Many people do the reverse lunge thinking that it is great for working the glutes. But it is not. Moving your leg behind the body involves a a forward tilt of the pelvis, not hip extension.
The way most people do the reverse lunge shows that it also does not involve hip extension (or anterior pelvic girdle rotation). Why? Because the push off leg remains in the same alignment with the trunk before and after executing the reverse lunge.
This reverse lunge is very popular in the fitness field but it 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 is 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 (or forward if doing the forward lunge). In this action the pelvis rotates a great deal to allow you to get a large spread between the thighs. Having only a 90° anterior-posterior angle between the thighs as is most often done, is not a lunge.
The lunge is a great exercise for athletes and runners in particular, to improve stride length or leg reach. It is also great for stretching the hip flexors, but only if the lunge is long. The split squat does not do a good job of stretching the hip flexors.
Once again we see the execution of an exercise being done ineffectively so that you do not get the benefits that can be attained if the exercise were done correctly. This is another example of why you must look carefully at how an exercise is executed to understand and to receive the many benefits that are possible.
For more information see Explosive Running, Build a Better Athlete and Kinesiology of Exercise