If you’ve ever wanted to finish your leg workouts quicker, leg supersets might be the solution you’re looking for.
It used to be a running gym bro joke that if there was any day of the week worth skipping, it was leg day.
Then the joke became about never skipping leg day.
To be honest, I’m not sure what the joke is about leg workouts anymore, but one thing is for certain – Leg supersets are no joke.
A leg superset combines a quad-focused exercise with a hamstring-focused exercise. They are your correctly defined superset by working opposing muscle groups of the leg.
Most leg supersets avoid the heavy compound lifts. It’s not hard to understand why. How many people can successfully superset a heavy squat with a heavy Romanian deadlift while maintaining perfect form? Probably no one.
However, there are variations of these compound movements that can be awesome to superset.
In this article, we’ll get into 5 different leg supersets. Read through them and consider adding one to your next workout if you wish.
Leg Superset 1: Machine Hamstring Curl and Machine Leg Extension
First, we’ve got a classic leg superset that anyone who purchased a muscle mag in the late 90s & early 00s has probably seen dozens of times.
This superset is effective and easy to perform in a gym setting. The leg curl and leg extension machines are usually right next to each other and are so commonly supersetted that most folks in the gym won’t bat an eye at someone taking up two pieces of equipment – even during peak hours.
Both machines have several variations. If you work out at a large commercial gym, you might have 3 or more options for both the leg curl and leg extension. While the leg extension options might be simply between the single leg pads or the full pad, your curl options might be seated, lying, and potentially standing.
Pick whichever machine you are most comfortable with.
Begin by performing a set of leg curls for 10-15 repetitions. Once finished, immediately go into the leg curl set for 10-15 repetitions. Rest for 60-90 seconds in between supersets. This superset can be performed for anywhere between 2-4 sets.
Leg Superset 2: Dumbbell Goblet Squat and Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
The next couple of supersets are a little more technically advanced. They are all compound movement exercises for the most part and weighted. So, it may be beneficial to be more of an intermediate-advanced lifter prior to incorporating some of these supersets into your workout routine.
For this second superset, we will focus on two exercises that utilize dumbbells. You may be able to perform both exercises using the same weight depending on the strength of your squat and deadlift.
The first exercise is the goblet squat using a dumbbell. This exercise is an awesome choice when it comes to supersetting a squat variation. Back squats can involve a lot of weight and most prefer to focus on that exercise by itself within a traditional set scheme.
The goblet squat, however, tends to be more quad focused. And since you must hold the dumbbell up at chest level, it is difficult to overtax yourself with the goblet squat as the first part of a superset. Perform 6-12 reps of this exercise.
Once you finish your set of goblet squats, pick up the other dumbbell (or other set of dumbbells if you’re using different weights) and go right into your set of dumbbell Romanian deadlifts. Like the goblet squat, the dumbbell variation of the RDL is more self-limiting than the barbell variation as you must hold both dumbbells independently in your grip. Perform 6-12 repetitions of this exercise.
You may want to take a longer rest period between these two exercises. Anywhere from 90 seconds to 2 minutes should do the trick. This superset can be performed for 3-5 sets.
This superset would be perfect for someone who performs dumbbell only workouts.
Leg Superset 3: Landmine Romanian Deadlift and Lateral Lunges
Third on our list is a little bit easier than its predecessor, but still a challenge. Here we combine two movements that are rather unique for most gym-goers. They include the landmine Romanian deadlift and the lateral lunge.
The landmine accessory is one that has picked up steam since the rise of social media. Prior to it becoming popular by social influencers, it kind of say in the corner of the gym gathering dust as most didn’t know what it was used for.
Now that it has gotten the respect it deserves, it is often used because it can provide some of the self-limiting effects of needing to be able to grip the end of a barbell, some of the fixed range of motion that machines can provide, along with the core-stability benefits that barbell training provides.
All-in-all it makes for an awesome first part of a leg superset. For this superset, we’ll start off with the hamstrings and perform landmine Romanian deadlifts for a 8-12 rep range.
After finishing the set of landmine Romanian deadlifts, go right into a lateral lunge for 8-12 reps each leg. Most gym-goers neglect to perform lateral movements which can be beneficial in activating many of the hip muscles such as abductors and adductors. The lunge is also effective at building the quads and glutes.
Rest periods for this superset can vary but will likely fall in the 60-90 second range. This superset can be performed for 2-4 sets.
Leg Superset 4: Glute Ham Raises and Dumbbell Lunge
This might be the most challenging superset on the list. Glute Ham Raises(GHRs) can help you build strong hamstrings. And like anything that can help you build strength; they are hard to do.
Not every gym will have a GHR set up either. If that is the case for you (or if you try GHRs and determine they are too difficult for you to perform), you may need to look for another hamstring exercise to put here. A more glute-focused exercise that might fit in nicely here is the glute-focused hyperextension. Perform 6-12 reps of this exercise.
Once you’ve completed the GHRs or glute-focused hyperextension, move right into the lunge. The lunge will also be very glute-focused but will also work the other muscles of the leg to a great degree.
It is also a foundational movement pattern that is often neglected on leg days, and you may have limited strength to perform with good form. Focus on form first and then add the dumbbells to make the exercise more challenging once you have perfect form.
Perform 6-12 reps of the lunge before taking a rest period. Rest periods for this superset will be longer in duration as well and may last 2-3 minutes. This superset can be performed for 3-4 sets.
Leg Superset 5: Bodyweight Squat and Glute Bridges
If you’ve followed any of my other articles on this blog, you’ll know that I like to provide something for everyone.
This last superset is perfect for anyone who works out at home and has no equipment available. It can also be performed as a warmup or finisher to your leg workouts.
For this superset, we’ll incorporate two bodyweight movements. You’ll begin by performing the bodyweight squat for anywhere between 8-20 repetitions. Once you’ve completed the bodyweight squat, you’ll lay down on your back on the floor for glute bridges.
Glute bridges will primarily work your glute muscles. However, if you move your feet father out away from your bottom, you can get slightly more hamstring activation than if you perform them with your feet closer to your glutes.
Perform anywhere between 8-20 repetitions of the glute bridges. If you need to make them more challenging, you can add pauses during the contraction of each bridge. These pauses, also known as iso-holds, can range from 3-5 seconds or longer depending on your level of conditioning.
Rest periods will really vary on this superset. For some, they may rest just long enough to catch their breath. Others may take full advantage of a rest period. An example range would be 30-60 seconds. This superset can be performed for 2-3 sets.
Conclusion
Leg supersets are an awesome way to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your workouts. They can be included in nearly every type of workout split imaginable.
This article discussed 5 sample leg supersets that combined a hamstring/glute-focused exercise with a quad-focused exercise.
If you have any questions about the supersets or any of the exercises mentioned above, please leave a comment down below!