Jeff Nippard’s Science-Backed Leg Workout for Massive Gains
With a host of benefits beyond building muscle, training your legs can not only help you fill out your jeans, but deliver a significant metabolic boost far beyond a few bicep curls.
Exercise researcher and YouTuber Jeff Nippard shares a science-backed leg day workout, and if you were hoping to skip leg day, consider this your call to action.
Predominantly working on machines, the session will work you close to failure with enough volume to dispatch significant gains. With tips from the expert and relevant research, here's how you can get the most out of your leg day.
The Workout
Seated Leg Curl x 10-15 reps and 3 sets
'This gets my knees nice and warm for squats,' says Nippard. 'And I usually pick seated over lying leg curls, because this study showed they cause about 1.5 times more muscle growth.'
The study he mentions, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, concluded tha hamstring muscle size can be more effectively increased by seated than prone leg curl training, suggesting that training at long muscle lengths promotes muscle hypertrophy, but both are similarly effective in reducing susceptibility to muscle damage.
Smith Machine Squat x 5-10 reps and 3 sets
'Next, I do Smith machine squats for the quads and glutes,' says Nippard. 'Here I get as deep as I can and explode out of the hole. Doing these on the Smith allows me to push my last set to failure without worrying about dumping the bar.'
This is supported by evidence published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science. While we don't have to train to absolute muscular failure to see muscle growth, getting close to it will build muscle. And if the Smith machine allows us to do so safely, we are more likely to see the hypertrophy we're looking for.
Romanian Deadlift x 5-10 reps and 3 sets
'After that, it's the Romanian deadlift for the glutes and hamstrings. Here, I focus on pushing my hips back without allowing my lower back to round,' explains Nippard.
He recommends using lifting straps for this exercise, 'Your glutes and hands should be stronger than your grip.' This prevents your grip strength from becoming a limiting factor on the amount you can push your leg muscles.
Leg Extension x 10-15 reps and 2 sets
'Then I do leg extensions for the quads. Here I set the seat back to get a deep stretch in erectus femoris on my last set, I do my reps beyond failure. Basically rest for a few seconds, crank another three reps and repeat.'
The technique he uses here means taking a quick breather after the final set, including a deeper range of motion, and then finishing the set off. This facilitates 'training beyond failure' and can increase muscle growth.
Superset: Hip Adduction and Hip Abduction x 15-20 reps and 2 sets
'Then I superset two sets of hip adductions for the inner thighs with two sets of hip abductions for the glutes,' says Nippard. This method is supported by a new study, concluding that supersets are an effective way of increasing hypertrophy while also cutting down on gym time.
Standing Calf Raise x 10-15 reps and 4 sets
Inclusion of this move instead of seated calf raises is also in line with the latest research. A study published in Frontiers in Physiology compared standing and seated calf raises to examine the effects on hypertrophy. The findings included significantly more hypertrophy for the standing compared to the seated variation.
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