Megan Thee Stallion has put a decades-old exercise back in the spotlight. In a recent interview with The Cut, the Grammy-winning rapper named donkey kicks among her favourite moves for building glute strength — joking that she calls them "stallion kicks" — and hikers should pay attention, because trainers say the exercise is a genuinely useful way to prime your legs before a day on the trail.
The move itself is simple. Start on all fours with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Lift one leg straight back and up, keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees, then lower it with control. Around ten reps per leg makes a set; three sets is a solid dose. It looks easy, and the first few reps often are — the burn arrives quickly.
What makes donkey kicks different from squats or lunges is isolation. Because the knee stays bent, the hamstrings mostly drop out of the movement, so the glutes do nearly all the work. The gluteus maximus drives the leg upward, while the smaller gluteus medius and minimus stabilise the hips, and your core keeps your torso from wobbling. If you feel strong tension in your backside, you're doing it right.
For hikers, runners and backpackers, the exercise has two real payoffs. First, the International Sports Sciences Association notes that glute activation work before a workout helps those muscles fire properly during it — so a set of donkey kicks before a hike means your glutes are switched on from the first step, which can also reduce the risk of knee pain and injury. Second, the movement gives your hip flexors a gentle stretch, and since those muscles tend to run tight in anyone who sits at a desk, loosening them can make uneven terrain feel more comfortable.
There are honest limits. Donkey kicks aren't especially functional — they don't mimic the way you actually climb or descend a hill the way squats, lunges and step-ups do. And it's hard to add serious weight: a dumbbell behind the knee, a resistance band above the knees or ankle weights help, but you'll eventually hit a ceiling on how much strength you can build. That's why trainers suggest treating them as a warm-up and activation tool rather than the centrepiece of a strength programme — pair them with loaded step-ups and lunges for best results on the trail.
Why should a traveller care? Because the difference between enjoying a big hiking day and limping through it often comes down to preparation. This is a zero-equipment, two-minute move you can do in a hotel room, at a campsite or at the trailhead before setting off — useful whether you're tackling a multi-day trek or just a steep viewpoint on holiday. If a pop star's warm-up can spare your knees on a descent, it's worth ten reps a leg.
Story via Outside Online.
