The band glute kickback gives you resistance at home, with no gym needed.
- The fire hydrant uses the same starting position but moves the leg out to the side, and the two pair well in the same set.
Sets and reps
Without added weight you need quite a few reps. Two to three sets of 15 to 20 per leg is a good starting point, with a pause of one to two seconds at the top of each rep. Finish one leg before switching. The exercise also works as a warm-up before a leg session. The guide to sets and reps describes what different rep counts train.
When it gets easy, you can grip a light dumbbell in the crease of your knee, wear an ankle weight or lower your leg more slowly. Leave one or two reps in hand on each set so your form holds. The guide to reps in reserve explains how to judge that. Making the exercise harder step by step is progressive overload.