Natural bodybuilder and powerlifter Jeff Nippard is peeling back the curtain on how he transformed his physique in one year. On May 27, 2025, he shared the exact routine he followed and provided fans with technique cues to get the most value out of each exercise.
Jeff Nippard is one of the industry’s leading fitness educators. He implements science-based techniques and research to help his followers build their physiques. Over the last year, Nippard put his knowledge to use and stuck to a strict regimen for 365 days straight.
He took part in extensive testing, including DEXA scans to determine how much lean muscle he acquired over time. Now, he’s laying out the finer details that helped him build a bigger and more improved physique from top to bottom.
Jeff Nippard Breaks Down the Exercise Routine He Used for 1 Year to Transform His Physique
Below, Nippard shared the exercises he used for a year to transform his physique, which were featured in his latest YouTube video:
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- Incline Barbell Bench Press — 3 sets 6-8 reps
- Seated Cable Fly — 2 sets 10-12 reps
- Pull-Ups — 3 sets 6-8 reps
- High Cable Lateral Raise — 2 sets 8-10 reps
- Deficit Pendlay Row — 2 sets 6-8 reps
- Cable Overhead Triceps Extension — 2 sets 8-10 reps
- Bayesian Curl — 2 sets 8-10 reps
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Nippard credited the incline barbell bench press for helping grow his chest the most this year. He opted for free weights over machines to better tax his stabilizing muscles.
“I think this was hands down the most effective exercise for growing my pecs this year,” explained Nippard. “It mostly targets the chest and front delts with some bonus triceps and even some side delt activation since the side delts help stabilize the bar from drifting forward or backward.”
“I went with free weights here to get more out of the stabilizing muscles,” he adds.
Seated Cable Fly
He included the seated cable fly to stretch his pec fibers and advised lifters to focus on bringing their elbows together instead of their hands, as it keeps the tension on the chest.
“The seated cable fly will also stretch the pecs more than the heavy compound press that we did first,” he shared. “Try to get as deep as your shoulders will comfortably allow and squeeze the weight forward using your pecs.
Try to focus on bringing your elbows together, not just your hands. This will keep tension on your chest and prevent your triceps and front delts from taking over.”
Pull-Ups
He used pull-ups for overall back growth. Nippard didn’t want to avoid the more difficult exercises, so he kept these in his routine over lat pulldowns.
“Pull-ups light up your entire back. Your lats handle the shoulder extension, your mid traps and rhomboids will light up during scapular retraction, and your low back will engage for stabilization.”
“I went with a pull-up over a lat pulldown mainly because I think they’re harder and I didn’t want to shy away from the more challenging exercises this year. I’m also focusing a lot on progressive overload.”
High Cable Lateral Raise
To build his delts, Nippard used high cable lateral raises, which he favored over dumbbell variations because they provide tension throughout the entire movement.
“I used cables here because they provide consistent tension throughout the range of motion, unlike dumbbells, where there’s no tension at the bottom, and peak tension kicks in at the very top.”
Deficit Pendlay Row
Nippard chose deficit Pendlay rows as another back builder. He implemented an explosive positive but slowed down the negative for better tension and control.
“You get amazing mid-trap engagement,” he shared. “I keep the explosive positive but slow down the negative to maintain eccentric tension and control.”
Cable Overhead Triceps Extension
Nippard backed up his use of overhead extensions with a study, revealing that they caused the triceps to grow 40% more than pushdowns.
“This study compared overhead extensions to pushdowns and found that overhead extensions cause 50% more growth in the long head, 40% more growth in the lateral and medial heads, and 40% more growth in the triceps overall. It’s a killer.”
Bayesian Curl
His go-to biceps builder was the Bayesian curl, which he credited for having a slight edge over preacher curls.
“I still suspect they have a slight edge [over preacher curls], especially thanks to that deadly combo of long muscle length and high tension in that lengthened position.”
Nippard continues to refine his approach, and training with other high-level athletes helps him with this process. He recently joined powerlifting phenom Larry Wheels, who transitioned to bodybuilding. Fresh off earning his IFBB Pro card, Nippard and Wheels trained together to build bigger chests.
Nippard believes these seven exercises were critical to his successful physique transformation. He maintains that the science behind them, coupled with his technique cues, can help lifters of varying levels make improvements.
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