When I’m at the gym, I’m always striving to maximize my time by choosing the most effective exercises. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, repeating movements that don’t bring us closer to our goals. Fortunately, fitness expert Jeff Nippard has identified four overrated exercises that might be sabotaging your gains
Before we dive into the four exercises, let’s address a crucial question: why should we heed Jeff Nippard’s advice? Beyond his sterling powerlifting résumé, Nippard also carved out a successful career as a natural bodybuilder. And that’s not all — Nippard boasts over 4.6 million YouTube subscribers, where he offers science-based exercise advice free of charge.
Jeff Nippard Shares Alternatives to 4 Overrated Exercises
Find his four overrated exercises below:
“Here are four overrated exercises and what you should do instead.”
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Front raises
Instead of practicing front raises, Nippard says to raise the dumbbells out in a Y shape to tax the side delt fibers more effectively.
“First, front raises. Your front delts already get hammered from any horizontal or vertical pressing in your program. You almost never need any extra isolation workout for the anterior delts. Instead of raising the dumbbell straight ahead, raise them out in a Y so that you can get more of the side delt fibers involved or you can place any front raises in your program with side raises instead,” Jeff Nippard states.
Waiter curls
Replace waiter curls with EZ bar curls or straight bar curls for better bicep gains.
“Second, waiter curls. These will hit the biceps since you are flexing your elbow but hyperextending your wrists will limit your ability to overload the movement. I just do standard EZ bar curls or straight bar curls instead and if you’re worried about your forearms taking over, just take a slightly looser grip.”
Dumbbell external rotations
Replacing dumbbell external rotations, Nippard advised lifters to try using a cable or band for more ‘tension pointing in the right direction.’
“Third, standing dumbbell external rotations. A lot of people do these to warm up their shoulders but gravity points down, meaning that the dumbbells aren’t actually applying any resistance to your external rotators. You might as well do them without the dumbbells. However, if you use a cable or a band, all of a sudden you’ve got tension pointing in the right direction.”
Above-Knee rack pulls
Nippard says to try swapping out above-the-knee rack pulls for shrugs to properly grow the upper traps.
“Above the knee rack pulls. Instead, I’d do shrugs to build your upper traps or deadlifts from the floor to build strength.
Nippard believes ditching these four exercises and replacing them with his alternatives might bring you one step closer to your fitness goals. And who knows, those alternatives might just unveil a whole new realm of gains you never knew existed.
From achieving the perfect squat, deadlift, or squat, Nippard always backs up his statements with facts and research. Having tested the waters in multiple sporting disciplines, he serves as a great resource for anyone on a mission to optimal health and wellness.
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