Lunges vs squats: which is better for your legs (and your running)?

Lunges vs squats is a debate that mostly exists because people want permission to skip one of them. Squats are the heavy, two-legged lift. Lunges are the one-legged, wobbly, humbling one. Both train your quads, glutes and hamstrings. Both make you stronger. The useful question isn't which is better, it's what each one does that the other doesn't.

Short answer: squats let you move more total load; lunges train each leg on its own, with balance and a landing thrown in. For runners, the best plan uses both. Here's the squat vs lunge breakdown, what the research actually shows, and how to fit them into a week, whether you plan it yourself or use a strength app that schedules around your runs.

Lunges vs squats at a glance

Both are worth doing. That's the idea behind well-built runner-specific strength sessions: a bilateral squat for heavy general strength, a single-leg lift for the leg-by-leg work.

What the research says about squat vs lunge

There's less head-to-head research than the internet suggests, and most of it is small. What exists points the same way: neither is clearly better for general strength gains.

• ›In a 5-week trial in academy rugby players, one group trained only with rear-foot elevated split squats and the other only with back squats. Both improved back squat strength, 40 m sprint time and change-of-direction speed similarly. Small study, young athletes, short timeframe.
• ›In an 8-week study in untrained men and women, unilateral and bilateral free-weight training were equally effective for early improvements in leg strength and power. The unilateral group improved more on a single-leg vertical jump.
• ›A muscle-force modeling study compared the squat, split squat and step-up across loads in nine men. As load increased, the forces in the glute max, several quadriceps muscles and the biceps femoris often rose more steeply in the split squat and step-up than in the squat.

Put together: single-leg lifts aren't a lesser option, and they get a lot out of each leg with much less weight on the bar. Squats still let you load the whole system heavier. The single-leg study above used the rear-foot elevated split squat, better known as the db bulgarian split squat when you do it with dumbbells, which is the hub of the whole single-leg family.

Where squats win

• ›Total load. You can put far more weight on a bar with two feet planted. Heavy loads are a stimulus in their own right.
• ›Easy to measure progress. One number, one bar, both legs. Progression is simple.
• ›Less balance in the way. You're limited by strength, not wobbling.
• ›Time. One set trains both legs.

Where lunges win

• ›One leg at a time. Running is a series of single-leg landings and push-offs. Lunges train exactly that.
• ›Left-right differences. A bilateral squat lets your stronger leg cover for the weaker one. Lunges don't.
• ›Less spinal load for the same leg effort. You need far less weight to make each leg work hard.
• ›Balance and deceleration. Every forward or walking lunge ends with a landing the front leg has to control.
• ›Hips. A biomechanical analysis of the forward lunge found the hip extensors did the most work during the lunge, with added load increasing work at the hip and ankle more than the knee.

Lunges vs squats for runners

Runners need two things from lifting: heavy force production and single-leg control. Squats are the easier way to get the first, lunges and split squats the more direct way to get the second.

What matters most for running economy is that the lifting is heavy enough. A 2024 meta-analysis on middle- and long-distance runners found high-load strength training (at least 80% of max) improved running economy, while submaximal loads did not show the same benefit. That favors exercises you can load heavily: the barbell squat, and the split squat or Bulgarian with real weight. A long set of bodyweight walking lunges is conditioning, not strength.

A practical split for a runner lifting twice a week:

Schedule both away from the day before intervals or the long run. Lunges in particular leave you sore the first few times.

Lunges vs split squats

Lunges and split squats are close relatives, and the comparison matters more than people think. A split squat keeps the feet still, so it's easier to load heavy; a lunge adds the step. The full split squat vs lunge comparison covers which one to pick when. If you're new to single-leg work, start with the static version: our guide to split squat form has the setup, and our guide to lunges covers the stepping versions.

Which should beginners do?

Start with both, light. A goblet squat and a split squat or reverse lunge, twice a week, is a complete lower-body base for most people. Our guide to goblet squat technique is the easiest bilateral starting point, because the weight at the chest keeps you upright.

Single leg squats for runners are a common next step once you're comfortable: split squats, Bulgarians, step-ups and, eventually, harder variations like the pistol or skater squat.

Squats vs lunges for glutes and quads

Both train both. The variation and setup matter more than the category.

• ›More quads: front squats, heels-elevated squats, short-stance split squats, upright torso.
• ›More glutes: deep squats, longer-stance lunges and split squats, slight forward lean from the hips.

Rather than picking a winner, pick the right version for the goal.

Other single-leg options

Lunges aren't the only alternative to squats. Two comparisons come up a lot:

• ›Step ups vs bulgarian split squats in a sentence: the Bulgarian loads more range and is easier to push heavy, the step-up is simpler and easier to recover from.
• ›Split squat vs Bulgarian split squat in a sentence: raising the back foot adds range and difficulty at the same weight.

How exrsz handles it

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, with a bilateral squat and a single-leg lift where they fit your week. It balances lower-body days against your runs in one plan, adapts the load each week based on what you lifted, and reshuffles sessions you miss.

FAQ

Are lunges or squats better?

Neither overall. Squats let you lift more total weight; lunges train each leg on its own with balance and a landing. Most programs benefit from both.

Squat vs lunge: which builds more strength?

In short studies they've produced similar strength gains. A 5-week trial in rugby players found rear-foot elevated split squats and back squats improved back squat strength and sprint times similarly.

Is a lunge vs squat better for runners?

Both have a place. Squats build heavy general strength, lunges and split squats train single-leg control. Keep the loads heavy enough to be challenging and schedule them away from hard runs.

Can lunges replace squats?

For many people, yes, especially if barbell squats bother your back. An 8-week study found unilateral and bilateral training equally effective for early strength and power gains in untrained adults.

Should I do squats and lunges on the same day?

Yes, it's common. Do the squat first while you're fresh, then the lunges or split squats as the second lift.