What are donkey kicks, and what makes it the best go-to exercise for a firm and plump bum?
Donkey Kicks exercises are not just for aesthetics alone. It can improve mobility and activate hard-to-reach muscles without putting much pressure on your joints.
Today, we’ll take a deeper dive into the benefits of this exercise and how to do it effectively to get your butt bigger. We’ll cover the tips and tricks you’ll need to get your glute more shape and sexier.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What Are Donkey Kicks: An Overview
Most people peg Squats as the best butt-toning exercise, from squat-centric training regimens to Ultimate 30-day squat challenges that are all over the internet these days.
However, it’s not a move some people can execute well and as efficiently. Weight-bearing exercises like squats often cause strain to the knee joints.
But donkey kicks exercise make a great alternative to squats.
It’s a hip-hyperextension exercise that effectively targets your gluteus maximus, the largest out of your three gluteal muscles. It can help give your booty the lift it needs.
What’s great about this exercise is that it doesn’t solely target your glutes either! You can get a ton of benefits from this workout which we’ll elaborate down below.
What are the Benefits of Donkey Kicks?
Donkey kicks are not only a great way to warm up, but a fantastic exercise that can be utilized by both athletes and casual exercisers alike. They are effective for increasing core strength, balance, and mobility, and have been shown to help decrease the risk of injury. According to the FFA, the best benefits of donkey kicks include the following:
1.Boosts Balance and Mobility
Maintaining proper balance and mobility of the body only gets tougher with age.
Study shows that aging might play a significant factor to this issue.
However, it’s the lack of proper exercise in the early stages of life that mainly contributes to the body’s decline in both of these areas.
Doing Donkey kicks help activate the muscles of your shoulders, core, and hips. Being able to target these specific areas can help improve your body’s stability and range of motion.
2.Promotes Healthy Posture
Maintaining a healthy posture is one of the things we tend to overlook. More of which when your job involves sitting in front of a desk all day.
Poor posture can often lead to back pain, discomfort, or worse, develop spinal problems. Exercises like donkey kicks can be a great solution to this problem.
Donkey kicks effectively strengthen your lower back muscles. Aside from your hips, it’s the primary muscle that helps support your spine.
3.Effective Fat Burner
Finding the right workout to add to your weight-loss regimen can be challenging. Let’s face it; not all exercises are suitable for all fitness levels.
Donkey kicks can be done by anyone who is trying to lose weight. It’s a move people of most fitness levels can do.
This compound exercise can help you lose weight in the most efficient way possible by targetting multiple muscle groups at once without putting much strain on your joints.
Training your glutes through donkey kicks not only gives you the peachy bum of your dreams. It can significantly heighten your physical strength and fat-burning capabilities too.
4.Tones your Glute Muscles
It goes without saying: donkey kicks can plump up your bum. Same with other glute-focused exercises, training your glute muscles can improve their strength, firmness, and shape.
Adding donkey kicks to your routine can help tone your butt and give it the lift it needs. If done the right way, you’ll size up your booty in no time.
But what is the right way, and how do you do it in proper form? Here are some tips before doing this exercise.
5. Help Reduce The Risk of Injury
Studies show that proper training, flexibility, and strength can reduce the risk of injury. The effectiveness of this training can be achieved through donkey kickbacks training. It helps to reduce risk of injury, increase range of motion, improve muscle strength and flexibility, build core strength and lean muscle fast, limit joint stress, add stability and improve overall balance.
Warm-up Before Doing Donkey Kicks
A simple warm-up is essential before doing any exercise.
It not only prevents injury, reduces muscle soreness but also increases muscle metabolism and ligaments stretch.
How To Do Donkey Kicks?
Donkey kicks aren’t as complicated as you might believe.
You have to ensure that you use the correct form, keep your balance in check throughout the process, and make sure to work your glutes.
If you’re a beginner, it’s best to tackle the traditional or standard donkey kicks first. Here’s how to do it in proper form:
Standard Donkey Kick
Targets: glute muscles and core.
What you’ll need: Exercise Mat
How to Do it:
- Begin by going on all fours. Place your knees under hips and shoulders a hip-width apart. Position your hands just below your shoulders.
- Mind your form. Tighten your core to prevent your back from sagging.
- Balance in-check, carefully lift your one leg with your knees bent until you hinge it towards the hip.
- Engage and tighten your glute muscles as your foot reaches towards the ceiling. Keep your hips and pelvis pointed firmly towards the ground.
- After holding that position for a few seconds, slowly return it to your starting position.
- Repeat.
Once you’ve nailed the Standard Donkey Kicks, you can add more variations to your fitness routine. Amp up your workout with 6 of the best variations below:
Donkey Kicks: Different Variations
Some sources say that donkey kicks improve your balance and coordination, while others claim they reduce the risk of injury and build lean muscle. To see which method is right for you, you’ll have to try a few donkey kicks out for yourself.
1. Side Donkey Kicks – This move helps tone one of the hard-to-reach areas in the body, and that’s the inner thighs or adductors.
Targets: glute muscles, core, and adductors.
What you’ll need: Exercise Mat
How to Do it:
- Start on all fours. Keep your legs and shoulders hip-width apart. Tighten your core to prevent your back from sagging.
- While keeping your balance in-check, begin to raise one leg, knees still bent, and point it outwards your body to the side.
- You might feel a slight pull in your adductors here, so try to do it carefully to prevent cramps.
- Begin to lower your leg back to its starting position. Try to avoid your knees touching the ground as you do so.
- Repeat.
2. Weighted Donkey Kicks – Increasing the volume in your exercise is one way to take this movement to the next level.
Targets: glute muscles, hips, core, and lower back muscles.
What you’ll need: Dumbbell. (exercise mat is optional)
How to Do it:
- Begin the exercise on all fours. Keep your hands just below your shoulders and knees, a hip-width apart.
- Bend your one leg to a 90-degree angle and secure your dumbbell behind your knee. Try to squeeze your leg muscles to hold it in place.
- Carefully move your same leg with the weights up into the air before lowering it back to its starting position.
- Repeat.
3. Banded Donkey Kicks – Also known as Resistance band donkey kicks. The donkey kicks with bands give more resistance to this simple exercise move. It helps make the movement more challenging to execute.
Targets: glute muscles, core, hips, leg muscles, and ankles.
What you’ll need: Resistance Bands and Exercise Mat
How to Do it:
- Resistance band in hand, wrap it around on one foot before hooking the other end of the resistance band with both of your hands.
- Keep your proper form in place before extending your one leg into the band. Squeeze your glute muscles as you do so.
- Mindfully draw your leg back towards its starting position.
- Repeat.
4. Cable Donkey Kicks – This variation strays from the traditional donkey kicks for a bit. However, using a cable machine targets the very same muscles of your glutes differently.
Targets: glute muscles, leg muscles, ankles, and hips.
What you’ll need: Cable Machine
How to Do it:
- Unlike the traditional all-fours setup, you do this move standing.
- Secure the ankle strap on one ankle from the bottom of the machine.
- Keep at least a foot distance between your body and the exercise machine. Brace your body and maintain your balance by holding the handlebar.
- Position in place, tighten your core and glute muscles as you kick your working leg back, as far as you can, without compromising your hip’s position.
- Hold your form for a few seconds before slowly returning your leg to its starting position.
- Repeat.
5. Smith Machine Donkey Kicks – Out of all the variations, incorporating the smith machine into your donkey kicks makes this the most challenging to execute. It’s best to proceed with caution. Ensure that you’ve mastered the move enough before trying this variation.
Targets: glute muscles, core, lower back muscles, and hips.
What you’ll need: Smith Machine
How to Do it:
- Before going on all fours, adjust the bar of the smith machine to your preference.
- Once you go to your hands and knees, place the arch of your one foot on the underside of the bar, thigh parallel to the ground.
- Utilizing your glute and core, push the arch of your foot towards the handlebar until your leg is completely straight.
- Lower your food back to its starting position.
- Repeat.
6. Lateral Donkey Kicks – Similar to Side Donkey Kicks, this Straight-leg donkey exercise requires you to extend your leg outward from the side of your body.
Targets: glute muscles, core, leg muscles, and hips.
What you’ll need: Exercise Mat
How to Do it:
- Start by going on all fours. Prop your hands and knees firmly on the ground, a shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your core tight and glutes squeezed as you raise one leg towards the side before extending it outward. Balance yourself with your hips and shoulders.
- Leg straight, try to hold that position for a few seconds before slowly returning it to its starting position.
- Repeat.
All of the variants above are the most appropriate exercises. In addition, there are other lower body exercises for the butt:
- Air Squat
- Hip Abduction
- Wall ball exercise
- Jumping Squats
- Fire Hydrant
- ClamShell
The Bottom Line
So, final verdict. Are donkey kicks effective?
Definitely!
It’s a move that people of all fitness levels can execute. If done the right way, donkey kicks exercise can be the best alternative glute exercise to squats. It can target multiple muscle groups at once, making it a great workout if you’re trying to lose weight.
Keep in mind that incorporating the right diet can help you reach your fitness goals faster. Combine it with consistent workouts; you will get the peachy bum of your dreams in no time!
