Donkey kickbacks with a straight leg

For Horse Kickbacks with the leg extended, position yourself in a quadruped stance. Your arms are directly under your shoulders on the floor, with your hands facing forward. Both lower legs are placed approximately hip-width apart and firmly on the ground. Keep your back straight and parallel to the ground. Naturally lengthen your spine with your head, directing your gaze downward. Now engage your abdominal muscles to increase stability in the core. At the same time, activate the buttocks to create the primary stimulus in that region.

For a more intense training stimulus, you can use a Theraband. Attach it in the middle to the foot of the leg you are training and secure the other end of the band with your hand on the floor.

Alternatively, you can perform the extended Horse Kicks on a weight bench to expand the range of motion. Once again, you find yourself in a quadruped stance, with one leg hanging to the side of the weight bench and already inclined at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, typical for Horse Kicks.

Movement execution

Initiate the extended Horse Kicks by extending your training leg backward and upward under tension in your buttocks. The leg is not fully extended; a slight bend is retained in this variation. To protect your knees, pull your toes towards your body. Execute the movement until the leg is at least parallel to the ground while exhaling. It is crucial that the rest of your body remains still. This is the decisive criterion for the endpoint of the upward movement. After a short pause, return the leg to the starting position while inhaling. The leg continues to hover in the air and is not lowered to the ground before the next repetition.

In the Theraband variation of the extended Horse Kicks, the movement is almost identical. While exhaling, lift the leg backward and upward, almost fully extending it. Lift the leg as high as possible without altering the basic position. Keep the rest of your body still, and after a short pause, return the leg to the starting position without placing it on the ground.

Initiate the extended Horse Kicks on the weight bench by consciously activating the abdominal and buttock muscles. Exhale and extend the leg hanging to the side of the weight bench backward and upward. Extend the leg almost completely and move it at least as high as it forms a straight line with the rest of your body. You can lift the leg higher, maintaining the basic position, until you feel the maximum stimulation in the buttocks. The upper body remains motionless. Subsequently, return the leg to the starting position to the side of the weight bench without touching the ground.

Stressed muscles and common mistakes

On the page about Donkey Kicks / Kickbacks, you will find additional information on the muscles activated and the common mistakes in performing the exercise Donkey Kickbacks with the leg extended.

Alternative variants to donkey kickbacks with a straight leg

To make your training more diverse, you can also try related exercises or other variations of Donkey Kickbacks with the leg extended.