Jeff Nippard is never afraid to face the prospect of failure in order to complete a worthwhile experiment, so when the Canadian powerlifter, bodybuilder, and evidence-based coach battled \u201cThe World\u2019s Strongest IFBB Pro,\u201d Larry Wheels<\/a>, M&F were here for it. And the result? Despite their serious size difference, the outcome was closer than you might think.<\/p>\n As a self-professed lifetime natural bodybuilder, Jeff Nippard<\/a> faced off against the newly crowned IFBB Pro, Larry Wheels =\u2014a powerlifter in his own right who still holds a bench press record of 645-pounds in the 308-pound weight class. \u201cLet\u2019s see who\u2019s stronger<\/a>,\u201d challenged Nippard in a viral video shared by the Canadian coach.<\/p>\n For this challenge, the guys agreed to make three lifts in total. Larry chose bench press as the first lift, opting to find out who could make the most reps of their bodyweight on a barbell. Nippard then decided on a bodyweight pullup, plus 45 pounds, for the second round. \u201cOoh that\u2019s rough, but I\u2019m in,\u201d said Wheels, accepting the challenge. For the third and final round, Wheels went for strict curls to beast the biceps.<\/p>\n Weighing-in at 265 pounds, Wheels had a humongous 100 pounds on Nippard, who clocked in at 165 pounds. \u201cIf I don\u2019t get this one,\u201d I don\u2019t stand a chance, said Nippard prior to this lift, noting that this was the one he felt most comfortable with potentially winning. He completed 34 solid reps before reaching failure. Wheels then hit the bench, and it looked like he would call it a day at 34 reps too, but with Nippard\u2019s enthusiastic encouragement, he eked out one more rep, winning the bench press round by just one.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the second challenge, I tried to use my lighter bodyweight to my advantage,\u201d explained Nippard, who completed 10 reps. \u201cI got my work cut out for me,\u201d responded Wheels. Once again, Wheels appeared to be throwing in the towel as he reached the same number of reps as Nippard, but with some positive encouragement, pulled through with the pullups, squeezing out one more rep. This meant that he was now two rounds ahead, by just one rep in each round.<\/p>\n Nippard found himself in uncomfortable territory with the 90 pounds of plates added to the barbell and was unable to lockout a single rep. This was more Larry\u2019s Wheelhouse, however, and he completed two comfortable reps. \u201cLarry\u2019s just built different,\u201d conceded Nippard.<\/p>\n This battle made for a great concept, and it would be awesome to see how more of the biggest stars in the strength and bodybuilding world\u2019s fair when they compete against each other. While Nippard was on the losing end of this challenge, he weighed one hundred pounds less and was required to perform the same strict curl weight as Wheels. Perhaps<\/p>\n the scientist missed a trick here, because maybe they should have been curling a percentage of their own bodyweight. Wheels has also been open about his on\/off relationship with PED\u2019s<\/a>, while Nippard is a lifetime natural athlete. On top of these factors, with Wheels going last in each round, he was able to get some motivation in terms of knowing how many reps to beat, and he was also getting some valuable encouragement from Nippard that was clearly helping him to move those last reps. Still, Wheels was the worthy winner here, and the two muscle men have no doubt started a trend of gym bros battling it out using this same concept at their local gyms.<\/p>\n To follow Jeff Nippard on Instagram, click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n To follow Larry Wheels on Instagram, click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nJeff Nippard vs. Larry Wheels: The Rules<\/h2>\n
The Exercise Challenges and Results<\/h2>\n
![\"Bodybuilders](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Bodybuilders-Jeff-Nippard-and-Larry-Wheels-competing-in-a-working-competition-using-the-bench-press-exercise.jpg?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Bench Press<\/h3>\n
![\"Science](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Science-based-bodybuilder-Jeff-Nippard-performing-weighted-pullups-against-IFBB-pro-Larry-Wheels.jpg?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Bodyweight Pullups + 45 Pounds (No straps)<\/h3>\n
![\"Larry](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Larry-Wheels-beating-Jeff-Nippard-in-an-workout-challenge-using-Strict-Curls.jpg?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Strict Curl (90 Pounds)<\/h3>\n
The Winner: Larry Wheels, 3-0<\/h2>\n