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I know that in donkey kicks, glutes are the major muscle used. However I would like to ask about a technical aspect of this exercise, if while rising, the knee is kept bent (the angle alpha in the picture) with an angle less than 90°, does this will be trageting more the glute muscles? Or in general what is the obatined effect on the muscles if the knee is kept highly bending in donkey kicks?
Thank you in advance.
Bending your knee keeps the weight of your leg closer to your center of mass. Put simply the exercise is easier but your ROM is decreased.
That being said there are much better exercise selections. Even just a basic sit to stand (a squat) is a much more challenging and functional exercise.
A more technical answer - the greater the degree of flexion, the more your Rectus Femoris (which crosses your hip and knee joint) limits your range of motion (ROM).
