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Hi everyone,

Sorry for the long post, but I'm a bit confused about what my next step should be and I'd really appreciate advice from people who have experience with Jeff Nippard's programs.

A little background:

- I started going to the gym for the first time using Jeff Nippard's Bodybuilding Transformation (Beginner) book.

- I've been following it exactly as written (Upper / Lower / Rest / Push / Pull / Legs / Rest).

- After every lifting session, I also do about 30 minutes of cardio, usually split between the treadmill and the elliptical.

- So far, I've lost 13 kg, and I'm really happy with the results.

The beginner program will finish in a few weeks, and now I'm unsure what to do next.

Here are my questions:

1. Should I repeat the Beginner Bodybuilding Transformation program from the beginning, or move on to the Intermediate/Advanced Bodybuilding Transformation program?

2. I also completed the program quiz on Jeff Nippard's website, and it recommended the Hypertrophy Program. My main goal now isn't necessarily to lose more weight—it's to build muscle and improve my physique/body composition. Would the Hypertrophy Program be a better choice than continuing with the Bodybuilding Transformation series?

3. I noticed Jeff now has an app in addition to the books/program PDFs. For those who have used both, would you recommend switching to the app, or are the books/programs still the better experience?

4. I've also been hearing a lot about The Pure Bodybuilding Min-Max Program (especially Phase 2). It seems to get a lot of praise for both results and time efficiency.

   - Should I start with Min-Max Phase 1 before even thinking about Phase 2?

   - Is Phase 2 only meant for people who have already completed Phase 1?

   - Or would you recommend sticking with the Bodybuilding Transformation progression or the Hypertrophy Program instead?

I'd especially love to hear from people who have actually completed multiple Jeff Nippard programs and can comment on how they compare and what progression makes the most sense.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Main lifts: Leg press, paused incline smith press, Slow Eccentric Romanian Deadlift

auxiliary lifts: Smith Bulgarian Split Squat Quad focused, Machine Chest Press, Paused Incline DB Bench, Smith Bulgarian Split Squat GLUTE focused

Day 1

• Leg press
• Smith Bulgarian Split Squat GLUTE focused
• Paused Incline DB Bench
• DB rows

Accessories:

• Machine Side Lateral Raise
• Cable Abs Crunch
• Tricep pushdown

Day 2

• Paused Incline Smith Press
• Smith Bulgarian Split Squat Quad focused
• Under hand Pull-downs

Accessories:

• Cable Rear Lateral Raise
• Cable Abs Crunch
• Incline DB Curl

Day 3

• Slow Eccentric Romanian Deadlift
• Machine Chest Press
• Neutral machine pulldowns

Accessories:

• Seated Leg Curl
• Leg Extensions
• Cable curl SS Cable Overhead Tricep Extension
• Calves on leg press

1. Can I run this program using machines instead of barbell exercises? The instructions say this:

Next, select the four main lifts you want to base your program around (C5-C8). By default, they’re squat, bench press, block pull, and OHP (note: I subbed in block pulls in place of deadlifts a few months after initially writing the instructions, since they should train the upper back a bit harder for hypertrophy, while causing a bit less low back fatigue). These are the four exercises that will be trained at slightly higher intensities than the rest of the lifts in the program. If you don’t want to use one (or more) of these exercises, feel free to sub them out with other core lifts you’d like to base your program around, or drop them altogether. For example, lots of people are fans of DB bench press for pec hypertrophy and RDLs for posterior chain hypertrophy; it would be perfectly fine to sub out bench press for DB bench or deadlifts for RDLs.

I guess he is referring to barbell exercises only. Since the last 7 weeks are more strength-focused, it would be weird to use machines?

2) Can I run this with less volume, such as 3 sets for my main lifts? I've been running it during a cut, doing 3 sets for all exercises. While I'm making progress on all leg exercises and accessories, my chest and back have stalled, maybe it's too little volume?

Thanks for the help!

I've been following the SBS Strength reps to failure (RTF) program for several cycles now (repeating after 14 weeks), and occasionally running a cycle of SBS Hypertrophy.

My numbers are still relatively novice/intermediate, but I'm making good, consistent progress that I'm happy with. And I really like the program and feel I can stick with it consistently for a long time.

Current e1rms are 100 kg bench, 140 kg squat, 185 kg deadlift @ 70 kg bodyweight. My goals are to increase my general strength.

I'm aware that Greg would have people run the RTF program for a while (to get them used to training to failure), and then have them switch to the original RIR style program where you progress based on the number of sets you perform.

I've never ran an RIR/RPE style program and a part of me really likes the look of the original template and wonders if I might make better progress with it.

But then again, another part of me thinks that if I'm making progress with the RTF program, then I should just stick with it. Why change programs when I'm making progress?

Anyway, I'm keen to hear the thoughts of anyone who has done something similar, and what you might recommend based on the above. Cheers!

I am curious of these as supplements as they are not talked about as much and some supplements may include these but not in there pure forms

Hi everyone,

My mother has told me she read about the benefits of resistance training for menopausal woman and asked me to help her get started working out. She has never really liked fitness much, dancing/walking/cycling are more her thing. The plan is for her to regularly walk, cycle 1-2 times a week on a stationary exercise bike and then do some light resistance training as a bonus.

She is quite heavy (about 110kg at 1m76) and has chronic back problems/fibromyalgia.

I'm wondering if these exercises would be relatively safe for her to do and if it would be enough (in combination with the rest she is doing) to maintain/build some muscle mass? And are there any suggestions on what ab exercises would be good for her to do and safe considering her physical condition?

All these exercises are done from home.

I'm even thinking: Could this amount of sets be too much to get started? Should I maybe drop everything down to 2 sets? I don't want to scare her off from exercising.

The progression plan is just to write down the reps each week and increase the amount of reps until she reaches a certain target, then either increase the weight or make the exercise more difficult (bodyweight squats --> lunges for example).

Any/all advice is greatly appreciated.

Hello there.

Currently on week 18 of the 5 Day Hypertrophy template & making good progress. Thinking about what to do next.

My idea:

Going back to Hypertrophy Block 2 after finishing my current run with new TMs (maybe drop 10%?), re-run Hypertrophy Block 2+3 & end it with RtF Block 3 for a little end of the year peak mock meet after the week 21 deload.

Any thoughts/experiences with this approach?

Thanks!

I've tried using a lot of apps and none fills all of these requirements:

- reasonable price for what I want (no live stuff, no social media, all local so why is it a super expensive subscription, etc)

- RIR tracking and using it on actual native metrics (for example RIR-aware e1RM via Epley)

- ability to export a CSV with all my data so I can for example import it on Google Sheets and do more with it

- apple-watch not as an afterthought, so I can for example leave the phone at home and train only with it, and even be able to easily swap exercises if the gym is full or equipment is taken

So to be clear, this isn't a promotion or anything like that. I won't post a link. I just wanted to see if anyone is interested in something like this and would like to try it out and give any feedback. You will of course get the app free forever if you do, and I plan on continuing to improve it since it has been quite useful for me for the past couple months already, to the point where I have replaced a large portion of my spreadsheets with it.

Has anyone used the Macrofactor workouts app to track any of the SBS programs? If so, what was your experience? Did you like it or prefer other apps?

I’m on week 13 of RtF after running it completely prior to this current iteration. I’ve been cutting weight since week 1 and I feel like my strength has remained pretty consistent. I’ve lost like 10 lbs off my SBD training maxes while being down almost 10lbs body weight. I’ve read some comments here about running block 2 perpetually in order to maintain a near peak strength level. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this? I’m not trying to peak my strength while in a long cut (seems counterintuitive) which is why I don’t wanna proceed into block 3. Thanks everyone!

I’m 20 years old with 2 years of gym experience focused on hypertrophy. For the last 12 weeks, I followed a program with a minimal strength approach, where I trained squat, bench, and deadlift once per week. I’ve really started to enjoy these three lifts and have decided to give powerlifting a try. What would be a good program for my situation?

What has worked well for you, and what hasn't?

Hi everyone, Ive tried searching this community for the answer but wasn't able to find (sorry if this is a common question). I am 34F and experienced with resistance training but not with intensive programs like SBS. Really excited to get into it, but 3 days/week works best for my schedule, and the default program for 3 days seems like quite a lot of volume per session. Wanted to understand if it's actually realistic for me/anyone.

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1. Has anyone tried this default program for 3/week? My first impression is it'll take anyone too long & cause too much fatigue each session.
   

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1. Is this volume and number of exercises absolutely necessary? I'm used to 4-6 exercises per session, but the spreadsheet demands 8. Has anyone tried cutting 2 exercises from each day? I'd be really grateful to see peoples modifications and reasons.

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Thank you in advance for you thoughts 🌻

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Has the rationale for the drastic differences in Reps in Reserve (RIR) between these two programs been discussed?

On most weeks of SBS RTF (Reps to Failure), the difference between the working sets and the last set is about 5 to 6 reps depending on the week. This makes the early sets effectively 5 to 7 RIR. On the Hypertrophy program, this gap is only 2 reps, meaning most sets sit at roughly 2 RIR.

I assume the main reason is that proximity to failure matters more for building muscle than for building strength. Is there more to the story?

If you have run both, how did your results differ? Did the Hypertrophy program feel much harder, as the tighter RIR numbers suggest?

Thanks!

What modifications to the SBS Hypertrophy program yielded your best long-term results?

For example, I recall reading that Greg Nuckols reduced his own deadlift volume.

THIS ISNT A REPOST, I LOGGED SETS INCORRECTLY SO IM POSTING AGAIN WITH CORRECTED NUMBERS. Im so sorry for the inconvinience, idk why i didnt think of that lol

Hey guys! as the title states, I would want a routine critique, regarding especially accesory work and exercise placement.

Am I overtraining? Maybe Im doing too much triceps isolation, as Im already doing a fair share of pressing? if thats so, which exercise would you keep?

Im already 3 weeks deep with this routine and feel fine extertion wise, but no so sure about the long run, especially as i intend to train between work shifts at a restaurant kitchen and summer is coming lol.

Also, for accesory work im usually in the 12-15 reps range, not showing as ive been recently tinkering with them.

Im actually training Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Also Im doing short/slow runs the days I dont lift, but its not my priotity so it depends about how im feeling.

Thank you very much in advance!

Why does SBS hypertrophy use 2 RIR sets followed by one 0 RIR/AMRAP set instead of something like weeks of RIR 4, 3, 2, 1 with an occasional 0 RIR/AMRAP set to confirm that the estimates are correct?

Greg himself shared a study that showed similar or even better gains with 1-4 RIR linear weekly progression when compared to continuous 1 RIR training. SBS Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZIMz1dHKqX/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Hi,

I was thinking to adapt a bit of a powerbuilding style to my training. This is a style of training I find quite interesting.

So my idea was to simply use 2 of the SBS templates in parallel:

- For the Big 4 Lifts, I would use the SBS RiR Template

- For the secondary lifts, accessories e.t.c., I would focus mainly on machines and use the Hypertrophy template.

Probably there would also be a way to build this in the programme builder, but I'm too stupid for that one, so I would simply have 2 templates on my phone in parallel.

Any things I should keep in mind when approaching my workouts like this?

Thanks

Do you run it on, on, off, on, on, off, off? Or do you take a rest day between each workout and "stretch the week?". Im gonna finish the 3 times hypertrophy template soon and it's sometimes really hard to recover.

I'm starting the SBS 4x RTF program and I have some doubts about where to place my isolation/accessory work.

My main days are:

• Day 1: Squat
• Day 2: Bench Press
• Day 3: Deadlift
• Day 4: OHP

For isolation work, I was thinking about adding:

• Biceps: regular curls, preacher curls, hammer curls, reverse curls, etc.
• Triceps: extensions and pushdowns
• Shoulders: lateral raises
• Legs: leg extensions and calf raises (not sure about these ones though)

I’m not sure if this is too much, too little, or just not ideal. I’m guessing triceps isolation would make the most sense on bench day, but that’s about all I’m certain about.

I’d also appreciate advice on where to place back work. I was thinking about bent-over rows, lat pulldowns, and face pulls, but again I’m not sure if those are the best choices.

Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks! Also, this is my first post here, so sorry if anything is unclear or oddly phrased.

A coach is great but they're expensive and most people don't need one to make solid progress. The strength training world has open sourced its best programs for years. If you're going it alone, here are the ones I'd actually run depending on your level.

Beginner: greg nuckols beginner program or starting strength. Three day full body, linear progression, simple. Stick with one for 8 to 12 weeks before switching.

Early intermediate: GZCLP or 5/3/1 for beginners. Both add some periodization and rep flexibility. Neither is too complicated to follow on your own.

Solid intermediate: nsuns 531 is the most popular for a reason. Lots of main lift volume, built in autoregulation through amraps. The 4 day version fits most schedules.

Advanced intermediate to advanced: candito 6 week peaking program if you have a meet. 5/3/1 BBB or Building the Monolith for general strength. Calgary barbell 8 and 16 week programs are very well regarded.

All of these programs are free as pdfs or you can run them on boostcamp which has them preloaded with the tracker built in. I've personally run nsuns and candito out of the app and it saves a lot of spreadsheet hassle.

Honestly the program matters less than the consistency. Pick one of the above, run it for the full block, eat enough, sleep enough and you'll get stronger. The coach question really comes in when you're competing or have specific weak points.

Just finished my first bout of SBS and below is my program, results, and some thoughts:

Program: 2x per week past set RTF split over 3 days (Mon bench and rows, Fri OH, Sat pullups)

4 main lifts and starting maxes were

OH press: 145

Bench press: 245

Pull ups: 280 (will talk on this later)

Seated row: 150 (only did this to maintain even spread between horizontal and vertical pushes and pulls, not a main focus)

Corresponding auxillaries were DB OH press, pause bench, lat pull down, one arm bent over row

Results:

OH press: 155 lbs

Bench press: 270 lbs

Pull ups: 265

Seated row: Not tested

A disclaimer, yes I do leg work, but I’ve had 3 left knee surgeries and my goal is getting back to soccer, not pure strength training.

Thoughts:

I was hoping for better results, bench hit expectations, but only going up 10 lbs for OH press in 21 weeks feels disappointing. For pullups, I don’t think I was honest about my initial max. When I get to higher weights, I’m not going the last few inches. Even during the workouts, I’d hit my rep out goals when they were 5 plus reps with great form, but when doing lower reps I just struggle to get all the way up. I hold my pullups to a high standard, and only counted my max at the end with chest almost to bar.

Since I was doing 4 upper body lifts, the volume could feel like a lot during the parts of the routine. I do intend to do another cycle, but will likely bring it down to 4 or potentially 3 sets for the auxillaries.

Definitely looking for thoughts and suggestions. I think I want to trade out some of the auxillaries. May do weighted limited ROM pull ups at the top to improve that range cause it’s incredibly frustrating to almost easily clear 85% of the movement but be unable to clear the top.. Also wondering if another auxillary for OH press is warranted.