What it is
The Essentials Program on Kohlrabi is a 12-week, three-day plan inspired by Jeff Nippard's program: full body, upper and lower each week, with a heavy top set and a back-off set first, then dropsets and supersets to finish.
What you need
It needs a barbell, a bench, cables, dumbbells, machines and a pull-up bar. It is inspired by, not a copy of, the published program: the exercises, sets and rep ranges follow its public listing.
The schedule
Train three days a week with 1-2 rest days between sessions: Full Body, Upper, Lower. The same three workouts repeat for four weeks, then the exercises change: three blocks across twelve weeks.
Week 1 is below, and every week has its own page under The days.
The three blocks| Block | Weeks | Rep ranges |
|---|
| Block 1 | 1 to 4 | 4 to 15 reps |
|---|
| Block 2 | 5 to 8 | 6 to 20 reps |
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| Block 3 | 9 to 12 | 4 to 20 reps |
|---|
Week 1| Workout | Exercises (sets × reps) |
|---|
| Full Body | Hack Squat (Heavy) 1 × 4–6; Hack Squat (Back-Off) 1 × 8–10; Incline DB Press 2 × 8–10; Seated Hamstring Curl 1 × 10–12; T-Bar Row 2 × 10–12; DB Bicep Curl 1 × 12–15 (dropset); and 2 more |
|---|
| Upper | Flat DB Press (Heavy) 1 × 4–6; Flat DB Press (Back-Off) 1 × 8–10; 2-Grip Lat Pulldown 2 × 10–12; Seated DB Shoulder Press 2 × 10–12; Seated Cable Row 2 × 10–12 (dropset); A1: EZ-Bar Skull Crusher 2 × 12–15; and 1 more |
|---|
| Lower | Romanian Deadlift 2 × 10–12; Leg Press 3 × 10–12; Leg Extension 1 × 10–12 (dropset); A1: Seated Calf Raise 2 × 12–15; A2: Cable Crunch 2 × 12–15 |
|---|
How progression works
Every exercise prescribes a rep range and an RPE target. Add reps or weight week to week while keeping form consistent; the app’s progression suggestions follow the rep ranges.
Deloads
The program has no deload week. Skip a week when you need to.
The days
Week 13 workouts
- Full Body
Week 1 of 12 · Full Body: Hack Squat (Heavy), Hack Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 1 of 12 · Upper: Flat DB Press (Heavy), Flat DB Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 1 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, Leg Press, plus 3 more.
Week 23 workouts
- Full Body
Week 2 of 12 · Full Body: Hack Squat (Heavy), Hack Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 2 of 12 · Upper: Flat DB Press (Heavy), Flat DB Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 2 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, Leg Press, plus 3 more.
Week 33 workouts
- Full Body
Week 3 of 12 · Full Body: Hack Squat (Heavy), Hack Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 3 of 12 · Upper: Flat DB Press (Heavy), Flat DB Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 3 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, Leg Press, plus 3 more.
Week 43 workouts
- Full Body
Week 4 of 12 · Full Body: Hack Squat (Heavy), Hack Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 4 of 12 · Upper: Flat DB Press (Heavy), Flat DB Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 4 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, Leg Press, plus 3 more.
Week 53 workouts
- Full Body
Week 5 of 12 · Full Body: Incline Machine Press, Single-Leg Leg Press (Heavy), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 5 of 12 · Upper: 2-Grip Pullup, Weighted Dip (Heavy), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 5 of 12 · Lower: DB Bulgarian Split Squat, DB Romanian Deadlift, plus 3 more.
Week 63 workouts
- Full Body
Week 6 of 12 · Full Body: Incline Machine Press, Single-Leg Leg Press (Heavy), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 6 of 12 · Upper: 2-Grip Pullup, Weighted Dip (Heavy), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 6 of 12 · Lower: DB Bulgarian Split Squat, DB Romanian Deadlift, plus 3 more.
Week 73 workouts
- Full Body
Week 7 of 12 · Full Body: Incline Machine Press, Single-Leg Leg Press (Heavy), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 7 of 12 · Upper: 2-Grip Pullup, Weighted Dip (Heavy), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 7 of 12 · Lower: DB Bulgarian Split Squat, DB Romanian Deadlift, plus 3 more.
Week 83 workouts
- Full Body
Week 8 of 12 · Full Body: Incline Machine Press, Single-Leg Leg Press (Heavy), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 8 of 12 · Upper: 2-Grip Pullup, Weighted Dip (Heavy), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 8 of 12 · Lower: DB Bulgarian Split Squat, DB Romanian Deadlift, plus 3 more.
Week 93 workouts
- Full Body
Week 9 of 12 · Full Body: Machine Squat (Heavy), Machine Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 9 of 12 · Upper: Machine Chest Press (Heavy), Machine Chest Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 9 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, DB Walking Lunge, plus 3 more.
Week 103 workouts
- Full Body
Week 10 of 12 · Full Body: Machine Squat (Heavy), Machine Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 10 of 12 · Upper: Machine Chest Press (Heavy), Machine Chest Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 10 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, DB Walking Lunge, plus 3 more.
Week 113 workouts
- Full Body
Week 11 of 12 · Full Body: Machine Squat (Heavy), Machine Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 11 of 12 · Upper: Machine Chest Press (Heavy), Machine Chest Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 11 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, DB Walking Lunge, plus 3 more.
Week 123 workouts
- Full Body
Week 12 of 12 · Full Body: Machine Squat (Heavy), Machine Squat (Back-Off), plus 6 more.
- Upper
Week 12 of 12 · Upper: Machine Chest Press (Heavy), Machine Chest Press (Back-Off), plus 5 more.
- Lower
Week 12 of 12 · Lower: Romanian Deadlift, DB Walking Lunge, plus 3 more.
Questions about The Essentials Program
How long is The Essentials Program?
12 weeks, three days a week, in three four-week blocks.
What changes every four weeks?
The exercises. The same Full Body, Upper and Lower days repeat inside a block, and each block brings new ones.
Does The Essentials Program have a deload week?
No. Skip a week when you need to.
Is this Jeff Nippard's official program?
No. It is inspired by it, not a copy: the exercises, sets and rep ranges follow the published program's public listing.