Many people do the reverse lunge thinking that it is great for working the glutes. However the glutes only remain under isometric contraction in this movement. This is not the best way to strengthen the muscles.
Moving your leg behind the body involves the erector spinae of the lower back and a pull on the tensed hip flexors to execute a forward tilt of the pelvis. In other words it is the rotation of the pelvis that brings the leg behind the body, not the glutes. This is a common misunderstanding that is prevalent in the fitness and athletic fields.
You can check on this yourself. Closely examine the positioning of the leg and pelvis. You will see that it does not change as you execute the reverse lunge. This means that the reverse lunge does not involve hip extension. Instead we see greater arching in the lower spine which indicates anterior pelvic girdle rotation . In essence, the leg remains in the same alignment with the hips before, during and after doing the reverse lunge.
The reverse lunge is very popular in the fitness field and seems to be increasing in popularity with athletes. The athletes do it the same way as is done in the fitness field so that it becomes more of a split squat rather than a true lunge.
For the reverse lunge to be a true lunge is necessary to take a very long step backward. In this action the pelvis rotates a great deal to allow you to get a large spread between the thighs. Having only a 90° angle between the thighs, as is most often done, is not a true lunge.
The forward and reverse lunges are great exercises for athletes and runners in particular, to improve stride length. It is also great for stretching the hip flexors, but only if the lunge is long. The split squat that most people do in the name of a lunge does not do a good job of stretching the hip flexors.
For more information on the role of the glutes and pelvic girdle see Explosive Running, Build a Better Athlete and Biomechanics and Kinesiology of Exercise.
I think you misinterpreted this one. When people Claim that the lunge strengthens the glutes, I’m pretty sure they mean of the stance leg, I.e. not the one reaching backward. Lunges can be madE Quite glute- intensive.
Adam, I believe you may be mistaken. Also are you referring to the short lunge, that I call a split squat lunge, or the classic long lunge? In the classic lunge, which I was talking of, the main stress falls on the quads of the front leg to push the body back in order to stand up. In the short lunge you in essence can be doing a squat so that you can then emphasize the glutes if you go sufficiently deep.