Jeff Nippard’s 365-Day Leg Workout, Explained

What most people get wrong about leg training

Most leg workouts fail because they confuse “hard” with “effective.”

A set can feel brutal and still miss the point if the tension is leaking into the low back, the hips are popping off the pad, or the range of motion gets shorter and shorter as fatigue climbs. The unique perspective in this 365-day leg transformation is not just the exercise list, it is the forensic attention to order, stability, and technique cues that keep tension where it belongs.

This approach is also refreshingly unromantic about progress. The central claim is simple: pick movements you can progressively overload, execute them consistently, and use small technique upgrades to squeeze more stimulus out of the same exercises. Over time, that adds up.

There is also a practical subtext running through the whole workout: joint comfort matters, especially knees. Several choices, like beginning with hamstring curls and using controlled eccentrics on leg extensions when needed, are framed as ways to keep training hard while managing irritation.

Important: If you have knee pain, back pain, or a prior lower-body injury, consider checking in with a licensed clinician or physical therapist before copying a high-effort leg routine. Pain that changes your gait, causes swelling, or persists after rest deserves medical attention.

Step 1: Lying leg curls first, for knees and hamstrings

Starting leg day with lying leg curls is the first “why didn’t I do that earlier?” move.

The key idea is that curling first can lightly activate the posterior chain and warm up soft tissues around the knee before you load a squat pattern. In real-world terms, this may help your knees track more smoothly when you squat, and it can make the first heavy set feel less like a cold start.

Why lying curls, even if seated curls can grow hamstrings well

At first glance, choosing lying curls looks odd because the video references research often cited in lifting circles: seated leg curls can produce more hamstring growth than lying curls over a training block. That general finding aligns with the broader hypertrophy concept that training a muscle at longer lengths can be a strong stimulus for growth. A widely discussed example is a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research comparing seated versus lying leg curls, where the seated variation produced greater hypertrophy in parts of the hamstrings over 12 weeks (study abstractTrusted Source).

So why still do lying curls here?

Because the routine uses exercise variety across the week. The stated setup is lying curls on one leg day, seated curls on the second leg day. That is a practical compromise: you can still chase the long-muscle-length stimulus of seated curls, while keeping the lying curl for what it does well.

There is also a bodybuilding-specific nuance: the routine calls out the sartorius, a long, strap-like muscle that can become visually prominent when someone is lean. The argument is that lying curls may place the sartorius in a more stretched position than seated curls, which could make lying curls a useful complement even if seated curls are a primary hamstring builder.

Did you know? Many hypertrophy findings increasingly point toward the value of training at longer muscle lengths for some movements and muscle groups, especially when the stretched position is loaded. Reviews in sports science literature discuss this “lengthened” stimulus as a plausible driver of hypertrophy in certain contexts (overviewTrusted Source).

The technique that changes the set: lengthened partials at the end

The biggest technique upgrade described is lengthened partial reps at the end of the final set. The reasoning is based on the hamstrings’ strength curve on a curl: as you approach failure, you might still be able to move the weight in the bottom half of the rep (more lengthened hamstring position), even when you cannot complete the top half.

Instead of stopping when full reps end, the set continues with controlled partials.

That is not a magic trick, but it is a way to extend high-effort time under tension without changing the exercise.

Common mistakes to watch for

Pro Tip: If your gym’s lying curl bench lets your hips float, reduce the load slightly and focus on “pinning” the pelvis down. Cleaner reps often beat heavier, messier reps for actually targeting the hamstrings.

Step 2: The heavy quad driver, pendulum squat (and swaps)

This is where the real overloading starts.

The workout’s centerpiece is three sets of 6 to 8 reps on the pendulum squat, described as the number one quad builder across the year. The pitch is not that it is the only squat worth doing, it is that it is a machine that makes progressive overload and consistent technique easier for many lifters.

A pendulum squat also hits glutes and adductors, like other squat patterns. But the emphasis here is quad stimulus, especially through a hard bottom position.

What makes the pendulum squat feel different

Two mechanical points are highlighted:

The movement path also matters for comfort. The arcing path of the pendulum squat is described as smoother than the linear path of some hack squats, although the video acknowledges this is splitting hairs.

If you do not have a pendulum squat machine

The practical substitutions are straightforward, and the key is to choose a squat variation you can progressively overload well.

»MORE: Want a simple “machine swap” checklist? Create a one-page note with your gym’s available squat patterns and rank them by comfort, depth, and how easy it is to add load or reps week to week.

The fatigue strategy: not every set to failure

A subtle but important feature is the approach to failure.

Because the pendulum squat lights up the quads fast, the routine suggests leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve on the first couple sets. Then the last set is pushed very hard, even to failure, with the safety pins used when you cannot stand up.

This is a practical performance management strategy: you still get a huge stimulus early, but you avoid burying yourself so much that the later sets fall apart.

What the research shows: Training close to failure can be effective for hypertrophy, but constantly taking every set to failure may increase fatigue and reduce performance across the session. Many evidence-based hypertrophy guides recommend mixing near-failure work with occasional true failure sets, depending on the exercise and the person (position stand discussionTrusted Source).

Mistake that quietly ruins quad stimulus: cutting depth

The most common error called out is short depth.

The whole advantage of a quad-dominant machine squat is getting into that deep, high-tension bottom region. If you cut depth, you may still feel tired, but you are leaving stimulus on the table.

A practical tool is suggested: record your set from the side. Many lifters think they are hitting depth until they see the video.

Step 3: Romanian deadlifts for hamstrings and glutes

The Romanian deadlift, or RDL, is positioned as the biggest driver of hamstring growth across the year.

This is the “boring” part that works. The argument is essentially progressive overload with a hinge pattern you can load heavily and safely over time.

The routine also frames RDLs as the perfect complement to leg curls: curls train knee flexion, RDLs train hip extension. Those are the two key actions the hamstrings contribute to.

The non-negotiable cue: push the glutes straight back

The main cue is simple: push your glutes straight back.

That keeps the movement a true hip hinge instead of turning it into a squat. It also tends to keep the load where you want it, on hamstrings and glutes, not drifting into a knee-dominant pattern.

There is also a knee cue: keep a slight knee bend, but do not let the knees drift forward. The stated goal is to reduce stress on the knee joints while keeping tension on the target muscles.

Film your RDLs from the side

One of the most actionable recommendations in the entire workout is to film your RDLs from the side.

From that angle, you can check whether the bar is traveling in a near-straight vertical line over the middle of your foot, rather than drifting forward. When the bar drifts forward, the lever arm increases and your lower back often has to work harder to control the load.

The most common RDL mistake: chasing range at the cost of spine position

The routine is blunt about this: many people overreach at the bottom.

They chase extra range of motion by rounding the back or letting the bar drift too far away from the body. The alternative is not to be stiff and robotic, it is to lower only as far as you can while maintaining a neutral spine and keeping the bar close.

For the speaker, that usually means stopping just below knee level. That is a useful reminder that “best” range of motion is individual. Limb lengths, hip anatomy, and mobility all change what a solid hinge looks like.

Important: If you feel sharp back pain, numbness, tingling, or pain that shoots down the leg during hinge work, stop and consider getting medical guidance. These symptoms can signal something beyond normal training discomfort.

Step 4: Leg extensions as the quad isolation finisher

Leg extensions are treated here as a precision tool, not a throwaway pump.

The key claim is that leg extensions complement squats because they can bias the rectus femoris, one of the four quadriceps muscles. The rectus femoris crosses both the hip and knee, so its length changes differently depending on whether the hips are moving.

In a squat, both hips and knees move, so rectus femoris length may not change as dramatically. In a leg extension, the hips are fixed, so the rectus femoris can be challenged through a clearer stretch and squeeze.

This is consistent with research suggesting different exercises can preferentially load different regions of a muscle group. A 2021 study reported that leg extensions increased rectus femoris size over a short training period, while Smith machine squats did not show the same rectus femoris growth in that timeframe (study abstractTrusted Source).

The setup tweak that matters: seat position and stability

Two technique choices stand out.

First, the seat is set as far back as possible. The video cites a 2024 study suggesting substantially greater quad growth with a more reclined seat position compared with a more upright position. Even if you do not have that exact machine geometry, the practical point is clear: small setup changes can change which tissues bear the load.

Second, there is an aggressive focus on stability. Strapping in, pulling up hard on the handles, and keeping glutes planted are all meant to prevent the hips from popping up during hard reps. When the hips lift, tension can shift away from the quads.

A memorable detail is using an airline seat belt extender to stay locked in when going heavier.

Knee-friendly option: slow eccentrics with lighter loads

A slow 3-second eccentric is suggested as an option, not because slow eccentrics are automatically superior for hypertrophy, but because they can let you get a strong stimulus with lighter weights. That may be useful if your knees are irritated, especially since the video mentions a knee injury during a strength test.

Eccentric control is also a form of quality control. It makes it harder to bounce through the bottom and harder to “steal” reps with momentum.

Step 5: Glute abduction and calves, the “don’t skip” work

Glutes are framed as the muscle group that most visibly signals you lift.

After the big compounds, the routine moves to hip abduction for glute isolation, then finishes with calves. The theme is consistent: do not treat these as optional.

Hip abduction: changing torso and hip angle to bias fibers

The approach to the hip abduction machine evolves over time.

Earlier, the routine used a leaning-forward position based on conventional wisdom that it stretches the glutes better. Later, it switches to doing abductions with hips extended, based on input from Bret Contreras, PhD, who argues that fiber direction matters: leaning forward may bias glute max more, while a bridged or hips-extended position may better target glute medius.

There is no direct head-to-head research cited comparing these exact abduction techniques. The practical takeaway is to use variation in hip angle occasionally, so you are likely to hit different fibers from different lines of pull.

The biggest mistake called out is surprisingly simple: going too light and treating abduction as fluff. For intermediate and advanced lifters, the recommendation is to push hard enough that you might max out the machine and need a gym pin to add load.

Calves: deep stretch or do not bother

By the time calves come up, most people want to skip them. The routine argues that skipping is exactly why calves do not grow.

The prescription is a straight-leg calf raise for 8 to 10 reps, with an emphasis on the deep stretch. The critique is that many people do short, bouncy reps and never load the lengthened position.

Then comes the “finisher” detail: at the end of the last set, sink into the bottom stretch and hold it for 30 seconds.

It will feel intense, especially around the Achilles region. That is why it is a technique to approach cautiously, and why it is smart to build up gradually.

Did you know? Evidence is growing that loaded stretching and training at longer muscle lengths can be a powerful hypertrophy stimulus in some contexts, including for muscles like calves that often respond poorly to short-range reps (research discussionTrusted Source).

How to apply the 365-day mindset without getting hurt

Doing the same leg workout for 365 days is a headline, but the useful lesson is consistency plus planned fatigue management.

This routine includes two safety valves that many people skip: leaving reps in reserve on early heavy sets, and taking periodic deload weeks.

A practical way to run this approach (without copying it blindly)

Where metabolic health fits in

Although the video centers on physique and strength, leg training intersects with metabolic health in a few real-world ways. Building and maintaining muscle supports glucose disposal and metabolic flexibility, and resistance training is commonly recommended as part of a lifestyle approach for cardiometabolic health. Major organizations like the American Diabetes Association include resistance exercise as part of activity guidance for many adults (ADA physical activity guidanceTrusted Source).

Training is not a substitute for medical care or nutrition, but consistent lower-body resistance training can be a meaningful pillar alongside sleep, stress management, and dietary patterns.

Expert Q and A

Q: Should I start leg day with hamstrings if my knees feel cranky on squats?

A: This routine’s logic is that a few hard sets of leg curls can warm up the knee area and lightly activate the posterior chain, which may make squat mechanics feel smoother. If you try it, keep the first hamstring sets controlled and stop if pain spikes.

If knee discomfort persists, or if you notice swelling or instability, it is reasonable to consult a clinician or physical therapist to rule out an injury and to tailor exercise selection.

Jordan Lee, DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy)

Q: Is it safe to push pendulum squats to failure?

A: Going to failure on a stable machine can be a useful tool, but it also increases fatigue and can raise form breakdown risk. A safer compromise is what this routine uses: leave 1 to 2 reps in reserve on early sets, then push the last set hardest, using safety pins.

If you are newer to lifting, have high blood pressure concerns, or have joint issues, consider staying shy of failure more often and focusing on consistent progression.

Alyssa Patel, MS, CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist)

Key Takeaways