Facebook Pixel
Brookbush Institute Logo
  1. Courses
  2. Acute Variables: Exercise Order
Exercise order includes strategies such as pre-exhaustion, multi-joint vs single-joint first routines, and large muscle vs small muscle first routines
Exercise order includes strategies such as pre-exhaustion, multi-joint vs single-joint first routines, and large muscle vs small muscle first routines

Acute Variables: Exercise Order

Comprehensive review of the research on exercise order, including which should be performed first: multi-joint or single-joint exercises, large or small muscle groups, aerobic or strength training, pre-exhaustion routine, and much more. You'll learn how exercise order influences strength, hypertrophy, power, volume, neuromuscular recruitment, and session efficiency.

Test Critical Content

Mark As Complete

Course Summary: Exercise Order

This course offers a comprehensive, research-driven analysis of exercise order, a critical yet often overlooked training variable. You'll learn how exercise order influences strength, hypertrophy, power, volume, neuromuscular recruitment, and session efficiency. Whether you're training for fitness, sport, or physical rehabilitation, this course will provide the evidence-based recommendations needed to optimize the order of exercises in your routines and programs.

What You Will Learn

  • How exercise order influences strength, hypertrophy, power, and total work output
  • Why exercises that are prioritized should be performed early—and not alongside other movements targeting the same muscle groups
  • Why large-muscle-group and multi-joint exercises should generally come before small-muscle-group and single-joint movements
  • When it’s advantageous to perform upper-body exercises before lower-body, and back exercises before chest
  • What the research actually says about pre-exhaustion protocols and their effect on performance and adaptation
  • Whether strength or aerobic training should come first in a session—and how that decision affects long-term progress

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the best exercise order for strength training?

  • Starting with large muscle groups, multi-joint, high-priority exercises, such as squats or bench presses, typically yield the greatest strength gains.

Should I do cardio before or after weightlifting?

  • Most research supports strength training before aerobic exercise to avoid compromising strength performance and adaptations.

Does exercise order matter for muscle growth (hypertrophy)?

  • Yes—muscles targeted earlier in the session may experience slightly greater hypertrophy, especially in higher-volume programs.

Is it better to do upper body or lower body first?

  • If priorities are equal, performing upper-body exercises first may offer a slight performance advantage, particularly in early sets.

Do pre-exhaustion strategies improve results?

  • Despite increased muscle activation, pre-exhaustion routines tend to reduce reps, force, and velocity—potentially limiting gains in strength and power.

Pre-approved Credits for:

Pre-approved for Continuing Education Credits for:

This course includes:

  • AI Tutor
  • Course Summary Webinar
  • Study Guide
  • Text and Illustrations
  • Audio Voice-over
  • Research Review
  • Sample Routine
  • Practice Exam
  • Pre-approved 3 Credit Final Exam

Course Study Guide: Acute Variables: Exercise Order

Course Summary Webinar: Exercise Order

Summary Statement and 1-Page Review

Summary of Research Findings

Large Muscle Groups First Compared to Small Muscle Groups First
8 Sub Sections

Multi-joint Exercises First vs Single-joint Exercises First
7 Sub Sections

Pre-exhaustion Routines
6 Sub Sections

Upper Body First Compared to Lower Body First
3 Sub Sections

Aerobic Training First Compared to Strength Training First
4 Sub Sections

Miscellaneous
2 Sub Sections

Sample Program: Experienced Exerciser

Bibliography

  1. Bellezza, P. A., Hall, E. E., Miller, P. C., & Bixby, W. R. (2009). The influence of exercise order on blood lactate, perceptual, and affective responses. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23(1), 203–208. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181889156
  2. Arazi, H., Rahmati, S., Pashazadeh, F., & Rezaei, H. R. (2015). Comparative effect of order based resistance exercises on number of repetitions, rating of perceived exertion and muscle damage biomarkers in men. Revista Andaluza de Medicina del Deporte, 8(4), 139-144.
  3. Nazari, M., Azarbayjani, M. A., & Azizbeigi, K. (2016). Effect of exercise order of resistance training on strength performance and indices of muscle damage in young active girls. Asian Journal of Sports Medicine, 7(6), e30599
  4. Simão, R., Leite, R. D., Speretta, G. F. F., Maior, A. S., De Salles, B. F., de Souza Junior, T. P., ... & Willardson, J. M. (2013). Influence of upper-body exercise order on hormonal responses in trained men. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 38(2), 177-181.
  5. da Conceição, R. R., Simão, R., Silveira, A. L. B., e Silva, G. C., Nobre, M., Salerno, V. P., & Novaes, J. (2014). Acute endocrine responses to different strength exercise order in men. Journal of Human Kinetics, 44, 111.
  6. Assumpcao, C. O., Tibana, R. A., Viana, L. C., Willardson, J. M., & Prestes, J. (2013). Influence of exercise order on upper body maximum and submaximal strength gains in trained men. Clinical physiology and functional imaging, 33(5), 359-363.
  7. Özbay, S., Ulupınar, S., Çınar, V., & Akbulut, T. (2019). The Effect of Exercise Order on Maximum Strength Development in Resistance Trainings. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise, 21(2), 300-304.
  8. Dias, I., de Salles, B. F., Novaes, J., Costa, P. B., & Simão, R. (2010). Influence of exercise order on maximum strength in untrained young men. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13, 65–69. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2008.09.003
  9. Simão, R., Spineti, J., de Salles, B. F., Oliveira, L. F., Matta, T., Miranda, F., ... & Costa, P. B. (2010). Influence of exercise order on maximum strength and muscle thickness in untrained men. Journal of sports science & medicine, 9(1), 1.
  10. Spineti, J., De Salles, B. F., Rhea, M. R., Lavigne, D., Matta, T., Miranda, F., ... & Simão, R. (2010). Influence of exercise order on maximum strength and muscle volume in nonlinear periodized resistance training. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(11), 2962-2969.
  11. Bezerra, E. S., Schoenfeld, B. J., Paz, G., de Araújo Farias, D., Sakugawa, R. L., Vieira, I., ... & Miranda, H. (2020). Effect of exercise order with barbell and machine modalities on upper body volume load and myoelectric activity. Sports Biomechanics.
  12. Farinatti, P. T., Simão, R., Monteiro, W. D., & Fleck, S. J. (2009). Influence of exercise order on oxygen uptake during strength training in young women. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23(3), 1037–1044. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181a2b3e4
  13. Farinatti, P. T., da Silva, N. S., & Monteiro, W. D. (2013). Influence of exercise order on the number of repetitions, oxygen uptake, and rate of perceived exertion during strength training in younger and older women. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 27(3), 776–785. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825d9bc1
  14. Simão, R., Farinatti, P. D. T. V., Polito, M. D., Maior, A. S., & Fleck, S. J. (2005). Influence of exercise order on the number of repetitions performed and perceived exertion during resistance exercises. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 19(1), 152-156.
  15. Tomeleri, C. M., Ribeiro, A. S., Nunes, J. P., Schoenfeld, B. J., Souza, M. F., Schiavoni, D., … Cyrino, E. S. (2019). Influence of resistance-training exercise order on muscle strength, hypertrophy and anabolic hormones in older women: A randomized controlled trial.Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
  16. Keskin, K., Gogus, F. N., Gunay, M., & Fujita, R. A. (2024). Equated volume load: similar improvements in muscle strength, endurance, and hypertrophy for traditional, pre-exhaustion, and drop sets in resistance training. Sport Sciences for Health, 1-10.
  17. Fisher, J. P., Carlson, L., Steele, J., & Smith, D. (2014). The effects of pre-exhaustion, exercise order, and rest intervals in a full-body resistance training intervention. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 39(11), 1265-1270.
  18. Sforzo, G. A., & Touey, P. R. (1996). Manipulating exercise order affects muscular performance during a resistance exercise training session. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 10(1), 20-24.
  19. Cardozo, D., de Salles, B. F., Mannarino, P., Vasconcelos, A. P. S., Miranda, H., Willardson, J. M., & Simão, R. (2019). The effect of exercise order in circuit training on muscular strength and functional fitness in older women. International Journal of Exercise Science, 12(4), 657–665.
  20. Brandão, L., de Salles Painelli, V., Lasevicius, T., Silva-Batista, C., Brendon, H., Schoenfeld, B. J., ... & Teixeira, E. L. (2020). Varying the order of combinations of single-and multi-joint exercises differentially affects resistance training adaptations. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 34(5), 1254-1263.
  21. Japilus, S. J. M., Kassim, A. F., Mansor, S. H., Amir, N. H., Abd Karim, Z., & Nadzalan, A. M. (2020, April). The effects of exercise order during resistance training on muscular strength. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1529, No. 2, p. 022024). IOP Publishing.
  22. Gentil, P., Soares, S., & Bottaro, M. (2015). Single vs. multi-joint resistance exercises: effects on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Asian journal of sports medicine, 6(2).
  23. Avelar, A., Ribeiro, A. S., Nunes, J. P., Schoenfeld, B. J., Papst, R. R., Trindade, M. C. C., … Cyrino, E. S. (2019). Effects of order of resistance training exercises on muscle hypertrophy in young adult men. Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism, 44(open in a new window)(4(open in a new window)), 420– doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0478
  24. Gentil, P., Oliveira, E., de Araújo Rocha Júnior, V., do Carmo, J., & Bottaro, M. (2007). Effects of exercise order on upper-body muscle activation and exercise performance. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 21(4), 1082–1086. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-21216.1
  25. Soncin, R., Pennone, J., Guimarães, T. M., Mezêncio, B., Amadio, A. C., & Serrão, J. C. (2014). Influence of exercise order on electromyographic activity during upper body resistance training. Journal of Human Kinetics, 44, 203.
  26. Silva, G. P., Guimarães, M. P., Campos, Y. A. C., Moreira, O. C., & Silva, S. F. D. (2019). Neuromuscular and metabolic responses of the pre-exhaustion method in highly-trained individuals.
  27. Simao, R., Farinatti, P. D. T. V., Polito, M. D., Viveiros, L., & Fleck, S. J. (2007). Influence of exercise order on the number of repetitions performed and perceived exertion during resistance exercise in women. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 21(1), 23-28.
  28. Monteiro, W., Simão, R., & Farinatti, P. (2005). Manipulation of exercise order and its influence on the number of repetitions and effort subjective perception in trained women. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte, 11, 146-150.
  29. Pirauá, A. L. T., Beltrão, N. B., Lima, D. R. A. A. D., Queiroz, G. R. D., Souza, J. G. D., Melo, B. M., & Araújo, R. C. D. (2014). Effect of exercise order on the resistance training performance during a circuit training session. Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria & Desempenho Humano, 16(03), 325-333.
  30. Nunes, J. P., Marcori, A., Tomeleri, C. M., Nascimento, M. A., Mayhew, J. L., Ribeiro, A. S., & Cyrino, E. S. (2019). Starting the resistance-training session with lower-body exercises provides lower perceived exertion without altering the training volume in older women. International Journal of Exercise Science, 12(4), 1187–1197
  31. Senna, G. W., Willardson, J. M., Scudese, E., Simão, R., de Oliveira, C. Q., de Oliveira Lima, J., ... & Dantas, E. H. M. (2019). Multi-to single-joint or the reverse exercise order does not affect pectoralis major workout performance. Journal of Human Kinetics, 66, 223.
  32. Faria, W. F. D., Farias, J. P. D., Corrêa, R. C., Santos, C. F. D., Stabelini, A., Santos, G. C. D., & Elias, R. G. M. (2016). Effect of exercise order on the number of repeats and training volume in the tri-set training method. Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria & Desempenho Humano, 18(2), 187-196.
  33. Miranda, H., Simão, R., dos Santos Vigário, P., de Salles, B. F., Pacheco, M. T., & Willardson, J. M. (2010). Exercise order interacts with rest interval during upper-body resistance exercise. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(6), 1573-1577.
  34. Soares, E. G., Gomes, W. A., Paulodetto, A. C., Serpa, É. P., Silva, J. J. D., Vilela Junior, G. D. B., & Marchetti, P. H. (2016). Acute effect of the order of traditional and pre-exhaustion exercises in resistance training. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte.
  35. Trindade, T. B., Prestes, J., Neto, L. O., Medeiros, R. M. V., Tibana, R. A., de Sousa, N. M. F., ... & Dantas, P. M. S. (2019). Effects of pre-exhaustion versus traditional resistance training on training volume, maximal strength, and quadriceps hypertrophy. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, 1424.
  36. Barbosa, J. L., Barros, T. A., De Lima-Junior, D., De Oliveira, L. M., Farah, B. Q., & Piraua, A. L. (2021). Acute effects of pre-activation method with single and multiple joint exercises on muscular activity and training volume during the bench press exercise. Medicina dello Sport, 74(3), 396-405.
  37. Brennecke, A., Guimarães, T. M., Leone, R., Cadarci, M., Mochizuki, L., Simão, R., Amadio, A. C., & Serrão, J. C. (2009). Neuromuscular activity during bench press exercise performed with and without the preexhaustion method. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23(7), 1933–1940. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181b73b8f
  38. Ahlebrand, A. (2017). Investigating the effects of pre-exhausting a synergist prior to a compound exercise.: An electromyographic study.
  39. Guarascio, M. J., Penn, C., & Sparks, C. (2016). Effects of pre-exhaustion of a secondary synergist on a primary mover in a compound exercise. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical, 46(1), 178.
  40. Fujita, R. A., Silva, N. R., Bedo, B. L., & Gomes, M. M. (2022). The pre-exhaustion method does not increase muscle activity in target muscle during strength training in untrained individuals. Journal of Human Kinetics, 82(1), 17-26
  41. Augustsson, J., Thomeé, R., Hörnstedt, P., Lindblom, J., Karlsson, J., & Grimby, G. (2003). Effect of pre-exhaustion exercise on lower-extremity muscle activation during a leg press exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 17(2), 411–416.
  42. Neves, P. P., Alves, A. R., Ferraz, R., Faíl, L. B., Marques, M. C., Marinho, D. A., & Neiva, H. P. (2023, May). The Influence of the Order of Strength Training Exercises on Mechanical Power and Work. In Congress of the Portuguese Society of Biomechanics (pp. 471-479). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  43. Romano, N., Vilaça-Alves, J., Fernandes, H. M., Saavedra, F., Paz, G., Miranda, H., ... & Reis, V. (2013). Effects of resistance exercise order on the number of repetitions performed to failure and perceived exertion in untrained young males. Journal of Human Kinetics, 39, 177.
  44. Sazali, M. H., Azzfar, M. S., Mohamad, N. I., & Md. Nadzalan, A. (2020). The Acute Effects of Exercises Order During Upper-Lower Body Alternated Supersets Among Trained Men. In Enhancing Health and Sports Performance by Design: Proceedings of the 2019 Movement, Health & Exercise (MoHE) and International Sports Science Conference (ISSC) (pp. 83-90). Springer Singapore
  45. Figueiredo, T., Menezes, P., Kattenbraker, M., Polito, M. D., Reis, V. M., & Simão, R. (2013). Influence of exercise order on blood pressure and heart rate variability after a strength training session. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 53(3), 12-17.
  46. Pereira, R. M., Marques, D. L., Alves, A. R., Marinho, D. A., Neves, P. P., Silva, A. J., & Neiva, H. P. (2024). The Impact of Exercise Order on Velocity Performance in the Bench Press and the Squat: A Comparative Study. Applied Sciences, 14(17), 7436.
  47. Saraiva, A. R., Reis, V. M., Costa, P. B., Bentes, C. M., e Silva, G. V. C., & Novaes, J. S. (2014). Chronic effects of different resistance training exercise orders on flexibility in elite judo athletes. Journal of human kinetics, 40, 129.
  48. Saraiva, A., Pinto, G. S., Costa e Silva, G., Bentes, C., Miranda, H., & Novaes, J. (2014). Influence of exercise order on strength in Judo athletes. Gazzetta Medica Italiana, 173(5), 251–257.
  49. Cadore, E. L., Izquierdo, M., Dos Santos, M. G., Martins, J. B., Lhullier, F. L. R., Pinto, R. S., ... & Kruel, L. F. M. (2012). Hormonal responses to concurrent strength and endurance training with different exercise orders. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 26(12), 3281-3288.
  50. Schumann M, Walker S, Izquierdo M, Newton RU, Kraemer WJ, Häkkinen K. The order effect of combined endurance and strength loadings on force and hormone responses: effects of prolonged training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2014 Apr;114(4):867-80. doi: 10.1007/s00421-013-2813-6. Epub 2014 Jan 17. PMID: 24435710.
  51. Rosa, C., Vilaça-Alves, J., Fernandes, H. M., Saavedra, F. J., Pinto, R. S., & dos Reis, V. M. (2015). Order effects of combined strength and endurance training on testosterone, cortisol, growth hormone, and IGF-1 binding protein 3 in concurrently trained men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 29(1), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000610
  52. Jones, T. W., Howatson, G., Russell, M., & French, D. N. (2017). Effects of strength and endurance exercise order on endocrine responses to concurrent training. European journal of sport science, 17(3), 326-334.
  53. Davitt, P. M., Pellegrino, J. K., Schanzer, J. R., Tjionas, H., & Arent, S. M. (2014). The effects of a combined resistance training and endurance exercise program in inactive college female subjects: does order matter? The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 28(7), 1937-1945.
  54. Di Blasio, A., Gemello, E., Di Iorio, A., Di Giacinto, G., Celso, T., Di Renzo, D., ... & Ripari, P. (2012). Order effects of concurrent endurance and resistance training on post-exercise response of non-trained women. Journal of sports science & medicine, 11(3), 393.
  55. Cadore, E. L., Izquierdo, M., Alberton, C. L., Pinto, R. S., Conceição, M., Cunha, G., Radaelli, R., Bottaro, M., Trindade, G. T., & Kruel, L. F. (2012). Strength prior to endurance intra-session exercise sequence optimizes neuromuscular and cardiovascular gains in elderly men. Experimental gerontology, 47(2), 164–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2011.11.013
  56. Shiotsu, Y., Watanabe, Y., Tujii, S., & Yanagita, M. (2018). Effect of exercise order of combined aerobic and resistance training on arterial stiffness in older men. Experimental gerontology, 111, 27-34.
  57. de Freitas Maia, M., Paz, G. A., Souza, J., & Miranda, H. (2015). Strength performance parameters when adopting different exercise sequences during agonist–antagonist paired sets. Apunts. Medicina de l'Esport, 50(187), 103-110.
  58. Spreuwenberg, L. P., Kraemer, W. J., Spiering, B. A., Volek, J. S., Hatfield, D. L., Silvestre, R., ... & Fleck, S. J. (2006). Influence of exercise order in a resistance-training exercise session. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 20(1), 141-144.

© 2025 Brookbush Institute. All rights reserved.

Comments

Guest