On Dec. 7, 2023, the 2013 Women’s Physique Olympia champion, Dana Linn Bailey, published a video on her YouTube channel wherein she partnered with bodybuilder Kristen Nun for a lower body workout. The duo shared training tips and techniques on how to build bigger legs using supersets.
Dana Linn Bailey & Kristen Nun’s Leg Workout
Here is the summary of the lower body training session:
- Superset: Barbell Squat & Lunge — 4 x 8 & 20
- Superset: Romanian Deadlift & Sumo Squat — 4 x 10-12 & 8-12
- Superset: Leg Extension & Sissy Squat — 4 x 12-15
Check it Bailey and Nun’s training session below:
[Related: Marcela Mattos Wins 2023 Musclecontest International Nacional Pro Wellness Show]
Superset: Barbell Squat & Lunge
Nun isn’t particularly fond of squats. This session was the first time she performed squats in nine months. Bailey used lighter weight, focusing on stimulus during eccentrics. They both squatted with a low bar position and reached a depth of hips below the knees each rep.
Bailey maintained an upright torso and kept her lunges short to bias the quads. She lowered until her upper and lower legs were perpendicular.
Bailey favors supersets early to pre-exhaust her muscles so as not to have to lift heavy on the compound movements.
If it’s a quad-only leg day, sometimes I’ll start with extensions. It pre-exhausts the muscles before I get to [squats].
[Related: MrBeast In Awe of Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford’s Posing]
Superset: Romanian Deadlift & Sumo Squat
Romanian deadlifts and a good morning variation on the power squat machine to load the hamstrings were next. With the power squat machine pads on her shoulders and her feet shoulder-width apart, Bailey lowered her torso toward the floor by hinging at the hips while maintaining slight knee flexion.
Bailey switched to a wide stance for sumo squats without reracking the weight. She leaned forward slightly and drove her hips back, biasing the glutes and hamstrings by loading them in their lengthened positions.
Superset: Leg Extension & Sissy Squat
The duo performed 12 to 15 reps of leg extensions through their full ranges of motion, followed by partial reps in the five to 10 reps range.
According to a Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research randomized controlled trial, intramuscular hypoxia might facilitate muscular hypertrophy with partial range of motion exercises being more effective than full range of motion exercises. [1]
Bailey superset leg extensions with bodyweight sissy squats. She paused and squeezed her quads and glutes in the their shortened positions.
A Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study involving 22 untrained young athletes performing knee extension resistance exercises found that greater muscle swelling immediately after the first resistance training session correlated with greater muscle hypertrophy after the six-week program. [2] In simpler terms, chasing the pump might be the most effective way to induce muscle hypertrophy.
More Training Content
- What Is Erythritol? Is This Zero-Calorie Sweetener Too Good to Be True?
- Does Protein Powder Cause Acne?
- How to Do the Nordic Curl to Power Up Your Hamstrings Without Weights
References
- Goto M, Maeda C, Hirayama T, Terada S, Nirengi S, Kurosawa Y, Nagano A, Hamaoka T. Partial Range of Motion Exercise Is Effective for Facilitating Muscle Hypertrophy and Function Through Sustained Intramuscular Hypoxia in Young Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 May;33(5):1286-1294. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002051. PMID: 31034463.
- Hirono T, Ikezoe T, Taniguchi M, Tanaka H, Saeki J, Yagi M, Umehara J, Ichihashi N. Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Feb 1;36(2):359-364. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003478. PMID: 31904714.
Featured image: @danalinnbailey on Instagram
