For glute growth
For glute growth, barbell hip thrust and reverse lunge score the same.
Barbell hip thrust is easier to progress; reverse lunge gives more stretch.
Both are good choices, and they train the glutes differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Barbell Hip Thrust. Grew the glutes about as much as squats in a head-to-head trial, despite loading them mainly when shortened.
Reverse Lunge. Stepping back keeps the front shin upright and stretches the front glute. Balance makes heavy loading harder.
For running, reverse lunge rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to running, easier to learn and fit in.
For glute growth, barbell hip thrust and reverse lunge score the same. Barbell hip thrust is easier to progress; reverse lunge gives more stretch. Both are good choices, and they train the glutes differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Barbell hip thrust needs a barbell and a bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Reverse lunge needs dumbbells, so a home gym covers it.
About the same: both rate Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.