Exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel took part in a collaboration with fitness coach Jeff Nippard to bring you a value-filled training session. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 18, 2024, Dr. Mike Israetel led Nippard through a new science-based arm workout. Then, Nippard rated the routine at the end.
With a massive YouTube and Instagram following, Dr. Israetel has become a trusted source of wisdom within the fitness and bodybuilding community. He breaks down complex topics into easy-to-understand concepts, making his workout routines and breakdowns highly sought after.
Science-based training is also among Jeff Nippard‘s top priorities. As a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter, he has employed these measures to reach the top of his field, turning him into a beacon of knowledge for anyone eager to reach the next level on their fitness journeys.
Exercise Scientist Runs Jeff Nippard Through Science-Based Arm Workout
Dr. Mike Israetel walked Nippard through a new scientific arm workout, and at the end, he ranked it. You can check out the workout and Jeff Nippard’s thoughts below.
- Cable overhead tricep extension
- Barbell skullcrusher
- Lying dumbbell bicep curl
- Lying cable bicep curl
- Upright row
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Exercise 1 — Cable Overhead Tricep Extension
To begin, Dr. Israetel explains why they start with cable overhead tricep extensions.
“Our first exercise is the overhead triceps cable extension. You can do this with a barbell, you can do this with dumbbells, you can do it with an EZ bar. We’re doing this with a cable just for variation, shits and giggles. The target overall is hitting the triceps with a nice full range of motion movement.”
He specifies that this movement hits the long head of the triceps, though admits that’s an overrated goal when implementing this exercise.
“This overhead version does hit the long head of the triceps a little bit more but I think focusing on the long head of the triceps is massively overrated in general because every compound pulling movement, pullups especially and rows, will hit your long head a ton.”
Exercise 2 — Barbell Skullcrusher
They move into skullcrushers next, where Dr. Israetel lays out the different plane of motion variants available to lifters.
“There are many variations of skullcrusher. You could do jam style where you touch really close to your clavicles, we’re going to be trying to touch the throat and then there’s the chin and the nose, the lips I guess that’s kind of gross.”
“There’s no right or wrong answers here just cool variants. We’re going to try the throat ones here today.”
He asked Nippard not to lock out on reps to expose the muscle to maximum tension in its lengthened state.
“The lengthened portion of the muscle when exposed to tension probably promotes more growth, so we’re going to have Jeff not lock out most of these reps.”
Exercise 3 — Lying Dumbbell Bicep Curls
A favorite of Dr. Israetel’s, he walks Nippard through lying dumbbell curls.
“We want the maximum stretch at the very bottom so you’re going to tilt your chest up and you’re going to reach as close to the ground as you can. You’re going to feel your biceps be pulled apart and you’re going to come up.”
“Slow and controlled. You do not want to rush this movement because crazy shit can happen over here.”
A useful cue pointed out by Dr. Israetel was reaching down toward the feet and then arching to apply additional tension to the muscles.
“And a big advanced cue is not just to do this with your elbows [tuck them in], that’s totally fine by the way I do that shit half the time but what you want to do is as you’re coming down you want to reach down over to your feet and then arch because this applies more tension at that lengthened position for slightly longer.”
Exercise 4 — Lying Cable Bicep Curl
Israetel provided two reasons why he prefers lying cable bicep curls over standing. One is axial fatigue, and the other is added tension while lying down.
“There are two reasons why we want to use a lying bicep curl potentially versus a standing one with a cable. Reason number one is a minor reason but it does add up: the axial fatigue from having to have the force transduced through your spine.”
“The other reason is because especially if you can get this bench setup, it’s a little bit lower than your body. And so, it applies a little bit more tension in the lengthened position than if you did the standing variant, which is a good thing.”
Bonus Shoulder Movement
Lastly, Israetel pushed Jeff Nippard through his ‘bonus’ shoulder movement, which was a 50-rep set of upright rows.
“We’re going to use the women’s bar and we’re going to do a sum total of 50 upright rows with the bar only but with our magic super upright row technique.”
Nippard’s Rating – 10/10
Overall, Nippard enjoyed the workout and revealed that it produced possibly the best pump he’s ever had.
“We ended on a high note. We give it a 10/10. It was great. Because, even the things I was not accustomed to, I actually did struggle with the technique at the beginning, but I ended up really liking it by the third set. I think the pump is probably the best I’ve ever had” Nippard said.
Aside from his latest training breakdown, physiologist Dr. Mike Israetel has analyzed workouts performed by bodybuilding legends. He’s dissected the routines of former Mr. Olympias Phil Heath, Ronnie Coleman, and Jay Cutler, just to name a few.
Jeff Nippard and Dr. Mike Israetel are two of the leading minds in fitness when it comes to science-based lifting. Feel free to try out their workout on your next arm day!
RELATED: Dr. Mike Israetel Reveals Best Exercises and Angles for Optimal Chest Development
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