Bodybuilder Erin Stern is always up for breaking down her go-to exercises. On January 29, 2025, she revealed her top three leg and glute movements to help you achieve strength and symmetry.
“Top 3 Leg and Glute Exercises for Strength and Symmetry
When it comes to building strong, balanced legs and glutes, the sheer amount of information out there can feel overwhelming. Streamlining your routine to focus on effective, goal-oriented exercises is crucial.”
Erin Stern made a name for herself in the IFBB Pro League Figure division. She is one of the few bodybuilders to win back her prestigious Figure Olympia title, claiming her first victory in 2010 and reclaiming it in 2012. Her stage presence was second to none and even today, continues to test the limits of her capabilities.
She’s no stranger to challenging her comfort zone. In 2022, she made a successful transition to the Bikini category, proving that her skillset went beyond just a single bodybuilding division. She clinched an impressive victory in her last contest which came at the 2022 Republic of Texas Pro.
But Stern is more than just a bodybuilder, she’s a thriving fitness influencer, who constantly seeks out new innovative methods for building aesthetic physiques. Previously, she shared her top three rear delt and inner thigh exercises, which has led her to reveal her most favored movements for taxing the legs and glutes.
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Erin Stern’s Top 3 Exercises for Legs and Glutes
Find her exercise selections below:
- Goblet Squat
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Nordic Curl
Goblet Squat
In a recent YouTube video, Erin Stern explained the setup for the goblet squat, which she favors as a fantastic movement because its versatility for those who suffer from back or knee issues.
“I’ve seen a lot of shade around this exercise on social media. A lot of it comes from holding the dumbbell like this [horizontal]. It’s called a goblet squat you hold it like this under the end of the dumbbell, not holding it parallel to the floor.”
“If you have any kind of back issues, knee issues, the goblet squat is an excellent squat variation because it’s not going to put the same pressure on that lower back and it is going to encourage proper squatting form.”
She mentioned that the majority of the work from goblet squats will come from the quads and glutes, with a little bit of lower back involvement.
“The majority of the work is going to be done by your quads, your glutes, and a little bit of lower back as well and you got some upper body work to stabilize.
Now keep in mind, with your squat, this is any squat variation, the lower you get those upper legs, the more glute recruitment you’re going to get.”
Bulgarian Split Squat
She favors the Bulgarian split squat as it’s not just ideal for building single-leg strength but also is effective for bringing up a leg that’s lagging behind the other.
“This is such a fantastic exercise for unilateral or single-leg strength. Single-leg strength is often overlooked. You’re going to get stronger in your bilateral lifts if both legs are the same level of strength.
Typically, we’ll have a strong leg or a stallion leg and we’re going to have one that’s just a little laggy or a little less dominant.”
She emphasized that this movement can help individuals rectify asymmetries in their lower bodies.
“By performing this exercise, you’re going to be really able to fix any asymmetries and target not only the quads, a little bit of hamstrings, and a little bit of glutes,” she shared.
Nordic Curl
The Nordic curl is another one of her go-to exercises. She named it as the number one movement for hamstring hypertrophy.
“The reason I chose this exercise is because it can be done anywhere. You can use your body weight as resistance so there’s really no excuse not to do it and it happens to be the number one exercise for hypertrophy for those hamstrings.”
She says the Nordic curl is great for overall strength and will provide a little work for the glutes as well.
“Doing the Nordic curl is again, an excellent way to strengthen your overall physique. You’re going to hit a little bit of glutes as well but you’re just going to do as many reps as you can. Keep your body in a plank position. Use your upper body to spot yourself.”
Boasting over 314,000 YouTube subscribers, Erin Stern continues to give back to the bodybuilding community that shaped her on and off the stage. The next time you’re looking for a challenging leg and glute-focused workout, give her exercises a try!
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