Jeff Nippard Uses Science to Evaluate Jesse James West’s Push-Pull-Leg Workout

Jeff Nippard Jesse James West
Image via Instagram @jeffnippard

Jeff Nippard claims the seated leg curl is more effective than the lying leg curl. 

Jesse James West, a renowned fitness trainer and influencer, boasts a rich background in competition, highlighted by his triumph at the 2023 Summer Shredding Championships. Famous for his robust online presence, particularly on YouTube, West shares a wealth of bodybuilding and fitness content, engaging a wide audience with his expertise.

Full Name Jesse James West
Weight Height Date Of Birth
176 lbs 5’10” 01/25/2000
Division Era Nationality
Men’s Physique and Classic Physique 2020s – Till date American 

Recently, Jesse James West collaborated with renowned fitness trainer Jeff Nippard — a science-based natty bodybuilder and powerlifter. West sought Nippard’s expertise, known for his dedication to integrating scientific research and evidence-based approaches into his training programs, to evaluate his fitness routines. Here’s a detailed account of their session.

Jeff Nippard’s Ranking System & Exercises

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jeff Nippard (@jeffnippard)

Jeff Nippard has a unique way of ranking exercises. The highest ranking is the S tier, which includes his favorites, while the F tiers include routines he wouldn’t recommend. 

  • S- Jeff Nippard’s favorites
  • A- Strongly recommends
  • B- Useful in certain contexts, but there could be better alternatives
  • C- There are better alternatives, but could be useful for certain people.
  • D- Not a good option for many
  • F- Generally does not recommend. 

Jeff Nippard went through most of Jesse James West’s routines using this ranking while also paying attention to his performance. Below are the exercises they went through. 

Lat Pulldown

Jesse James West first does a lat pulldown, and Jeff Nippard evaluates his form, pointing out errors and making corrections where necessary. West initially wanted to start with deadlifts, but Nippard insisted they start with lat pulldowns, especially since they wanted to focus on the back without tasking the lower body.

One of the first tips, Jeff Nippard points out, is the importance of eccentric control. He shares that even partial reps with good eccentric control can give significant results (1). Next, Nippard discusses the importance of using wrist straps when exercising to prevent slipping. He also adds that switching from an over-hand to a suicide grip can help improve your mind-muscle connection with your grip. Nippard initially rates the lat pulldown a B and switches to an S based on West’s form.

Chest-Supported Row With a Kelso Shrug

West suggests doing a close-grip row, and Nippard counters that he could work more on the mid-back using the chest-supported row with a Kelso shrug. Nippard rates this routine a B.

“… not bad Jesse. It’s not bad. I’m going to give you a B again, though. Here’s how we’re going to take it to S. I want you to feel your mid traps…”

Nippard explains the importance of the traps and why it’s important to work the muscles. He says getting a full squeeze and stretch with the traps is important. Adding a shrug to get a full row takes it to another level.

“You can actually still do a lot more work with your back if you weren’t to do a full row. So all you’re going to do is kind of a horizontal shrug, so you’re going to shrug like this. Have you ever seen that before?”

When West is done with his new, improved form on the row machine and, adding a shrug to it, Nippard rates the routine an A.

Cross-Body Lat Pull Around

The cross-body lat pull-around maximizes the stretch on his lats. After Nippard works West on the basics of this exercise, he does a couple of reps, and Nippard rates him S.

Deficit Pendlay Row

Next on the list is the deficit Pendlay row. Jeff Nippard emphasizes proper form during this exercise. He also uses a bumper plate (elevated surface), which increases the range of motion and stretches the lats. Nippard rates West an S for his form during the exercise.

Reverse Cable Fly

Jeff Nippard shows Jesse James West his next exercise, the reverse cable fly to work his rear delts. Nippard emphasizes using a full range of motion to strengthen rear delt contraction. He says you shouldn’t think about pulling but sweeping during the performance.

“So this was the other thing. You shouldn’t be thinking about pulling; you’re thinking about sweeping. The way Dr. Mike explained this to me is you imagine that there’s a pile of money on the floor and whatever you can reach with your hands is how much money you get to keep. So you want to reach out.”

Jesse James West does this exercise again with his arms extended throughout this movement, and Jeff Nippard gives him an S.

Reverse Biceps Cable Curl

West hops on the alternating dumbbell curls and asks Nippard to check for errors. During this routine, Nippard points out no tension in the biceps when fully stretched. He suggests a preacher curl as a better alternative but says the cable curl variation is the best for biceps growth. Nippard rated West S on this exercise on his first try.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jesse James West (@jessejameswest)

Barbell Back Squat

They begin the lower body routines with the barbell back squat. West starts with no weights to get the rhythm moving and later adds some weights. Nippard approves using weightlifting belts because they help increase tension on the quads.

“It increases intra-abdominal pressure, which will prevent tension from leaking out in all sorts of places. We don’t need no leakage.”

West does a couple of reps, and Nippard applauds him for his form and focus during the back squat. He rates him an S on this exercise.

Barbell Romanian Deadlift 

Nippard says when doing the barbell Romanian deadlift, it’s important to take the bar to about your shin level. If you maintain a neutral back and don’t bend your knees, you can get a good stretch on your hamstrings.

Smith Machine Good Morning

Jeff Nippard points out that the Smith machine good mornings employs a very short range of motion. However, he states it’s all about getting a good hamstring stretch for excellent results. Nippard rates West an S for this exercise.

Leg Extension

During leg extensions, Nippard pulls West’s seat back so an extension on his hips stretches the quads more, giving him a full range of motion and leading to more muscle growth. Nippard rates West S for this exercise.

Reverse Nordic

Nippard also picked the reverse Nordic exercise, which primarily targets your quads and is the opposite of the Nordic exercise.

Seated Hamstring Curl

Nippard says the seated leg curl is much better than the lying leg curls. He also emphasizes using the right form when doing this exercise. Nippard rates West an S for this exercise.

“We have around 10 studies showing longer muscle length is better than shorter muscle lengths. We have five studies showing that longer muscle lengths beat full range of motion about 80 percent of the time.” 

Calf Raise on a Leg Press Machine

Nippard says you should always complete calf exercises. If you want to build your calves on a leg press machine, place the balls of your feet on the plate instead of just your toes for more muscle contraction. 

Bench Press

Jeff Nippard states that the bench press is a strength and hypertrophy movement.

“The bench press can be thought of as a total body movement because your legs should be involved if you’re going for maximum strength.”

He coaches West on properly performing the bench press by driving the load from his toes. Nippard rates West an S for this exercise.

Seated Cable Fly

Nippard suggests doing the cable fly seated to isolate your pecs more and get a good stretch. He also adds that, according to studies, muscle stretch is more important than muscle contraction. Jeff Nippard rates West an A when he does this exercise and fine-tunes his form. 

Lateral Raise

Nippard suggests lateral raises to work the shoulders. West does the exercise, and Nippard rates him a D. He emphasizes the need to control the weight better. Nippard also adds lateral raise variations, like an incline bench lateral raise, leaning to the side in a unilateral movement. This places constant tension on the targeted muscles.

Overhead Triceps Extension

Finally, the last‌ exercise is the overhead triceps extension. Nippard recommends taking a staggered stance to help with stability and not fully flared elbows out to avoid discomfort. 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more fitness tips! 

Reference

  1. Goto, M., Maeda, C., Hirayama, T., Terada, S., Nirengi, S., Kurosawa, Y., Nagano, A., & Hamaoka, T. (2019). Partial Range of Motion Exercise Is Effective for Facilitating Muscle Hypertrophy and Function Through Sustained Intramuscular Hypoxia in Young Trained Men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 33(5), 1286–1294. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002051 
Terry Ramos
As a personal trainer and writer, Terry loves changing lives through coaching and the written word. Terry has a B.S. in Kinesiology and is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and ISSA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He enjoys playing music, reading, and watching films when he's not writing or training.