How to interpret my tier list: All exercises are ranked based on muscle building potential. S tier - My favorite. Do them if you can. A tier - Strongly recommend. B tier - I still do these in certain contexts. There may be better options. C tier - There are better options for most people. Can still have value in some contexts. D tier - Probably not a great option for most people. F tier - Generally not recommended.
How do research studies measure volume. If longer time under tention decreases the amount of reps/sets/weight. How do we scientifically measure what concentric and essentric time is best for hypertrophy? Is a single rep of a 1s Concentric and 3s Eccentric the same as 3 reps of a 1s Consentric and 1s Essentric? Or maybe a single rep with a 3s Concentric and 3s Eccentric being 1:1 to 3 reps with a 1s Concentric and 1s Essentric.
I've recently been able to do hack squats without absolutely blowing out my front knee tendons and I'm very happy to see this. I always feel like I didn't do my leg days hard enough until I have to walk down the stairs of my gym and then I'm like "oh yeah, I did good"😂
id recommend you try to follow a program, theres plenty of free versions out there so id say go for 3-4day a week and do either full body workouts or split upper/lower body on different days, helped me a lot in the beginning both to learn and get a routine going.
I’m also a beginner, but I have been seeing a lot that it’s important to build a strong core early on with the compound movements like barbel squats and Bulgarian split squats, because you don’t want to build super strong legs on things that take your back out of the equation with pendulum squats, and hack squats and then later try to support these heavy weights with your weak back if you learn the barbell squats after the ones that don’t require a stable core as much. Hope that makes sense
@jeffNippard you just compiled my years of gym experience, my trial & errors, watching countless youtube videos & possibly my injury experience in one video. I couldn't agree more to what you said. Even i got the hack squat right as you said it being the best exercise. Man you're making a contribution to the gym community & guys I totally endorse what he says…. just follow it.
I'm sure these videos take so much work to make, but I find them the single most useful piece of bodybuilding content on UA-cam. I really hope you cover every other major muscle group in this way. Appreciate the effort, sir!
pretty sure he does get the credit ive seen memes about "first time in gym" and there is the shorts of him teaching technique, which is funny as many people, including me have been there for stuff like deadlifts and squats also have had a fellow gym bro and i who live close and just started working out with and discuss stuff like steroids, technique and exercises, and also who teaches them best and he brought up jeff before i could. great videos, good production value with good info that are not drawn out, and also conclusive and with meaning thats why he is the goat
Belt squats are a game changer. Been doing barbel squats for years, but my lower back, cardio, and anatomy were limiting factors, not my quads. I got a belt squat machine a year ago, and my legs blew up. I use a raised wedge platform so I get max knee flexion, and I can actually go until my quads fail, not my lower back or breathing. It’s my S+ tier quad movement.
Same here. Couldn’t squat heavy anymore cause of my back but squats were the only thing that really grew my legs. Discovered belt squats and they are incredible. For me I like them better than regular squats. I get way more depth and can go much slower
THANKYOU for talking about front squats the way you did, no bs. I'm a long leg built squatter who loves the front squat because it forces me to use only quads and a upright back to get the weight up as i cant turn it into a hip hinging squat by raising my hips up first at the bottom of the squat. I've made great quad gains with them.
They are awesome. Don't listen to Dr Mike's BS. My legs are long too and I love hitting depth in front squat without rounding / leaning over like crazy. I have great ankle mobility and squat shoes but for the back squat it's not enough to combat how I'm built.
A Jeff Nippard video is always overdue. The GOAT of fitness videos that are educational and enjoyable. This should be awesome. Plus he doesn't endlessly plug his products in every video before he even gets to the end.
Jeff Nippard - no bulshit nerdy, info packed, high quality animation filled educational, videos on hypertrophy. Also natty. Mike Israetel - jokes and jackassing in between throwing some science based info-bombs. When your brain is slow and tired and bored go to Mr. Mike, he'll entertain the shit out you while giving HQ advice on hypertrophy. Enhanced and honest about it. Great personality and charisma too. Jeff from Athlean-X, excellent to strengthen your little muscles, check for muscle imballances, when safety and longevity of athletism is the priority. Although, some say he used fake weights. A little boring, but when you are injured, or limited in mobility, you don't care to be entertained. You go for what works, and his small hacks definitely work. Once you get cured off of your injuries, you will forget Jeff Cavalier, and go for hypertrophy prioritizing bloggers, only to remember him when you get injured again 😅 Me personally, love them all. And don't think a natty bodybuilder should go any farther than these three. 🎉
Came back to this video multiple times, just want to thank you Jeff for the knowledge I’ve gained from your videos. I think it’s more than ideal for new starters, people joining back like myself or intermediate lifters to watch these ranking videos too see which works best for each person. I’m more than grateful for your useful information thanks again!
Generally if I want a really good leg day, I opt for plenty of bicep curls and tricep extensions. Maybe a set of leg extensions if I have time at the end
My poor belted squad didn't even get a ranking 😭. For me belted Squats are the best. I have a REALLY bad back since my mom got in a car crash when she was 7 months pregnant with me, so the weight sitting on my shoulder in a hack squats vs my hips on a belted squat makes a huge difference. I feel I can breathe, brace and go deeper on the belted squat.
@@robbyc8926 I think it's harder to find a pendulum squat :D You can also redneck engineer a belt squat by strapping weight to a belt and climbing on some boxes if you really like the movement :) I am very surprised it was not on the list
@@nihalbhamrah4726 a squat variation that loads the hips instead of the back, making your legs and hips the limiting factor instead of your back and core.
Amazing video Jeff, please keep on with these tier lists. How you explain every exercise is very helpful to understand what I have to correct on my gym routine
The fact that almost all of my leg exercises are in Aand S tier is really cool, shoutout to the random dudes in discord that helped me build a good PPL program
If and when you do this tier list on the glutes, I would love to see you talk about the glute pushdown (on the assisted pull-up machine). IMO it is a good excersise as it gets a deep stretch, is easy to set up, and good for beginners. However, I am curious about how to feel about the actual movement in how it relates to glute activation.
2 forgotten exercises : 1) V squat - A or S. Might be A because there might be a range of mission issue. 2) belt squat - never did but if I understand the exercise correctly, I think it should be A or S.
Also the Split squat (aka Static lunge) with a short step-length. They don't work the glutes when done like that, and they're perhaps the closest thing to doing a single-leg squat if you want some unilateral work (other than Bulgarians, but they're just way too tricky an exercise all-round). I would like to have heard Jeff's opinion on it, mainly because you can load the Split squat fairly decently given that you're really emphasising one leg at a time.
Yeah, I would like to have heard Jeff's opinion on it though, given that it can be loaded more than the others mentioned. But he may have just recommended just doing Back or Front squats for your heavier work, and doing the other exercises mentioned for unilateral work. Of course, they'll all work.
@@soots-stayingoutofthespotl5495 Belt squats have the added bonus of not compressing the spine. So it should rank higher than a standard squat because it would be more "feels good." As long as you're going to depth, of course. I plan on getting a belt squat attachment for my power rack next and look forward to having some more variety. I'm pretty pretty much limited to Squats when it comes to the most effective exercises on Jeff's list.
me too, we in for a 4 hour anabolic myostatin deficient dog snoring supersetted with ''thank you fo bein mah freeeeeand'' supersetted with guitar riffs supersetted with horsecockology (pause) supersetted with ads
As someone recently started working out at home with nothing but dumbells, I'm happy to see Bulgarian squats ranked high. In fact I did them for the first time a few hours ago, and will keep doing them till I build myself some space to put a power rack with a barbell.
I noticed something odd in your presentation. At 5:00, you are saying that smiths and free weights build muscle roughly equally, yet the graph shows free-weight squats win heavily over hack squat, AND the section itself is about hack squats. The x-axis doesn't show any metrics, so I have no idea what it's supposed to mean, but the graph makes it look like squat wins heavily over hack squat, yet you are saying both are the same.
The graph depicts the results of a meta-analysis of multiple studies. The x-axis shows whether each study favoured machines or free weights, with the distance from the centre being effect size. While the section is on hack squats, the conclusion drawn from the meta-analysis is on machines vs free weights in general. You can see that different studies keep getting different results for the same comparisons.
Jeff, quality info. Thank you so much. Added some slightly reclined leg extensions after seeing the data you presented related to RF growth advantage in one of your prior videos.
god. i'm so thankful you did this vid. i might be the only one who actually likes leg day. and having a creator i trust regarding knowledge giving detailed account of the exercises is honestly what i needed. thanks. you're awesome.
A tip for Goblet Squats. What Jeff mentioned about it being hard to progress is valid. What I find that helps me is to use a kettlebell rather than a dumbell. The handle is perfect for holding onto. Although you usually won't see kettlebells go very high, you may not need much weight for a high rep finisher, which is what Jeff, myself, and many others use them for
Have you tried Zercher Squats? Very similar to goblet squats, but you can handle much more weight. I love them! Especially doing them with your heels elevated!
For me, who is someone who has disproportionately long femurs for my body, any squat exercise has been a constant struggle. It just doesn’t click like other movements. With that being said, leg extensions is my best exorcise for quads. You feel it immediately and aside from low rep high weight set ups, it’s amazing to feel your quads work.
If you ever get access to a pendulum squat, it’s a godsend. Problem with long femurs for me is I could never hit depth with barbell squats. Whenever I tried to make them work I’d use a really wide stance and end up working my glutes a lot more than my quads. Pendulum squat basically gives us long femured people the experience a short femured person gets when squatting. You can use a narrow stance, get lots of knee-over-toe and full ROM with your glutes coming down to your calves, as long as you start on a low enough weight. Also don’t need as much ankle mobility or specific lifting shoes as you would with a regular squat. It’s allowed my to target my quads, which became a weak point over the years from the inability to emphasise the quads with barbell squats. To the point that they’re almost strong enough for me to be able to go back to barbell squats with better form for the quads. So yeah, they’re rare, but if you can find a pendulum squat it’s the best thing ever for anyone with long femurs. That and leg extensions is such a good combo.
@@Anon97123 yeah I know what those are and wish my gym had one. Best I’ve found were belt squats. I kind of just gave up squatting because who cares? I spent hundreds of hours in college stretching, researching, exercising, all around improving my squat due to super narrow hips and trash ankle mobility that legitimately never got better no matter how much I worked. I had to widen my squat and while I did produce a decent 405 squat at around 200 bodyweight, my deadlift and bench were 555 and 385 respectively. People just can’t admit that weight lifting is hugely based on genetics that you most likely can’t improve. Obviously you can still improve but my workout partner back in the day had super long arms for his frame and never got the bench I did but squatted more than me and was close with deadlifts.
@@Anon97123 wide stance doesn't reduce quad activity at all, it just recruits more glutes and hamstrings which is why people can typically lift heavier with a wider stance. Sounds like you were using the wrong rep ranges for quad development.
@@darrell9294 it’s not that my quads didn’t grow when I squatted, it’s just that proportionally it caused my glutes to grow a lot more than I wanted. Bodybuilding to me at least is all about proportions. I didn’t like the way my body looked because of the way wide stance squats were making my quads grow relative to my glutes. I’m not an expert on squatting because I haven’t done barbell squats in years, but I feel like what you said also assumes the person is squatting with correct technique. If you have long femurs and therefore struggle to squat with proper form consistently, you can end up compensating for weakness in the quads with other muscles. In my case, my squat stance wasnt just wide, it was abnormally wide. Again, not an expert with squat mechanics but I definitely think I was using other muscle groups to compensate for a lack of quad strength, which resulted in not enough quad growth relative to those compensating muscles.
Although Bulgarian split squats is definitely one of my favorite leg exercises, i love the fact that you pointed out how brutal and physically challenging that are, bcuz i used to think i am not strong enough whenever i perform them.
I work out at home and have come up with an easy way to do leg extensions whit a home cable machine I place my bench in front of the cable machine and lay on my stomach. placing a strap on each ankle I straighten down and away from the machine. This is really a 1 leg at a time exercise and I feel like it is something that I can totally go HAM on and push my quads harder than any other exercise. The last few reps I can use my off leg to help extend and then do some slow negatives. Being able to be your own spotter and squeak out a few negatives at the end is amazing.
I think i speak for everyone Jeff when I say: make a series of this and cover all the big muscle groups! Weve got triceps, quads, chest, and back - im looking forward to some biceps and abs on that list, too! Youve made my workouts better and now, whenever i leave the gym, i just long to go back!
I found it interesting to see that the more functional movements like the step up and the bosu ball squat, which are great for sporters, score lower. It makes sense when you think about it though. The more balancing you have to do, the less weight you can safely put on and the more muscles work to stabilise, reducing the load on the quads.
Watching this while doing my quad focused leg day, i have such a hard time building those, while it's incredibly easy for me to build hams and glutes. I have vary small lung capacity (yaaaay genetics) so on most squat variations, my lungs give out before my quads do. The one squat variations this doesn't happen on is Bulgarian split squats, and i honestly like them, and i'm very happy to hear that they should do well in terms of building my quads. I usually pair them with heavy 45 degree leg press and leg extensions.
About leg extensions. I have patelar lateralization on both knees and this exercise is one of the few if not the only one that never gave me knee pain. Now I did a lot of cycling and really low weighted leg exercises to build up muscle so I can actually lift heavier in other exercises without pain but as far as it goes I never had pain while doing leg extensions :)
hey bro. been loving these ranking videos and all the others overall. can you make one for biceps and one for shoulders. thanks and keep up with the great work
Hello Jeff.About a year ago I weighed 103kg and now I'm at 75kg. At the beginning I cut down to two meals a day from about 5 to 6 meals a day and also was incorporating intermittent fasting. I started lifting about 9 months ago. Although I started excerising I did not quiet focus on fulfilling my protein intake. And right now though I've lost fat I have not gained muscle. So my question is, if I start focusing on building muscle and fulfilling my protein goals will I gain muscle fast like a new lifter or will the progress be slow?
How to interpret my tier list:
All exercises are ranked based on muscle building potential.
S tier - My favorite. Do them if you can.
A tier - Strongly recommend.
B tier - I still do these in certain contexts. There may be better options.
C tier - There are better options for most people. Can still have value in some contexts.
D tier - Probably not a great option for most people.
F tier - Generally not recommended.
thanks for another useful video man
What, no belt squat? For shame.
Awesome! Can't wait for your hamstring and glute vids as well! Keep it up!
@@CynicalWarlock Belt Squat is easy S tier, maybe even S+
How do research studies measure volume. If longer time under tention decreases the amount of reps/sets/weight. How do we scientifically measure what concentric and essentric time is best for hypertrophy? Is a single rep of a 1s Concentric and 3s Eccentric the same as 3 reps of a 1s Consentric and 1s Essentric? Or maybe a single rep with a 3s Concentric and 3s Eccentric being 1:1 to 3 reps with a 1s Concentric and 1s Essentric.
The best leg day exercise is bench press.
Curls in the squat rack. Bonus points for loading up the barbell so people can’t even deadlift with it.
I can attest. I was the bench.
-dom mazzetti
Its the leg drive that counts
fk beat me to it
Tier list with timestamps (ur welcome)
S+ tier:
4:36 - Hack Squat
S tier:
2:01 - Barbell Back Squat
5:07 - Pendulum Squat
5:25 - Smith Machine Squat
9:34 - Bulgarian Split Squat
A tier:
3:04 - Barbell Front Squat
4:08 - Low-Bar Squat
5:50 - 45 Degree Leg Press
7:05 - Leg Extension
8:14 - Reverse Nordic
B tier:
6:39 - Lunge
8:50 - Goblet Squat
10:56 - Sissy Squat
C tier:
6:17 - Horizontal Leg Press
10:03 - Deadlift
10:24 - Step Ups
10:40 - Pistol Squat
D tier:
F tier:
1:28 - Combo Squat Exercises
9:21 - Jump Squat
F- tier:
1:43 - Bosu Ball Squat
Bonus (image with all of the exercices):
12:00
Thanks! I like the final image with all of the exercises but wish there was a version with the exercise names overlaid. This works!
Champion
I love you marry me
A hero here
I've recently been able to do hack squats without absolutely blowing out my front knee tendons and I'm very happy to see this.
I always feel like I didn't do my leg days hard enough until I have to walk down the stairs of my gym and then I'm like "oh yeah, I did good"😂
This is the best in-depth, science based, straight to the point workout channel on UA-cam. Love it.
Holy shit no way you're here. Dude, I watched you way back when you were called Destiny. W content bro, keep it up
Fuck science based lifting, you probably bench 10lbs
As somone who is new to working out, thank you for this series Jeff. Simply being able to pick a few exercises from your lists is a god send!
Same. Simplifies this intimidating nature of all this for noobs
Since you are new. I hope it's clear that this list is for quads and not your general leg. Some c and b tier are s tier for other muscles
buy his beginner program. makes it a lot easier.
id recommend you try to follow a program, theres plenty of free versions out there so id say go for 3-4day a week and do either full body workouts or split upper/lower body on different days, helped me a lot in the beginning both to learn and get a routine going.
I’m also a beginner, but I have been seeing a lot that it’s important to build a strong core early on with the compound movements like barbel squats and Bulgarian split squats, because you don’t want to build super strong legs on things that take your back out of the equation with pendulum squats, and hack squats and then later try to support these heavy weights with your weak back if you learn the barbell squats after the ones that don’t require a stable core as much. Hope that makes sense
@jeffNippard you just compiled my years of gym experience, my trial & errors, watching countless youtube videos & possibly my injury experience in one video. I couldn't agree more to what you said. Even i got the hack squat right as you said it being the best exercise. Man you're making a contribution to the gym community & guys I totally endorse what he says…. just follow it.
Fr
Beauty seeing this video right before a leg workout 😍
literally just about to hit legs. What a perfect timing
exactly
Samee lmao
Me watching this after my leg day 😔
I'm literally taking my after workout poop watching this
Can't wait for The Bugez 2.5 hour response to the introduction
With Tater and Mr Beefy fighting over the wubby
lmfao
I get the feeling De La Stick may agree more with this one than the past few
@@BrendorTheEndor Yeah can't really see anything he would disagree about.
@@BrendorTheEndor Yeah this list was fairly reasonable and didnt include hippie shit.
I'm sure these videos take so much work to make, but I find them the single most useful piece of bodybuilding content on UA-cam. I really hope you cover every other major muscle group in this way. Appreciate the effort, sir!
I appreciate the subtle sound effects. Absolutely genius.
Bro stop simping just for sound fx
@@theempire00 why
It’s-a me, Super Mario
ayo Jeff is caked up. Please do a glute tier list. gotta get like you, mah boii
No diddy
Yes please
Pause 😕
up
@@JOHNNYSGOTYOUCOVERED no 💯
Love the content!
I swear so far we’ve gotten more videos from Jeff than all of last year. Love the work you’re doing brother it is much appreciated 💪
You gotta check out belt squats, the stimulus you get from them is unreal, especially cause you get no axial loading
Fkn love belt squats
Love them but sadly not many gyms have one. I've only used one once.
Facts
thoughts on belt squat vs trap bar squat (not TBDL)
belt squats are S tier!
Idk if people give you the credit you deserve I don't really read comments, but you are actually so helpful. Thank you bro🙏🏼
pretty sure he does get the credit
ive seen memes about "first time in gym" and there is the shorts of him teaching technique, which is funny as many people, including me have been there for stuff like deadlifts and squats
also have had a fellow gym bro and i who live close and just started working out with and discuss stuff like steroids, technique and exercises, and also who teaches them best and he brought up jeff before i could.
great videos, good production value with good info that are not drawn out, and also conclusive and with meaning
thats why he is the goat
@@JackCritical cool
Not sure why I’m not seeing bicep curls? Those are done in the squat rack which are for squats (a leg exercise) so therefore are also a leg exercise
what a gentleman
That's more of a hamstring and glute exercise if you have proper cheating form
bench press w/ leg drive = a slight leg workout
I genuinely saw someone doing DUMBELL curls in a squat rack the other day. 🤦♂️
@@pass-123Their quads must be huge to support the balls they're carrying around all day.
This is the best series on UA-cam I love you Jeff
Still waiting on the hamstring video 😅
same
Fr
Hammys, calfs, forearms, core, glutes!!!!
Belt squats are a game changer. Been doing barbel squats for years, but my lower back, cardio, and anatomy were limiting factors, not my quads.
I got a belt squat machine a year ago, and my legs blew up. I use a raised wedge platform so I get max knee flexion, and I can actually go until my quads fail, not my lower back or breathing. It’s my S+ tier quad movement.
You're living the dream, wish I had access to a belt squat. I use wedges under my heels as well, been a game changer!
Unreal piece of equipment. Especially to save your lower back. Can’t believe Jeff hasn’t included them!
Same here. Couldn’t squat heavy anymore cause of my back but squats were the only thing that really grew my legs. Discovered belt squats and they are incredible. For me I like them better than regular squats. I get way more depth and can go much slower
You're awesome thank you.! I love his videos but I was super short on time and wanted the cliff notes like this.
@@ruvamsiyou can make a makeshift belt squat with a dip belt, and a squat rack.
THANKYOU for talking about front squats the way you did, no bs. I'm a long leg built squatter who loves the front squat because it forces me to use only quads and a upright back to get the weight up as i cant turn it into a hip hinging squat by raising my hips up first at the bottom of the squat. I've made great quad gains with them.
They are awesome. Don't listen to Dr Mike's BS. My legs are long too and I love hitting depth in front squat without rounding / leaning over like crazy. I have great ankle mobility and squat shoes but for the back squat it's not enough to combat how I'm built.
These videos are so helpful, thank you 😊
I've been waiting for this one. Keep up the good work, man!
A Jeff Nippard video is always overdue. The GOAT of fitness videos that are educational and enjoyable. This should be awesome. Plus he doesn't endlessly plug his products in every video before he even gets to the end.
Athlean X is the best
Jeff Nippard - no bulshit nerdy, info packed, high quality animation filled educational, videos on hypertrophy. Also natty.
Mike Israetel - jokes and jackassing in between throwing some science based info-bombs. When your brain is slow and tired and bored go to Mr. Mike, he'll entertain the shit out you while giving HQ advice on hypertrophy. Enhanced and honest about it. Great personality and charisma too.
Jeff from Athlean-X, excellent to strengthen your little muscles, check for muscle imballances, when safety and longevity of athletism is the priority. Although, some say he used fake weights. A little boring, but when you are injured, or limited in mobility, you don't care to be entertained. You go for what works, and his small hacks definitely work.
Once you get cured off of your injuries, you will forget Jeff Cavalier, and go for hypertrophy prioritizing bloggers, only to remember him when you get injured again
😅
Me personally, love them all. And don't think a natty bodybuilder should go any farther than these three. 🎉
RP Strength. Dr Mike.
man these video's are soooo so helpful when PT aren't available. I am so so grateful thankyou so much!! God bless you 🙏🙏🙏
Tier list with timestamps
S+ tier
04:35 Hack Squat
S tier
01:57 Barbell Back Squat
05:07 Pendulum Squat
05:24 Smith Machine Squat
09:34 Bulgarian Split Squat
A tier
03:03 Barbell Front Squat
04:08 Low Bar Squat
05:50 45 Degree Leg Press
07:04 Leg Extension
08:13 Reverse Nordic
B tier
06:37 Lunge
08:44 Goblet Squat
10:55 Sissy Squat
C tier
06:18 Horizontal Leg Press
10:03 Deadlift
10:24 Step Up
10:39 Pistol Squat
F tier
01:26 Combo Squat Exercises
09:21 Jump Squat
F- tier
01:40 Bosu Ball Squat
Thanks
Thanks man today is my yearly leg day this will really help💪
you hit legs every year? I need to do that I hit legs once a decade
@@Petermurphy123I might need to change my program too
Came back to this video multiple times, just want to thank you Jeff for the knowledge I’ve gained from your videos. I think it’s more than ideal for new starters, people joining back like myself or intermediate lifters to watch these ranking videos too see which works best for each person. I’m more than grateful for your useful information thanks again!
Thank you for dropping this video on my leg day were I’m looking for other leg exercises!
Great content for Rick De La Stick ❤
Pencil necks panicking rn.
The guy who tried to bully Alex Leonidas...roid head
Looking forward to the shoulder exercise tier list! Extremely helpful and concise videos
Generally if I want a really good leg day, I opt for plenty of bicep curls and tricep extensions. Maybe a set of leg extensions if I have time at the end
how's your sticks for legs edit: this is a joke lol
😂😂
My poor belted squad didn't even get a ranking 😭. For me belted Squats are the best. I have a REALLY bad back since my mom got in a car crash when she was 7 months pregnant with me, so the weight sitting on my shoulder in a hack squats vs my hips on a belted squat makes a huge difference. I feel I can breathe, brace and go deeper on the belted squat.
It's hard to find a belt squat at most gyms
Totally agree. Have a rhino and it’s my favorite piece of equipment
@@robbyc8926 I think it's harder to find a pendulum squat :D
You can also redneck engineer a belt squat by strapping weight to a belt and climbing on some boxes if you really like the movement :)
I am very surprised it was not on the list
Wtf is belt squat ?
@@nihalbhamrah4726 a squat variation that loads the hips instead of the back, making your legs and hips the limiting factor instead of your back and core.
Amazing video Jeff, please keep on with these tier lists. How you explain every exercise is very helpful to understand what I have to correct on my gym routine
You are definitely the GOAT of science based bodybuilding! Love your training programs and videos. Keep going!
The fact that almost all of my leg exercises are in Aand S tier is really cool, shoutout to the random dudes in discord that helped me build a good PPL program
Hell yeah , keep at it!
The amount of info you give us is outstanding.
If and when you do this tier list on the glutes, I would love to see you talk about the glute pushdown (on the assisted pull-up machine). IMO it is a good excersise as it gets a deep stretch, is easy to set up, and good for beginners. However, I am curious about how to feel about the actual movement in how it relates to glute activation.
we need another tier list video for glutes/hamstrings, shoulders, biceps, and abs
You’re the man Jeff, keep up the great content.
09:22 i'm just here to show love for the best part of the video, the mario sound effect.
Just saw a bunch of kids in the gym talking about your videos, good job keeping the new generation on track
Thanks Jeff! Awesome content again. Love this series!
This series is great 🔥
Please continue
2 forgotten exercises :
1) V squat - A or S. Might be A because there might be a range of mission issue.
2) belt squat - never did but if I understand the exercise correctly, I think it should be A or S.
Also the Split squat (aka Static lunge) with a short step-length. They don't work the glutes when done like that, and they're perhaps the closest thing to doing a single-leg squat if you want some unilateral work (other than Bulgarians, but they're just way too tricky an exercise all-round). I would like to have heard Jeff's opinion on it, mainly because you can load the Split squat fairly decently given that you're really emphasising one leg at a time.
@@soots-stayingoutofthespotl5495 It's pretty much the same as a lunge or short step lunge as he showed.
Yeah, I would like to have heard Jeff's opinion on it though, given that it can be loaded more than the others mentioned. But he may have just recommended just doing Back or Front squats for your heavier work, and doing the other exercises mentioned for unilateral work. Of course, they'll all work.
That's actually weird that he never mentioned belt squat. It's not an obscure one.
@@soots-stayingoutofthespotl5495 Belt squats have the added bonus of not compressing the spine. So it should rank higher than a standard squat because it would be more "feels good." As long as you're going to depth, of course.
I plan on getting a belt squat attachment for my power rack next and look forward to having some more variety. I'm pretty pretty much limited to Squats when it comes to the most effective exercises on Jeff's list.
i need more of this videos, really helpful with my training
keep the awesome work!!!
Lots of love from Uruguay
i can't wait for sticky Ricky to review this.
going to save watching this so I don't spoil it for when de la stick reviews it.
me too, we in for a 4 hour anabolic myostatin deficient dog snoring supersetted with ''thank you fo bein mah freeeeeand'' supersetted with guitar riffs supersetted with horsecockology (pause) supersetted with ads
Basement bodybuilding too
@@nightfighter7452 yup, then NH
The guy who tried to bully Alex Leonodas after Alex interviewed him
2:29 Good god!! 😳😳😱🤯
Love these series. Please keep them coming!
Been waiting for this one!
Love ur advice Jeff, keep it up ❤💪
As someone recently started working out at home with nothing but dumbells, I'm happy to see Bulgarian squats ranked high. In fact I did them for the first time a few hours ago, and will keep doing them till I build myself some space to put a power rack with a barbell.
I noticed something odd in your presentation. At 5:00, you are saying that smiths and free weights build muscle roughly equally, yet the graph shows free-weight squats win heavily over hack squat, AND the section itself is about hack squats. The x-axis doesn't show any metrics, so I have no idea what it's supposed to mean, but the graph makes it look like squat wins heavily over hack squat, yet you are saying both are the same.
The graph depicts the results of a meta-analysis of multiple studies. The x-axis shows whether each study favoured machines or free weights, with the distance from the centre being effect size.
While the section is on hack squats, the conclusion drawn from the meta-analysis is on machines vs free weights in general. You can see that different studies keep getting different results for the same comparisons.
2:56 "Thank you for being my friendddd!" ~ Eric Bugenhagen probably right now
Jeff, quality info. Thank you so much. Added some slightly reclined leg extensions after seeing the data you presented related to RF growth advantage in one of your prior videos.
i think one reason people hate smith machines is using smith machines that have been poorly maintained
Jeff you’re literally my father
If he is your daddy then your getting 5’6 height genetics lol
@@adamsi7005leave the short kings alone
And intelligence beyond your comprehension. @@adamsi7005
You wish
Ya, but he has a better physique than you tho😢 @@adamsi7005
god. i'm so thankful you did this vid. i might be the only one who actually likes leg day. and having a creator i trust regarding knowledge giving detailed account of the exercises is honestly what i needed.
thanks. you're awesome.
which is your favourite leg workout
Needed this. Time to grow them quads
Just got to work, ig im not working for the next 12:20 mins
This is very helpful plz keep up the good work it has really helped me try out different things and to get help what I can focus on
Waiting for Bugenhagen's response
Waiting for 🐴🐔's and ✏️👔's to be thrown all over this video
That’s all I thought of when I clicked this
Feel like this one will be 🐴 🐓 approved too
@@ratharyn1834 🐴🐔>✏️👔
Pencilneck😢
No belt squat 😢
A tip for Goblet Squats. What Jeff mentioned about it being hard to progress is valid. What I find that helps me is to use a kettlebell rather than a dumbell. The handle is perfect for holding onto. Although you usually won't see kettlebells go very high, you may not need much weight for a high rep finisher, which is what Jeff, myself, and many others use them for
Have you tried Zercher Squats? Very similar to goblet squats, but you can handle much more weight. I love them! Especially doing them with your heels elevated!
Next a hamstring edition?
crazy seeing a Jeff Nippard video with 20 views 😂
noone trains legs (me included) (i should)
For me, who is someone who has disproportionately long femurs for my body, any squat exercise has been a constant struggle. It just doesn’t click like other movements. With that being said, leg extensions is my best exorcise for quads. You feel it immediately and aside from low rep high weight set ups, it’s amazing to feel your quads work.
Squats are still imperative. Just widen your stance.
If you ever get access to a pendulum squat, it’s a godsend. Problem with long femurs for me is I could never hit depth with barbell squats. Whenever I tried to make them work I’d use a really wide stance and end up working my glutes a lot more than my quads. Pendulum squat basically gives us long femured people the experience a short femured person gets when squatting. You can use a narrow stance, get lots of knee-over-toe and full ROM with your glutes coming down to your calves, as long as you start on a low enough weight.
Also don’t need as much ankle mobility or specific lifting shoes as you would with a regular squat.
It’s allowed my to target my quads, which became a weak point over the years from the inability to emphasise the quads with barbell squats. To the point that they’re almost strong enough for me to be able to go back to barbell squats with better form for the quads.
So yeah, they’re rare, but if you can find a pendulum squat it’s the best thing ever for anyone with long femurs. That and leg extensions is such a good combo.
@@Anon97123 yeah I know what those are and wish my gym had one. Best I’ve found were belt squats. I kind of just gave up squatting because who cares? I spent hundreds of hours in college stretching, researching, exercising, all around improving my squat due to super narrow hips and trash ankle mobility that legitimately never got better no matter how much I worked. I had to widen my squat and while I did produce a decent 405 squat at around 200 bodyweight, my deadlift and bench were 555 and 385 respectively.
People just can’t admit that weight lifting is hugely based on genetics that you most likely can’t improve. Obviously you can still improve but my workout partner back in the day had super long arms for his frame and never got the bench I did but squatted more than me and was close with deadlifts.
@@Anon97123 wide stance doesn't reduce quad activity at all, it just recruits more glutes and hamstrings which is why people can typically lift heavier with a wider stance.
Sounds like you were using the wrong rep ranges for quad development.
@@darrell9294 it’s not that my quads didn’t grow when I squatted, it’s just that proportionally it caused my glutes to grow a lot more than I wanted. Bodybuilding to me at least is all about proportions. I didn’t like the way my body looked because of the way wide stance squats were making my quads grow relative to my glutes.
I’m not an expert on squatting because I haven’t done barbell squats in years, but I feel like what you said also assumes the person is squatting with correct technique. If you have long femurs and therefore struggle to squat with proper form consistently, you can end up compensating for weakness in the quads with other muscles. In my case, my squat stance wasnt just wide, it was abnormally wide. Again, not an expert with squat mechanics but I definitely think I was using other muscle groups to compensate for a lack of quad strength, which resulted in not enough quad growth relative to those compensating muscles.
Done Bulgarians 4 days ago and still can’t walk 😂
RIP to belt squat
For real! No love for the belt squat 😞
What a great and informative video. Thanks Jeff
11:34 Full tier list
use this as the zercher button
Really knowledgeable as I was searching to high bar and low bar positioning in back squats, he covered it.
Jeff, these videos have been really helpful in chiseling away junk exercises out of my routine. Thank you.
I’m totally agree with you, this is usually my choice every week. Thanks for so value information mate!!
JEFF I NEED MORE OF THESE BROTHER ❤!
Love the content Mr. Nippard
I love how detailed this is!
These videos are some of your best work
We gotta get these videos in a playlist!!👏🏽👏🏽
Thank you for these lifts and I have to say your gains are killer 💪😃💯
Many thanks for your informative videos♥️
Although Bulgarian split squats is definitely one of my favorite leg exercises, i love the fact that you pointed out how brutal and physically challenging that are, bcuz i used to think i am not strong enough whenever i perform them.
I work out at home and have come up with an easy way to do leg extensions whit a home cable machine
I place my bench in front of the cable machine and lay on my stomach. placing a strap on each ankle I straighten down and away from the machine.
This is really a 1 leg at a time exercise and I feel like it is something that I can totally go HAM on and push my quads harder than any other exercise.
The last few reps I can use my off leg to help extend and then do some slow negatives.
Being able to be your own spotter and squeak out a few negatives at the end is amazing.
is 4 days a week at the gym enough?
1)Chest, triceps
2)Backs, biceps
3)Legs, shoulders And
4) Wrist, Press.
Wrist 😂
wrist??
Hi Jeff, could you make a video on sarcoplasmic vs myofibril hypertrophy training.
I love your videos you deserve so much respect. 👍👍👍
I think i speak for everyone Jeff when I say: make a series of this and cover all the big muscle groups! Weve got triceps, quads, chest, and back - im looking forward to some biceps and abs on that list, too! Youve made my workouts better and now, whenever i leave the gym, i just long to go back!
Bro these are the best videos to watch and learn from please do every body part 🔥
Awesome video! What’s your take on heel elevated squats? Squat wedges, shoes, etc…
I found it interesting to see that the more functional movements like the step up and the bosu ball squat, which are great for sporters, score lower. It makes sense when you think about it though. The more balancing you have to do, the less weight you can safely put on and the more muscles work to stabilise, reducing the load on the quads.
Really good stuff!!! Looking forward for the shoulder one.
Great video, wouldnt know what to do without u really appreciate it
Watching this while doing my quad focused leg day, i have such a hard time building those, while it's incredibly easy for me to build hams and glutes. I have vary small lung capacity (yaaaay genetics) so on most squat variations, my lungs give out before my quads do. The one squat variations this doesn't happen on is Bulgarian split squats, and i honestly like them, and i'm very happy to hear that they should do well in terms of building my quads. I usually pair them with heavy 45 degree leg press and leg extensions.
Thank you Jeff I love all your videos
About leg extensions. I have patelar lateralization on both knees and this exercise is one of the few if not the only one that never gave me knee pain. Now I did a lot of cycling and really low weighted leg exercises to build up muscle so I can actually lift heavier in other exercises without pain but as far as it goes I never had pain while doing leg extensions :)
Love this series! Can't wait to see every muscle group covered.
hey bro. been loving these ranking videos and all the others overall. can you make one for biceps and one for shoulders. thanks and keep up with the great work
Hello Jeff.About a year ago I weighed 103kg and now I'm at 75kg. At the beginning I cut down to two meals a day from about 5 to 6 meals a day and also was incorporating intermittent fasting. I started lifting about 9 months ago. Although I started excerising I did not quiet focus on fulfilling my protein intake. And right now though I've lost fat I have not gained muscle. So my question is, if I start focusing on building muscle and fulfilling my protein goals will I gain muscle fast like a new lifter or will the progress be slow?
Hey there, excited to be a new follower. That nutrition guy Liam recommended to follow you so I’m here. Thanks
These vis are so gooddd. Im a beginner gym dude. Thanks for thisss!!!!!!