Science-Based Natural Bodybuilder Names Four “Overrated Exercises,” Shows Alternatives

Some exercises often get more credit than needed, even when there is no scientific practicality behind them. The 32-year-old science-based natural bodybuilder Jeff Nippard is known for following a scientific approach in his training sessions. This time, Nippard shed light on a few exercises that hey thought had no scientific backing.

The 32-year-old natty bodybuilder recently uploaded a video on his YouTube channel and shared four “overrated exercises.” He also gave the alternatives you can do to manage your gains. What exercises figured in Nippard’s recommendation? 

Nippard challenges your regular warm-up exercises

The first exercise the Scientific Bodybuilder called out was the front raises done to hit the front delts. He mentioned that any horizontal or vertical pressing program you do hammers your front delts. You don’t need to do any extra work on the anterior delts. Instead, you can raise the dumbbells slightly outward, making a Y, to shift the focus of your exercise to the side delts fibers. “You can replace any front raiser in your program with side raises instead,” said the bodybuilder.

Waiter curls was the second exercise on Nippard’s list. He mentioned that these will hit your biceps because you’re flexing your elbows. But when you hyperextend your wrist while doing the exercise, it will “limit your ability to overload the movement.” Instead of this Nippard recommends easy bar curls. Nippard further mentioned that if you worry about your forearms taking over, you can always loosen your grip.

The third exercise was the standing dumbbell external rotation. Many opt for this exercise as a part of their warmup for their shoulders. “But gravity points down, meaning that the dumbbells aren’t actually applying any resistance to your external rotator,” explained Nippard.

Instead of doing these for your warmup, the 32-year-old natural bodybuilder suggests using a cable or a band. This will move the tension in the right direction. The last exercise Nippard named was above-the-knee rack poles. Despite doing these, he encouraged his audience to do shrugs for building their upper traps and, for strength, do floor deadlifts.

The influencer has given his views on common exercises before. Previously, he shared some bicep variations to increase your bicep size.

Nippard recommends adding deep stretch to your workout

Nippard explained how one can engaged in deep stretching while doing an incline dumbbell press. According to him, one needs to place their arms behind the bench and stretch their biceps while sitting upright. “Don’t let your elbows drift forward; keep them back throughout the curl to max out the stretch. Try rotating your palms out; go light or first time,” he explained.

The next variation is the standing Bayesian cable curl. The natural bodybuilder advised taking two steps forward until your bicep is stretched, ensuring that the cable height is at your wrist level. This variation will let you feel tension in a specific area. On top of this, there was the ultimate advice as well. To start this exercise with the weaker arm and match the reps with the other arm.

After knowing the lack of scientific backing behind these everyday exercises and getting to know their alternatives, will you incorporate them in your training routine? Let us know in the comments.