Jeff Jeff Nippard’s science-supported pull day workout
Jeff Nippard, the Canadian natural bodybuilder, powerlifter, and YouTuber, who is famous for utilizing science-backed training, diet, and recovery techniques to build muscle mass and improve his strength. He is often seen collaborating during workouts with other fitness influencers, such as Layne Norton.
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Full Name: Jeff Nippard |
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| Weight | Height | Date Of Birth |
| 155-165 lbs. | 5’5’’ | 10/06/1990 |
| Profession | Era | Nationality |
| Bodybuilder, Powerlifter | 2010 | Canadian |
Jeff Nippard shared a high-volume pull-day workout on July 10, and it was scientifically aimed at hitting back and biceps hypertrophy.
Jeff Nippard’s Back and Biceps Workout
Jeff Nippard kept it simple with this workout, utilizing only 6 exercises in the workout, as you do not need to overtrain because it can inhibit your growth. If you look at bodybuilders back in the Golden Era of the sport, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, they would train for hours upon hours throughout the day; Nippard is not an advocate of that.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| One-Arm Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown | 3 | 12-15 |
| Pull-ups | 1 | As many reps as possible (AMRAP) |
| Kroc Row | 3 | 10-12 |
| Cable Shrug-In | 3 | 10-12 |
| Reverse Pec Deck Flye | 3 | 10-12 |
| Overhead Cable Bicep Curls | 3 | 10-12 |
Warm-Up
Warming up before a lift is crucial for reducing the risk of injury, and Jeff Nippard’s warm-up routine is simple but effective. It included just five minutes on a stair climber, then was followed up by a few simple dynamic stretches. Warm-ups help to loosen the muscles and get the blood flowing to prepare them for heavier loads and volume.
One-Arm Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown
For these pull downs, Nippard utilized a cable pulley machine. He used a neutral grip with a D-handle, and took up a half-kneeling stance. He grounded his left knee and for a little extra stability, he placed his right hand on his right knee.
Jeff Nippard made sure to emphasize the importance of keeping the cable and forearm in a straight line. If the lifter cannot keep their forearm at a 45 degree angle throughout the entire movement, then Nippard suggests adjusting the height of the pulley. This will help to get a proper range of motion.
In order to complete the movement itself, Jeff Nippard kept his elbow close to his side and pulled the handle. Nippard placed an emphasis on driving through his elbow until his upper arm was perpendicular to the floor. When the lifter pulls the elbow behind the torso it takes the tension off of the lats and engages more of the shoulders.
Pull-Ups
While Jeff Nippard only performed one set of pull-ups, he took them to failure, doing an AMRAP. To complete the movement he used an overhand wider-than-shoulder width grip. Nippard kept his chest out while he went through each rep, making sure he got his chin over the bar at the top of the movement, and stopped just before he would disengage his scapula at the bottom part of it.
Kroc Row
The Kroc row may be something that you have not heard of before, but it is actually a fairly simple movement. A Kroc row will allow for a slightly more upright posture than the conventional single-arm dumbbell row. Jeff Nippard states that this allows for “controlled cheating”, and that is why he prefers this variation more.
Nippard goes on to say that science based lifters will often overemphasize strict form, which really leaves gains on the table. Sometimes, going a little heavier and incorporating a little more progressive overload with the sacrifice of a little bit of proper form can be a good thing, as it gets your body used to the weight.
Cable Shrug-In
For the traps, Jeff Nippard took over a functional trainer with the arms at the lowest setting in order to complete this exercise. Again utilizing D-handle attachments with a neutral grip, Nippard took up a staggered stance a little more than a foot in front of the pulleys.
According to Nippard, the trap muscles fan out horizontally, so the orientation of the cables line up and hit the muscles a little better than something like a barbell shrug. Tucking his chin into his chest, Nippard pulled his shoulders up to his ears, maintaining a nice mind-muscle connection and a good squeeze.
Reverse Pec Deck Flye
For this movement, Jeff Nippard put an emphasis on the “arms out and back” rather than just back, during the concentric part of the movement, as this can be more effective in engaging the posterior deltoids rather than the rear. Bending your elbows too much during this movement puts more strain on the mid-back through the traps and mid rhomboids rather than just the rear delts.
One thing that Nippard encouraged during this was varying grip positions in every set. This helps to train the rear delts at different angles. He recommended using a neutral grip first, overhand grip second, and internally rotating the shoulders to grab the handles at an angle between the vertical bar and the handle on the last set.
Overhead Cable Biceps Curl
For the biceps portion of the pull day workout, Nippard performed an overhead cable biceps curl. This was done by kneeling in front of the cable pulley, after he had set the pulley at a height that enabled him to maintain his upper arm at 45 degrees throughout the entirety of the movement. Keeping his elbow pinned, Nippard pulled the handle behind his head.
According to Jeff Nippard, overhead biceps curls are more effective at biasing the long head of the biceps, than conventional cable biceps curls. The long head of the bicep is responsible for forming the peak. He only performed once bicep during this pull day workout, Nippard still encouraged viewers with lackluster biceps to increase the amount of volume they put the biceps through. This can be done via various biceps exercises, such as the dumbbell curl, spider curls, hammer curls, and so on.
Wrap Up
Overall, Jeff Nippard is someone that really knows what he is talking about when it comes to lifting. He is a decorated powerlifter, bodybuilder, and very well-known YouTuber, as he spreads the word of science based lifting. Nippard kept his pull-day simple, doing only 6 exercises and only one of them being for biceps, but this goes to show that less is sometimes more. It is all about what you do during each rep and set, rather than how many reps and sets you do. You know what they say, quality over quantity.
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