Jeff Nippard · Ranked By Science

The Only Exercises
That Actually Matter

27 exercises that earned S-tier across 7 muscle groups. Constant tension, peak contraction, resistance curves that match the strength curve. No fluff.

27
Exercises
7
Groups
S+
Tier Only
PPL
+ Full Body

Shoulders

5 exercises
S-TIER
Cable Lateral Raise
Constant tension through full ROM. Resistance peaks exactly where the lateral head is strongest — unlike dumbbells that go slack at the bottom.
▶ watch demo
Cable Lateral Raise demo
S-TIER
Cable Y Raise
Full delt wrap — hits front, mid, and rear simultaneously. Cable keeps tension throughout the diagonal path.
▶ watch demo
Cable Y Raise demo
S-TIER
Behind the Back Cuffed Lateral Raise
Stretch-loaded position pulls the lateral head into a deep stretch at the bottom. Cuff removes grip limitation so the delt does all the work.
▶ watch demo
Behind the Back Cuffed Lateral Raise demo
S-TIER
Sideways Reverse Pec Deck
Peak contraction isolated on the rear delt. Turns the fly arc into a pure rear delt exercise by changing body orientation.
Sideways Reverse Pec Deck demo
S-TIER
Reverse Cable Crossover
Full ROM with cable resistance curve. Superior rear delt isolation vs. bent-over laterals — no cheating with momentum.
▶ watch demo
Reverse Cable Crossover demo
A Tier 5 exercises
A-TIER
Lean In Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Lean In Dumbbell Lateral Raise demo ▶ watch demo
A-TIER
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell shoulder press demo
A-TIER
Arnold style side-lying dumbbell raise
Arnold style side-lying dumbbell raise demo
A-TIER
Machine shoulder press
Machine shoulder press demo
A-TIER
Rope face pull
Rope face pull demo

Quads

5 exercises
S-TIER
Barbell Back Squat
Maximal overload on quads and glutes simultaneously. Deep knee flexion creates massive stretch on the quad. Impossible to replace for sheer mechanical tension.
▶ watch demo
Barbell Back Squat demo
S-TIER
Hack Squat
Quad-dominant mechanics — forward lean eliminated. Lets you load heavy without lower back being the limiting factor. One of the best pure quad builders.
▶ watch demo
Hack Squat demo
S-TIER
Pendulum Squat
Perfect resistance curve for the quad — hardest at the bottom (stretched), easier at top. Machine-guided path removes stability demand.
▶ watch demo
Pendulum Squat demo
S-TIER
Smith Machine Squat
Foot placement flexibility allows quad bias. Fixed bar path means more mental energy goes to the muscle, not balance.
▶ watch demo
Smith Machine Squat demo
S-TIER
Bulgarian Split Squats
Unilateral stretch overload on both quad and glute simultaneously. Hip flexor stretched, allowing deeper ROM. Best bang-for-buck leg exercise.
▶ watch demo
Bulgarian Split Squats demo
A Tier 4 exercises
A-TIER
Barbell Front Squat
Barbell Front Squat demo ▶ watch demo
A-TIER
Low Bar Back Squat
Low Bar Back Squat demo ▶ watch demo
A-TIER
Leg Extension
Leg Extension demo
A-TIER
Reverse Nordic
Reverse Nordic demo

Chest

2 exercises
S-TIER
Machine Chest Press
Resistance curve matches strength curve — hardest mid-ROM when the pec is most capable. No need to stabilize, so the pec does max work at every joint angle.
▶ watch demo
Machine Chest Press demo
S-TIER
Seated Pec Fly (Pec Deck)
Horizontal adduction isolated — the primary function of the pec. Full stretch at the bottom, peak contraction at the midline. Far superior to cable crossovers for pec isolation.
▶ watch demo
Seated Pec Fly (Pec Deck) demo
A Tier 11 exercises
A-TIER
Bench press
Bench press demo
A-TIER
Incline bench press
Incline bench press demo
A-TIER
Flat dumbbell press
Flat dumbbell press demo
A-TIER
Incline dumbbell press
Incline dumbbell press demo
A-TIER
Deficit pushups
Deficit pushups demo
A-TIER
Smith machine
A-TIER
Inclined smith machine press
▶ watch demo
A-TIER
Cable crossovers
Cable crossovers demo
A-TIER
Pec deck machine
Pec deck machine demo
A-TIER
Dumbbell flies
A-TIER
Cable press around
Cable press around demo

Back

7 exercises
S-TIER
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
Long ROM for the lat — shoulder flexion to extension through a wide arc. Constant cable tension unlike pull-ups which go slack at the bottom.
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns demo
S-TIER
Neutral Grip Lat Pulldowns
Shoulder-friendly grip that also activates more bicep as a synergist. Allows heavier loading than wide grip for most people.
Neutral Grip Lat Pulldowns demo
S-TIER
Half-Kneeling One-Arm Lat Pulldowns
Unilateral + anti-rotation challenge. Removes side dominance. The lat can't cheat by allowing torso rotation. Maximum lat isolation.
Half-Kneeling One-Arm Lat Pulldowns demo
S-TIER
Meadows Row
Deep lat stretch at the bottom with a landmine attachment. The angle creates stretch-mediated hypertrophy — the lat is lengthened under heavy load.
▶ watch demo
Meadows Row demo
S+
Chest-Supported Rows
Removes spinal erector as limiting factor. Chest support means you can focus 100% on pulling with the lats and rhomboids to failure safely.
Chest-Supported Rows demo
S-TIER
Cable Rows
Constant tension through full ROM unlike barbell or dumbbell rows where the load drops at the stretched position. Seated angle loads the lat optimally.
▶ watch demo
Cable Rows demo
S-TIER
Wide-Grip Cable Rows
Shifts tension to rhomboids and mid-traps vs. standard narrow grip. Wider elbow path targets upper back width. Complements lat-focused pulling.
▶ watch demo
Wide-Grip Cable Rows demo
A Tier 8 exercises
A-TIER
wide grip pull-up
wide grip pull-up demo ▶ watch demo
A-TIER
neutral grip pull-up
neutral grip pull-up demo ▶ watch demo
A-TIER
deficit Penley row
deficit Penley row demo
A-TIER
one-arm Dumbbell rows
one-arm Dumbbell rows demo
A-TIER
Croc row
Croc row demo
A-TIER
lying/seated rope face-pull
lying/seated rope face-pull demo
A-TIER
cable lat pullover
cable lat pullover demo
A-TIER
dumbbell lat pullover
dumbbell lat pullover demo

Triceps

2 exercises
S-TIER
Overhead Cable Extension
Long head stretch at max — the overhead position fully lengthens the long head of the tricep (crosses the shoulder joint). Stretch-overloaded, constant tension.
Overhead Cable Extension demo
S-TIER
Skull Crushers
Full elbow extension ROM with heavy loading possible. The bar path keeps significant stretch through the long head. Best mass builder for triceps alongside overhead movements.
▶ watch demo
Skull Crushers demo
A Tier 7 exercises
A-TIER
Bar pressdown
Bar pressdown demo
A-TIER
Overhead cable extension with the rope
Overhead cable extension with the rope demo ▶ watch demo
A-TIER
Katana triceps extension
Katana triceps extension demo
A-TIER
One arm dumbbell tricep extensions
One arm dumbbell tricep extensions demo
A-TIER
Smith Machine JM press
Smith Machine JM press demo
A-TIER
Cable triceps kickbacks
Cable triceps kickbacks demo
A-TIER
Close grip bench press
Close grip bench press demo

Biceps

3 exercises
S-TIER
Preacher Curl
Arm braced in front of body — loads the bicep at a stretched position (shoulder flexed). Eliminates shoulder swing and focuses peak tension in the middle portion.
▶ watch demo
Preacher Curl demo
S-TIER
Face Away Bayesian Cable Curl
Shoulder extended behind body — maximizes long head stretch. The cable creates constant tension in the hardest position: fully lengthened bicep. Research-backed superior EMG.
Face Away Bayesian Cable Curl demo
S-TIER
Hammer Grip Preacher Curls
Neutral grip targets brachialis — the muscle under the bicep that pushes it up. Thicker arms. Preacher support removes momentum and keeps the brachialis loaded through full ROM.
▶ watch demo
Hammer Grip Preacher Curls demo
A Tier 10 exercises
A-TIER
Easy Bar Curl
Easy Bar Curl demo
A-TIER
Standing Dumbbell Curl
Standing Dumbbell Curl demo
A-TIER
Incline Curl
Incline Curl demo
A-TIER
Lying Dumbbell Curl
Lying Dumbbell Curl demo
A-TIER
Modified 21s
Modified 21s demo
A-TIER
Cable Curl
Cable Curl demo ▶ watch demo
A-TIER
Inverse Zottman Curls
Inverse Zottman Curls demo
A-TIER
Strict Curl
A-TIER
Cheat Curl
Cheat Curl demo
A-TIER
Hammer Curl
Hammer Curl demo

Glutes

4 exercises
S-TIER
Machine Hip Abductions
Glute medius isolation — rare to find an exercise that hits the medius this directly. The machine's resistance arc matches the abduction movement perfectly.
▶ watch demo
Machine Hip Abductions demo
S+
Walking Lunges
Hip flexor stretch + glute loading simultaneously. Each step creates a dynamic stretch-contraction cycle. Also trains single-leg stability making it uniquely functional.
▶ watch demo
Walking Lunges demo
S-TIER
Elevated Front Foot Lunges
Greater hip extension ROM than flat lunges. Elevating the front foot deepens the lunge, stretching the glute max further. More stretch = more hypertrophy stimulus.
Elevated Front Foot Lunges demo
S-TIER
45-Degree Back Extension
Hip hinge pattern loads glutes at long length. The 45° angle creates meaningful hip flexion stretch on the glute. Allows heavy loading with direct hip extension focus.
▶ watch demo
45-Degree Back Extension demo
A Tier 9 exercises
A-TIER
Nautilus Glute Drive
Nautilus Glute Drive demo
A-TIER
Single leg dumbbell hip thrust
Single leg dumbbell hip thrust demo
A-TIER
Barbell squat
Barbell squat demo
A-TIER
Smith machine squat
Smith machine squat demo
A-TIER
Bulgarian split squat
Bulgarian split squat demo
A-TIER
Kickbacks
Kickbacks demo
A-TIER
Step ups
Step ups demo
A-TIER
Smith machine lunges
Smith machine lunges demo
A-TIER
Romanian deadlift
Romanian deadlift demo
Source: Jeff Nippard — "Best & Worst Exercises Ranked By Science" series · Transcribed & extracted via OpenAI Whisper + GPT-4o · All 27 exercises loaded into Hevy under Nippard S-Tier folder (PPL + Full Body routines)

Ready-to-Use Routines

Science-based, Nippard S-tier exercises. Open in Hevy and copy to your account.

🔴
PPL — Push
Push Day

Chest, shoulders, triceps. Pec deck + incline DB + cable laterals + skullcrushers.

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🔵
PPL — Pull
Pull Day

Back, biceps. Wide lat pulldown + chest-supported row + Meadows row + preacher curl.

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🟢
PPL — Legs
Leg Day

Quads, glutes, hamstrings. Hack squat + hip thrust + RDL + hip abduction + walking lunges.

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⚡
Full Body A
Full Body

Compound heavy. Barbell squat + bench press + lat pulldown + RDL + cable laterals.

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🤖
Full Body B
Full Body

Machine-friendly. Hack squat + pec deck + lat pulldown machine + machine hip thrust + preacher curl.

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💪
Upper Body
Upper

Bench press + lat pulldown + incline DB + chest-supported row + cable laterals + biceps + triceps.

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🦵
Lower Body
Lower

Hack squat + hip thrust + Bulgarian split squat + RDL + leg extension + hip abduction.

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🩺
Injured Back / Hernia
Rehab

Zero spinal compression. Leg extension + machine hip thrust + lat pulldown + pec deck + face pull.

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⏱️
Minimalist
45 min

Best S-tier pick per muscle group. In and out in 45 min.

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🧬
Hypertrophy (Max SFR)
Hypertrophy

Highest stimulus-to-fatigue ratio per muscle. Pendulum squat + pec deck + chest-supported row + hip thrust.

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