Bodybuilding champion Erin Stern is back with another superset-themed workout with expert tips and tricks for fans. In a recent YouTube video, the former two-time Figure Olympia champion gave insight during a legs and glutes workout, utilizing supersets to achieve muscle growth.
“Are you looking for a new leg and glute workout that can be done on one piece of equipment that’s faster-paced and is highly effective, if you answered yes, yes, and yes, this video is for you,” Erin Stern stated.
As a bodybuilder in the Figure division, it didn’t take long for Stern to assert herself among the best in the category. In 2010, she brought arguably the best package of her career, which clinched her the sport’s most prestigious trophy. Having lost her title the following year, Stern avenged the defeat in 2012, marking her second Figure Olympia victory.
In addition to her contributions in Figure, Erin Stern has made a notable impact in the Bikini division. Having long displayed eye-catching aesthetics and muscularity, Stern’s knowledge of training, nutrition, and supplementation has turned her into a guiding voice for gym enthusiasts.
Erin Stern Shares Her Highly Effective ‘Faster-Paced’ Leg and Glute Workout
Quick Breakdown:
- feet-elevated deadlift supersetted with toe-elevated reverse pull-throughs
- sumo squat supersetted with single-leg Romanian deadlifts
- front foot elevated split squat supersetted with calf raises
Before starting the training session, Erin Stern explains why she values cable movements for their tendency to increase the range of motion.
“The reason I love cables so much is because it gives you that freedom, it gives you that range of motion that you would get from free weights but you get variable resistance so you’re able to change where the load or the weight is coming from.”
Feet-elevated deadlift supersetted with toe-elevated reverse pull-through
Her first superset saw her perform feet-elevated deadlifts with toe-elevated reverse pull-throughs. She offered body position tips for both exercises.
“Our first superset is a feet-elevated deadlift followed by a toe-elevated reverse pull through.”
“You see I’ve got a couple of 25-pound plates and I placed them in front of the cable machine. You really want to make sure depending on the type of plate depending on the floor, that these plates stay put and do not slide.”
While she opted for two single handles, Stern advised lifters to use a double-D handle.
“I’m using two single handles but you can use a double-D handle if you like. The reason for elevating the feet here is I like to stay relatively close to the cables and I don’t have that range of motion that I want when I add the handles so elevating the feet gives you a little bit more range of motion.”
Sumo squat supersetted with single-leg RDL
Stern walked fans through how she performs sumo squats supersetted with single-leg Romanian deadlifts.
“We’re moving on to our next superset, which is a sumo squat with a single-leg RDL.”
“What we are going to do is we’re going to go about two times shoulder width. We’re going to go ahead and back up just a little bit as well and I want you to think about using a weight that is heavier than you might normally use.”
Stern believes this superset results in ‘novel stimulus,’ which encourages muscle growth.
“The reason for this is that on this exercise, I want you to think about not only coming up out of the squat but also pulling back against the cable. We’re talking about novel stimulus, this is going to give you a resistance that you just don’t get with other pieces of equipment.”
“This [RDL single-leg] is an excellent exercise for working on balance, proprioception which is body awareness and for this I am making sure that I keep my body basically in plank position and hinging with the hip on one side. So, you almost want to think about your body as a pendulum so as you lower your upper body, your non-working leg is going to come up.”
Front foot elevated split squat supersetted with calf raises
For her final superset movement, Stern utilized front-foot elevated split squats supersetted with calf raises.
“Our next superset, which is a front foot elevated split squat, we’re going to angle it 45 degrees and we are going to superset with calf raises.”
“Now, for this front foot elevated split squat, I want you to pick an angle that works well for you whether it’s 45 degrees with that foot from the cable or you know about 90 degrees. So, really experiment with that. The arm that is closest to the cable, that’s the one you’re going to hold the weight with.”
Stern favors this exercise because of the emphasis placed on the glute of the front leg.
“I love this exercise because it’s going to place a lot of emphasis on the glute of that front leg. So, you want to make sure that your focus internally or in your mind is using that front leg. So, the back leg is simply there to spot but try to not help yourself at all with that back leg. Try to work just with that front leg.”
To finish up, Stern gave tips on calf raises, urging lifters to think about pushing the heels forward during each rep.
“We’re going to make the weight a little heavier and move on to calf raises. Now, for that calf raise, you’re going to lean back slightly against the weight and you’re going to spend a little more time in that mid-rep point and squeeze. You’ll slowly lower your heels and then you’re going to not only raise your heels but as you raise them up you want to think about pushing them forward as well,” Erin Stern shared.
From building a superhero body to tightening the inner thighs, there isn’t a body part Erin Stern doesn’t know how to properly train. With years of experience competing at the highest level, her workout lessons not only provide valuable information but are backed up by actual competition experience.
Given her status as a former two-time Figure Olympia queen, Erin Stern’s knack for breaking down complex workouts is second to none. She encourages anyone to incorporate these movements into their routine the next time they choose to train their legs or glutes.
RELATED: 2x Figure Olympia Erin Stern Shares Specialized Workout for Targeting the ‘Bra Fat Area’
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