10 Best Barbell Rear Lunge Alternatives for Glute Strength

The Barbell Rear Lunge is done standing with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Barbell Lateral Lunge, the Barbell Step-up and the Dumbbell Rear Lunge. A harder version, the Barbell Single Leg Split Squat, is listed below as a progression rather than a swap.

Whether the problem is the bar, the rack or the step back itself, the Barbell Rear Lunge is off the table for now, and each swap below drops a different one of those. The Barbell Lateral Lunge keeps the same bar across your back, but sends the step sideways instead of back. With no barbell at all, the Crossover Reverse Lunge trains the same glutes with bodyweight alone.

Barbell Rear LungeWatch the Barbell Rear Lunge

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Barbell Rear Lunge

The steps for the Barbell Rear Lunge itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Glutes, with quadriceps, hamstrings, calves · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and a barbell resting on your upper back.
  2. Take a step backward with your right foot, landing on the ball of your foot.
  3. Bend both knees to lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the ground.
  4. Push through your left heel to return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat with the other leg.

The 10 Best Barbell Rear Lunge Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Barbell Rear Lunge on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Barbell Lateral LungePlay demonstration

    1. Barbell Lateral Lunge

    85% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the glutes.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across your upper back.
    2. Take a big step to the side with your right foot, keeping your left foot planted.
    3. Bend your right knee and lower your body down into a lunge position, keeping your left leg straight.
    4. Push off with your right foot and return to the starting position.
    5. Repeat on the other side, stepping with your left foot.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
  3. Dumbbell Rear LungePlay demonstration

    3. Dumbbell Rear Lunge

    81% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the glutes.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
    2. Take a step backward with your right foot, lowering your body into a lunge position.
    3. Bend your left knee and lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the ground.
    4. Pause for a moment, then push through your left heel to return to the starting position.
    5. Repeat on the other side, stepping back with your left foot.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
  4. Crossover Reverse Lunge

    4. Crossover Reverse Lunge

    80% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    Use this when you have nothing to train with, because it works the glutes with bodyweight alone.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position.
    2. Perform a rear lunge by stepping back with one foot and flexing the hips and front knee. As you do so, rotate your torso across the front leg.
    3. After a brief pause, return to the starting position and repeat on the other side, continuing in an alternating fashion.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not free weights
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
  5. Weighted Stretch LungePlay demonstration

    5. Weighted Stretch Lunge

    80% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    It still works the glutes, through a different movement.

    • Weighted
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    2. Take a step forward with your right foot, keeping your back straight.
    3. Lower your body by bending your knees until your right thigh is parallel to the ground.
    4. Push through your right heel to return to the starting position.
    5. Repeat with your left leg.
    6. Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge
  7. Backward Drag

    7. Backward Drag

    77% match

    Quads · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it works the quads rather than the glutes.

    • Other
    How to perform it
    1. Load a sled with the desired weight, attaching a rope or straps to the sled that you can hold onto.
    2. Begin the exercise by moving backwards for a given distance. Leaning back, extend through the legs for short steps to move as quickly as possible.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: quads, not glutes
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Barbell Rear Lunge

Why You Might Need a Barbell Rear Lunge Alternative

A barbell is often the reason this lunge gets skipped: the rack is busy, your gym has no bar free, or a loaded bar on your back just isn't what you want today. The Barbell Rear Lunge asks you to hold weight high on your back while stepping one leg back and pushing through the front heel, so a swap needs to keep that step and that heel drive. A few alternatives keep a barbell but change the stance or the direction, others move the load to a dumbbell or a kettlebell, and one drops load completely, so you can keep training glutes, quads and hamstrings with whatever you actually have free.

How to Choose the Right Barbell Rear Lunge Substitute

The Barbell Lateral Lunge is the closest swap to the original: it keeps the same bar across your back, but the step goes sideways instead of back and the stepping leg now carries more of the load. If dumbbells suit you better, the Dumbbell Rear Lunge keeps the same backward step but swaps the bar for a dumbbell in each hand. With nothing to lift, the Crossover Reverse Lunge keeps that same step back but adds a rotation of your torso across the front leg, working the same glutes with bodyweight alone. Once the barbell versions feel easy, the Barbell Single Leg Split Squat keeps the bar on your back but steps forward, holds the back leg straight and finishes every rep on one side before you switch, so treat it as a step up rather than a straight swap.

Barbell Rear Lunge FAQ

Which alternatives use the same barbell as the Barbell Rear Lunge?

Four keep the bar: the Barbell Lateral Lunge, the Barbell Step-up, the Barbell Lunge and the Barbell Single Leg Split Squat. All four rest the bar across your upper back the way the Barbell Rear Lunge does, they just change the stance, the step direction or which leg carries more of the load.

How does the Crossover Reverse Lunge differ from the barbell version?

Instead of bending both knees on a straight step back the way the barbell version does, the Crossover Reverse Lunge has you step one foot back while you rotate your torso across the front leg. It still drives through the same glutes using bodyweight alone, so it works well when you want the same muscles without a bar or a rack.

Can I do Barbell Rear Lunge alternatives at home?

Yes. The Dumbbell Rear Lunge steps back like the barbell version, the Dumbbell Contralateral Forward Lunge steps forward instead, the Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through needs just one kettlebell, and the Crossover Reverse Lunge needs nothing at all. All four still put the work through your glutes.

How do I make a bodyweight lunge swap harder?

Add load or ask more of your balance. Moving from the Crossover Reverse Lunge to a loaded option like the Dumbbell Rear Lunge is the simplest step up. Once that feels easy, the Barbell Single Leg Split Squat keeps a bar on your back while your back leg stays straight and you finish every rep on one side before switching, which asks more of your balance.

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