The Muscle Ladder: Get Jacked Using Science

If you’ve been burned by over-hyped fitness books before, Muscle Ladder is the palate cleanser you need. From the moment you crack open the chunky, photo-packed pages, you can tell Jeff Nippard actually cares about getting the science right and making it usable. Need a quick cue for squats or a tweak for your pull-day split? Flip to the ladder stage you’re on and boom—there’s the answer in plain English, with illustrations that finally make sense of “where the bar should sit on your back.” What I love most is how down-to-earth Jeff keeps it. He never promises you’ll look like Thor in 90 days. Instead, he breaks down what real, research-backed progress looks like, why progressive overload isn’t optional, and how to spot the sneaky form mistakes that stall gains. It reads like good gym talk with a knowledgeable friend: honest, a little nerdy, but never preachy. Apply even half of his tips and you’ll feel the difference. Bonus points for the physical book itself—it’s legit nice. Sturdy cover, clean layout, full-page visuals you can actually reference mid-workout. Reviewers worldwide are stuffing theirs in plastic bags just to keep it pristine. Whether you’re brand-new, stuck at an intermediate plateau, or an old hand like me wanting a refresher, this is the one fitness guide you’ll keep grabbing off the shelf—and, judging by the wall of five-star reviews, you won’t be the only one.

Fantastic book with solid, actionable information, all explained clearly in a way that reads more conversational than textbook style. Everything is backed up with solid scientific evidence (with sources cited) that helps explain the reasoning behind the most effective exercises, training splits, and more. This is not just a dry list of workouts and splits, it is a comprehensive guide to how (and why) to build and maintain muscle, strength, and a healthy physique. The "ladder" metaphor works well to build from fundamentals like sustainability all the way to 20 detailed workout plans, with everything in between. Overall, this is an exceptional book that distills so much useful information into an easy to read, well organized, and extremely high-quality package.

I had high expectations for The Muscle Ladder by Jeff Nippard, and it absolutely delivered. This book is not only packed with valuable information but also presented in a way that feels approachable and unintimidating for readers at all levels. Jeff has a unique ability to explain complex lifting techniques in an easy-to-understand manner, while also including plenty of examples to drive his points home. What sets this book apart is Jeff’s tone—informative yet relatable. There were even moments that made me laugh, which is rare for a book about fitness. I never found myself wondering, “But what about this?” because he addresses everything so thoroughly. In fact, I’m incredibly impressed with how well he covers every question a reader might have. In the acknowledgments, Jeff mentions his goal of writing a book that eliminates the need for anyone to consult another source for fitness questions—and he nailed it. I’d highly recommend this book to beginners, intermediate, and advanced lifters alike. It’s a fantastic resource that’s as engaging as it is educational.

As a medically trained doctor and a gym rat on and off for the last 40 years, I’ve been searching for a single source that truly breaks down muscle hypertrophy. I’ve spent countless hours listening to experts like Joe Rogan, Peter Attia, Andrew Huberman, Dr. Andy Galpin, and Dr. Mike Israetel, trying to extract the golden nuggets of information from their podcasts. If you’re looking for the holy grail of muscle growth, look no further than Jeff Nippard’s The Muscle Ladder! He takes complex science and distills it into easy-to-understand, actionable strategies. His book doesn’t just give you the theory—it provides practical tools and techniques you can implement immediately. Not only have I applied these principles to myself, but I’ve also integrated them into my patient care with incredible results. If you want a concise, science-backed roadmap to getting jacked, this is the book for you! Highly, highly recommend! 💪📖🔥

So much useful information laid out in an easily digestible format. I’ve been following Jeff for years and he has yet to disappoint me. This book combines a mix of time-tested lifting principles and newly developed methods to implement into your program to create a well-balanced and effective workout plan. This book serves well to provide you with a vast supply of lifting knowledge and is worth a re-read every so often to further support you on your ever-changing lifting journey.

Received my copy yesterday, and from what I've read through so far, Jeff has done a great job of explaining his workout methods and the science around body building. Unfortunately, my book arrived with what looks like water damage. The box it came in was not damaged, so I can only assume the book got wet or was stored in a very moist environment prior to shipping. Pages are warped, and there's some distortion in color on pages throughout. Everything is still perfectly legible, and I don't plan on returning it. The fact that it's already slightly damaged means I don't have to feel guilty about dog-earing pages or writing in the margins which is nice. I hope this is a one-off and there aren't pallets of books that were improperly stored.

Learned a lot from this book. Very comprehensive and easy to follow. Been following the program in the book.

I have being training naturally for 8 years and watched many videos and read around the subject. In the last year I feel my training has peaked and it feels it’s at its optimum. However, as a natural lifter the gains of course have slowed down and I am still willing to read around the subject. Reading this book I was happy to learn that 90% of what I am doing matches Jeff’s advice. I would thoroughly recommend this book for beginners and can personally say it contains the 8 years of information I have found through videos/books/experience. I have followed Jeff for years as he is one of the only influencers I will take advice from as he can make a statement and back it up with peer reviewed evidence. Even for intermediate and advanced gym goers you may take slightly less information from this book but I can say the 10-20 tips I took have advanced my training even more. For example, the mind muscle connection chapter in particular has completely changed the feel of my workouts. But I cannot stress enough for new gym-goers don’t bother with YouTube/tik-tok etc. Use this book and maybe Jeff’s videos to aid you with form. 5 Stars Jeff. Incredible.

everyone should read, being a noob or a pro

This book is fantastic. The overall book is based an a ladder, with each chapter being one rung of this ladder. Each chapter builds upon the previous, meaning that it order to get the best out of the information contained within, the reader should go through each chapter step by step. Each chapter contains a good amount of well researched and referenced scientific material. There are several studies sited within each chapter and thankfully these are referenced at the back of the book, (this reader knows of several books, which claim to reference scientific studies, but fail to site them). The chapters of proper technique (chapter 3), which exercises are best suited for your intended outcome (chapter 4) and organising your training over prolonged periods of time (chapter 13) are of particularly good quality. That being said, each chapter is very well written and presented. The author thankfully is not some self absorbed gym-bro personality, so references to how amazingly ripped the author is are thankfully rare. If this reader was to criticise, then they would say that this book is physically big and heavy. This is not the type of book you would want to be carrying around with you or try to read on an over crowded train or bus. And it's not exactly the cheapest book as well. But that's it really. Overall, this is a fantastic book and definitely should be on any weight or strength lifters' wish list.

I'm a newbie, I have no personal trainer and felt uncomfortable with the training program the gym coaches gave me. Thanks to this book now I understand why I felt uncomfortable, I have set clear goals and a new program that is sustainable with my goals and lifestyle. Thank you Jeff.

This is a comprehensive guide for beginners and intermediates, and I would even say advanced athletes who want to refine or review exercises, postures, periodization, and much more. The illustrations are fantastic!