Natural bodybuilder, powerlifter, coach, and fitness influencer Jeff Nippard touted “big new leg day” in his video published to his YouTube channel on Aug. 7, 2023. The workout Nippard dubbed “The Perfect Lower Body Workout” is built by what current science suggests is optimal.
Comprised of six lower body exercises, Nippard’s workout targets the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves and hits the abs at the end of the session. Check out the video below:
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Jeff’s Nippard’s Scientifically “Perfect” Lower Body Workout
Warm-up
- Treadmill or Stair Climber — 5-10 minutes
- Front-to-Back Leg Swings — 12 x each leg
- Side-to-Side Leg Swings — 12 x each leg
1. Deadlift
- Warm-up set one — 30 percent of working weight x 8 reps
- Warm-up set two — 50 percent of working weight x 4 reps
- Warm-up set three — 75 percent of working weight x 2 reps
- Warm-up set four — 90 percent of working weight x 1 rep (optional)
- Top working set — working weight x 5 reps
Nippard says one can substitute a trap bar deadlift to maintain a more neutral spine while emphasizing the quads. Alternatively, one could substitute a barbell hip thrust or Bulgarian split squat for a more glute-dominant movement.
“If…interested in increasing deadlift strength, over the coming weeks…drop one rep each week as you simultaneously add weight. This is called Linear Periodization,” said Nippard, explaining this suitable approach for a 6-week program.
“If you don’t care about strength [and] only concerned with hypertrophy (muscle building), stick with five reps the whole way, and aim to either increase the weight or improve some aspect of your technique from week to week.”
2. Stiff Leg Deadlift
- 2 sets x 8 reps: 50-60 percent of top working set
“… think of these as essentially just normal, conventional deadlifts except with higher hips,” explained Nippard, who suggested keeping the hips high and straighter knees to initiate the lift through via a hip hinge rather than bending the knees. Start light and gradually increase weight as technique improves.
3. Leg Press
- 4 sets x 10 -12 reps
Nippard’s deadlifts have recently been hamstring and glute dominant. Biasing the quads via the leg press involves narrow foot placement on the platform and maximum so the quads are trained in their lengthened position. Notably, the depth of the press should not curl or apply pressure to the lower back.
Nippard prefers to leave a slight knee-bend at the top of the press for a “constant tension” approach with no pauses between reps. He rests no more than two minutes between sets.
4. Glute-Ham Raise
- 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Nippard explained a number of ways to substitute this exercise if one’s gym doesn’t have a GHR machine. One example was having a partner hold down the lifter’s ankles while performing Nordic hamstring curls. Cutting out the top quarter of the raise places more focus on his hamstrings.
5. Slow Eccentric Leg Extensions
- 3 sets x 8-10 reps
While the leg press is sufficient for quad growth, it does not load the rectus femoris well, as it’s the only quad head that crosses the knee and hip joints. As a result, “it never really reaches its full contractile potential with compound movements,” explained Nippard. He performed three-second negatives of each rep to increase time under tension (TUT).
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6. Seated and Standing Calf Raises
- 2 sets of each x 15-20 reps
To target the calves, Nippard performs both seated and standing calf raises, though it is an aspect of his programming he is still sifting through research for. “High or low reps don’t seem to matter for [growing] the calves, I’m still doing higher reps on these, just for variety,” Nippard shared.
Abs Finisher — Roman Chair Leg Raises
- 3 sets x 10-20 reps
Nippard’s suggested rep range is 10 to 20 for the finisher because some people may find 10 reps to be close to failure while others might still feel fresh. The rep count isn’t what’s important; training close to failure is what matters.
Nippard also recommends curling the lower back and squeezing the abs rather than lifting with the legs. If 10 reps are too many, modify the exercise by using bent knees. If the movement seems too easy, increase the time for each negative.
Featured image: @jeffnippard on Instagram
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