Donkey kick exercise is one of the latest fitness mantras that people are adopting for firmer butts. It is also a part of aerobics, and both women and men can easily perform it.
If you are experiencing cellulite (a fibrous tissue fat in muscles), then add this exercise to your daily routine. The name may seem funny, but it is the best exercise for lower back and hip muscles. It is also known as hip extensions, and quadruped hip extensions, including this routine into your exercise regime, are sure to provide you a firmer bottom.
The donkey kick exercise does not need any equipment while doing exercise. It is the best workout for the glutes.
What is a Donkey Kick Exercise? How did the name come as Donkey Kicks?
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Many people think that a donkey kick workout is named after the movement of an animal since it is similar to a move performed.
However, by performing this donkey kick exercise, you can shape your body in the best way by strengthening glutes muscles. The statement created by the best physical trainers around the world says that the donkey kick gives the best outcome when combined with all other existing leg workouts. An individual who manages to do it regularly will see the significant changes in donkey kicks before and after body shape, especially on their back.
Donkey Kicks for Firmer Buttocks
Basic Donkey Kick
- Lower down yourself by keeping your knees and hands on a mat.
- Keep your hands under the shoulders. Make sure to keep hips and knees level. Keep your body, including your head straight.
- Raise upward left leg while placing the knee flexed, so that the thigh is level to the floor. Make sure the foot is pointed to the roof.
- Try to stretch your foot as much as you feel good without moving the upper body and place the abs tight.
- Go back to the original point and do again for the other leg.
- Keep switching legs and do it 8-times.
Wall Donkey Kick:
- Stand and let your back face the wall.
- Lower down on knees and hands, but the hands at shoulder length apart and let knees tucked under your hips.
- Place all the weight over the hands and toes.
- Kick out to make feet reach the wall behind you. Avoid moving upper body. Your hands and body should remain in the same direction throughout the routine.
- Go back to the original pose and do it again 10 times to get more benefits.
Straight Leg Donkey Kick
- The original pose remains the same in almost all like donkey kick variants.
- Lower down on hands and knees.
- Place knees together and lower upper body further by flexing elbows and placing forearm level on the floor.
- Align your right leg and raise it as much as possible.
- Do not flex the knees or move your hips.
- Get down the leg and repeat with the other leg.
- Do it 15 times for each leg.
Donkey Kick Circle
- Like before, lower down on knees and hand.
- Similar to basic donkey kick, raise your right leg, knees flexed, thighs level to the floor.
- Keep a dumbbell back of your right knee. Turn leg to the right in a circular motion, using hips, and perform 5-6 times.
- Turn the same leg to your left in circular motions and repeat 5-6 times.
- Change legs and do again the complete process with the left leg.
Stability Ball Donkey Kick
- Stand and keep foot away from a stability ball. You can determine the distance, depending on your comfort level.
- Stand and keep feet together.
- Get down your upper body and place your hand over the ball for support.
- Raise your right leg, flexing at the knees at 90 degrees.
- Now kick backward as high as possible for you.
- Do at least 15-20 times before doing for the left leg.
Prone Hip Extension
- It is not a classic donkey kick workout but provides a similar purpose.
- Lie down on a stool, with your legs hanging over the edge.
- Straighten legs to align whole body.
- Hold this move as long as you feel comfortable.
- Do again for 5-times.
Resistance band donkey kick
- Donkey kick with an added resistance band will make this move a little challenging and burn more calories. It works on Maximus, gluteus, and gluteus medius muscles.
- Take a resistance band handles and pose hands so they are directly under the face, elbow bent. Hook right foot into the band on the other end.
- Place your back straight, push your right leg up and out.
- Get it back into the chest for one rep.
- Do 10-15 reps for 2-4 sets on both legs.
Donkey Kick With Smith Machine
If you are looking to improve glute muscles, then do not hesitate to include them right in this workout. Always take caution and begin without combining weight till you feel comfortable with this movement. This activity focuses on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius.
Adjust the smith machine bar to assume the beginning position on all four under and ahead of it, with the bent of food on the underside of the bar and working leg’s thigh level to the ground.
Starting with the glute from the arch of the foot, stretch the knee in a controlled and slow motion.
Go back to the beginning position and complete 10-12 reps for 2-4 sets on every leg.
One-Legged Kickback Over Cable Machine
While this is not an old donkey kick, a glute kickback works many of the similar muscles during focusing on glutes from a different pose. It targets on gluteus maximus and gluteus medius. This exercise will need a cable machine with an attached ankle strap.
Combine lower leg lash at the lower part of the block. Stand facing the machine 1-2 feet away, settling on the frame.
Supporting your center part with knees and hips bowed, use your glute to kick the working leg straightforwardly backward as high as possible to your hip position, then press at the top.
Oppose the weight and slowly get down your foot back to the starting position.
Complete 1-12 reps for 2-4 sets on every leg.
Benefits of Cable Glute Kickback
1.Strength Gains
The cable glute kickback will grow strong lower body strength. Stronger glutes will increase the performance in a variety of workouts at the gym.
For example, for those trying to raise their maximum deadlift or squat, the cable glute kickback can helps as the best supplementary workout. Stronger gluteal muscles also promote performance in an athletic movement that relies on the explosive lower-body move, such as jumping and running.Â
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Glute Isolation
As said before, the cable glute kickback is a withdrawal exercise. It means that unlike other workouts such as the deadlift or squat, the glute kickback particularly targets the gluteal muscles. Isolation can be a great benefit if your glutes are particularly weak in contrast to your legs. The kickback can be utilized to balance the distribution of muscle from the lower body.
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Improved Balance
As your leg moves back, muscles in the ankle, quads, calves, and core all work to stabilize the body during the cable glute kickback. It will help to improve body control. When you perform kick back in a controlled and slow manner, you will feel the best muscle activation and increased link between body and mind, which is an essential skill for balancing.
Benefits Of Donkey Kick
Donkey kicks are most suitable for both toning and stability. They adjust your gluteus maximus, which is the highest of three glutes muscles, and the best of the booty. They also work on shoulder and core muscles since your whole body continues active while leg lifts.
The donkey kick exercise is helpful for everyone who does a desk job. It helps to extend the hip in the opposite direction that we hold it when we sit, plus the movement hinders those sedentary hours in a chair. Both of these things will help to enhance posture and prevent spine and hip injuries.Â
Add Donkey Kicks To Your Workout Routine
Adding glute-strengthening moves such as donkey kick five times every week whether it’s home or gym.
When you are at the gym, donkey kick exercises are performed with variations. Because they have low weight moves and do not increase muscle capacity, they can be the best warmup or part of an active recovery day. If you add them in a leg or butt exercise, combine kicks with butt moves, which target the other two glutes muscles that are side-lying leg lifts, band walks, clamshells, or single-leg bridges.
If you do not feel the burn from 2-sets of 20 reps, then include resistance. Try dumbbell nestled or ankle weights in knee crease or resistance band connected around the lifted foot.
Donkey Kick Variations
Anytime you can change the range of angle or motion, you will stimulate muscles, which will in turn make the muscle stronger as a whole. A basic example is that outer rotated donkey kick. The tiny tweak of rotating knee outward focuses on glutes from a different angle and fires up the butts in a new way. Similarly, the donkey kick plus, which needs a partial range of motion and low rest time between reps, further separates and exhausts your glute muscles.
For an even better butt-kicker, perform different donkey kick variations in a sequence or overload the muscle. For example, do a standard bent-knee donkey kick followed by a fire hydrant, then a straight leg extension lift. Training like this also stimulates different muscles in the glutes, including the gluteus medium and minimus, which is necessary for butt strength.
Remember, the more major muscles you stimulate, the more calories you will be able to burn. Similarly, standard donkey kick, these changes stimulate the core. Giving work to the core also activate the hip’s every movement. When strengthening glutes and core, the back should be encouraged to help reduce lower backache and hip pain.Â
Externally Rotated – Donkey Kick
- Start on knees and hands with wrists under shoulders and knees below hips.
- Keep knees flexed, feet bend and core engaged as you press glutes to outer rotate right knee out, then raise the leg back of you until thigh is parallel to the floor.
- Balance a tight core and do not bend back.
- Breath in as you lower your leg back down.
- Repeat for 20-reps, then switch sides.
Fire Hydrant
- Start with keeping your wrist below your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Keep knees and feet bent and core engaged as you lift the right leg to the side as long as you can while making sure hips remain square to the floor.
- Inhale as you go down with your leg back.
- Do 20-reps and switch to sides.
Bent-Knee – Donkey Kick to Leg Extension
- Begin with all fours with wrists below shoulders and knees underneath hips.
- Keep hips rectangle to the ground and knees flexed at a 90-degree angle, lift right foot toward the sky as though you are marking the bottom of the shoe on the ceiling.
- At the highest place of the movement, press glutes to stretch your leg straight back of you, then gently flex leg, target on hamstring to return to a 90-degree angle.
- Inhale as you reduce that leg back down.
- Do it again for 20-reps, then switch sides.
Straight Leg Extension Lift
- Begin down on the ground with your wrists underneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips.
- Extend your right leg outback you. Keeping it straight and your foot flexed, hold your thigh and your glutes, breathing-out as you lift your leg.
- Keep up a tight core, so you don’t curve your back as your leg lifts.
- Breathe in as you let that leg down.
- Repeat for 20-reps, then switch sides.
Spiderman Donkey Kick
Begin on all four with wrists under shoulders and knees below hips.
Placing knees flexed, externally turn right knee out to the side and get it toward the right shoulder, engaging obliques, then breath out as you stretch the leg back of you as high as possible, squeezing glutes.
Continue 20-reps, then switch sides.
Other recommended tips for Firmer Buttocks
Here are some other exercise than donkey kick to increase buttocks firmness
- Glute bridge
- Jumping squats
- Banded side step
- Walking lunge with weights
- Single-leg deadlift
- Clamshell
Weight Training
Including weight training like lunges with dumbbells helps to increase the exercise intensity and go beyond a plateau. Weights can also make the workout more effective.
You can use barbells with plates, dumbbells, medicine balls, resistance bands, and kettlebells to add weight to your workouts. Also, take personal trainer guidance for physical therapy.
Wear Shapewear
Also, wear shapewear for a curvier body. It will also shape up your butts. Shapewear enhances appearance like rounder and firmer butts. It is the best way to support butt muscles for a more defined look.
As the butt has somebody parts ending with shape and size. Some people have natural larger, and others have curvier butts.
If your backside has a small size and you wish to make it bigger or get into shape, there are the above workouts shared to do. There are some permanent solution, which cosmetic procedure and implants that are highly expensive.