Donkey kicks work the big buttock muscle (gluteus maximus) from an all fours position. You keep one knee bent at about a right angle and press that foot up toward the ceiling, then lower it again. Keeping the knee bent tends to take some of the work away from the back of the thigh. The hard part is keeping your back and pelvis still while the leg moves.

How to do the donkey kicks

Kneel on a mat on all fours, hands below your shoulders and knees below your hips, about hip width apart. Keep your neck in line with your back.
Gently brace your stomach so your lower back stays still, and keep breathing.
Keeping one knee bent at about a right angle, with the sole of that foot facing the ceiling, lift the leg behind you by moving at the hip.
Press the foot up toward the ceiling until the thigh is roughly level with your back, and squeeze the buttock at the top.
Lower the knee back toward the mat under control and repeat. Finish the set, then switch legs.

What you should feel

Work in the buttock of the lifting leg. Your stomach and shoulders work lightly to hold you steady.

Common mistakes

Kicking the thigh higher than your back. The lower back then arches and takes over. The leg in the video sometimes goes past level, but level is plenty.
Letting the working hip roll open toward the ceiling. Both hip bones should keep facing the floor, as the voice guide says.
Swinging the leg up fast instead of lifting and lowering at a steady pace.
Dropping your head or craning your neck to look forward.

How often

A typical start is 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 on each leg. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Your lower back aches or pinches as the leg lifts, even with a smaller lift.
Pain, numbness or tingling runs down your leg.
Kneeling hurts your knees, or your wrists ache from taking the load.

From the clinic

Keep the lift modest. The hip only moves a short way behind your body before the lower back starts to arch, so stopping with the thigh level with your back keeps the buttock doing the work. Kneeling feels easier with a folded towel under your knees, and if your wrists complain, rest on your forearms.

Once donkey kicks feel easy with a still back, the quadruped hip extension works the same muscle with a straight leg, and the bird dog adds an arm reach. The glute bridge trains the buttock lying on your back.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try donkey kicks. A kick that goes past level takes the hip back behind the line of your body, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations, especially when the hip was replaced from the front. After a hip or knee replacement, kneeling may also be uncomfortable for a while.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Donkey kicks