Gist
Yes. The front quadriceps extend the knee during the return from a reverse lunge and can grow when the movement is loaded progressively.
The hamstrings assist hip extension and stabilise the front leg, but reverse lunges usually provide less direct long-length hamstring loading than Romanian deadlifts or curls.
Yes. Reverse lunges can build the glutes because the front hip extends under load, especially with sufficient depth and a controlled forward torso angle.
Lateral lunges demand ankle control and can challenge the calves, yet direct calf work remains the more reliable route to size.
Lateral lunges train the core to keep the ribcage and pelvis organised during side-to-side loading, but they are not a direct abdominal hypertrophy exercise.
Yes. The working-leg quadriceps extend the knee from the side-lunge position and can receive substantial loading with adequate depth and resistance.
Yes. Lateral lunges can train the glutes through hip extension and frontal-plane control, particularly when the working hip sits back into a stable, progressively loaded range.
Walking lunges challenge the core to control rotation and shifting balance, though direct trunk work remains easier to quantify and progress.
The calves work during landing, balance and push-off across every step, but walking lunges rarely provide the isolated plantar-flexion overload used for maximal calf growth.