Nippard S-Tier 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

S-TIER

Cable Y Raise

Full delt wrap — hits front, mid, and rear simultaneously. Cable keeps tension throughout the diagonal path.

▶ watch 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

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.

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

A-TIER

Lean In Dumbbell Lateral Raise

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Dumbbell shoulder press

A-TIER

Arnold style side-lying dumbbell raise

A-TIER

Machine shoulder press

A-TIER

Rope face pull

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

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

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

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

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

A-TIER

Barbell Front Squat

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Low Bar Back Squat

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Leg Extension

A-TIER

Reverse Nordic

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

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

A-TIER

Bench press

A-TIER

Incline bench press

A-TIER

Flat dumbbell press

A-TIER

Incline dumbbell press

A-TIER

Deficit pushups

A-TIER

Smith machine

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Inclined smith machine press

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Cable crossovers

A-TIER

Pec deck machine

A-TIER

Dumbbell flies

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Cable press around

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

A-TIER

wide grip pull-up

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

neutral grip pull-up

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

deficit Penley row

A-TIER

one-arm Dumbbell rows

A-TIER

Croc row

A-TIER

lying/seated rope face-pull

A-TIER

cable lat pullover

A-TIER

dumbbell lat pullover

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.

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

A-TIER

Bar pressdown

A-TIER

Overhead cable extension with the rope

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Katana triceps extension

A-TIER

One arm dumbbell tricep extensions

A-TIER

Smith Machine JM press

A-TIER

Cable triceps kickbacks

A-TIER

Close grip bench press

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

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.

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

A-TIER

Easy Bar Curl

A-TIER

Standing Dumbbell Curl

A-TIER

Incline Curl

A-TIER

Lying Dumbbell Curl

A-TIER

Modified 21s

A-TIER

Cable Curl

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Inverse Zottman Curls

A-TIER

Strict Curl

▶ watch demo

A-TIER

Cheat Curl

A-TIER

Hammer Curl

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

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

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.

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

A-TIER

Nautilus Glute Drive

A-TIER

Single leg dumbbell hip thrust

A-TIER

Barbell squat

A-TIER

Smith machine squat

A-TIER

Bulgarian split squat

A-TIER

Kickbacks

A-TIER

Step ups

A-TIER

Smith machine lunges

A-TIER

Romanian deadlift

S-TIER

Nordic Curl

Eccentric hamstring overload — anchor feet, lower slowly under control. Widely regarded as the single best exercise for hamstring injury prevention.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

ATG Split Squat

Deep knee flexion under load — front knee drives far past the toes. Builds knee ROM and resilience most lifters never train.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

KOT Squat

Ankle mobility under load — knees travel far past the toes. Requires and builds the ankle dorsiflexion most squat patterns avoid.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Tibialis Raise

Shin-splint prevention — dorsiflex against resistance (weighted lever, band, or wall lean) to build the tibialis anterior most programs never touch.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Full ROM Calf Raise

Full stretch to full contraction — heel drops below the step edge before driving up onto the toes. Trains the calf through the range most raises skip.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Seated Calf Raise

Soleus-biased — bent-knee position shifts load off the gastrocnemius onto the soleus, the calf muscle most standing raises undertrain.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

45-Degree Back Extension

ATG-style hyperextension — hip pad at the crease, ankles anchored, controlled spinal flexion through extension. Builds posterior chain resilience most lifters skip.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Hanging Leg Raise

Decompressed trunk loading — straight legs raised to horizontal from a dead hang. Trains the hip flexors and abs through a spine-friendly range.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Side-Lying Back Extension

Direct oblique/QL loading — lateral side-bend on the 45° bench. Rare movement most programs never include, but essential for lower-back frontal-plane strength.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Superman (Feet-Anchored)

Bodyweight spinal extension — face down, feet hooked under a bench, chest lifted off the floor. The entry-level regression before loading the 45° bench.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Wall-Supported Hinge Stretch

Thoracic + lat opener — hinge at the hips with both hands pressed overhead into a wall. Loosens the exact tissue that limits a clean hip hinge.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Cossack Squat

Lateral hip mobility under load — deep side squat, one leg folded, the other extended straight with the heel down. Builds groin and adductor ROM most programs ignore.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Slant Board Calf Raise

Equipment-free calf work — standing on a fixed-incline board loads the calf in constant dorsiflexion. No machine required, just a wedge.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

90/90 Hip Stretch

Internal/external hip rotation — seated with front and rear legs both bent 90°, rotating side to side. Builds the hip rotation range squats and split stance work depend on.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Couch Stretch

Deep hip flexor + quad stretch — rear shin propped vertically against a pad, torso upright. The single most effective stretch for hip flexors tightened by sitting.

▶ watch demo

S-TIER

Hip Flexor Stretch

Rear hip flexor lengthening — kneeling lunge, back knee down, hand pressing the hip forward and back. Tight hip flexors are the hidden limiter on squat depth.

▶ watch demo