The Importance of Exercise Order in Strength Training: A Guide to Building Size and Strength
So…does exercise order matter?
When planning a workout, many people overlook the importance of exercise order. But make no mistake—exercise order is critical for anyone serious about challenging their muscle fitness. The sequence in which you perform exercises can greatly impact the effectiveness of your training.
But before diving into the specifics of what the ideal exercise order should be, you need to ask yourself: What is your primary goal? For most people, the goal is either building size, strength, or sometimes both. Understanding this will help you tailor your workouts for optimal results.
Can You Build Strength and Size at the Same Time?
The short answer is yes. You can build both strength and size simultaneously, but it’s important to recognize that each goal requires a different focus. When you aim to balance both, you might not achieve the maximum potential in either size or strength compared to if you were solely focused on one. Being big and strong is great, but if you want to be the biggest or the strongest, prioritizing your goal will have a huge impact on your performance.
Now, let's discuss how exercise order affects these goals.
For today’s example, we will discuss the Cable Chest Flies, Dumbbell Bench Press, Dips, and Cable Tricep Pushdowns and how you should place them order based on goals
How to Build Size
If your primary goal is hypertrophy, or muscle size, you should focus on exercises that pre-exhaust the muscle groups you're targeting. For the four exercises mentioned—Cable Chest Flies, Dumbbell Bench Press, Dips, and Cable Tricep Pushdowns—the order should be as follows:
Cable Chest Flies: Start with cable chest flies as a pre-exhaustive movement. This exercise isolates the pectoral muscles and tires them out, making them more vulnerable to the following exercises. By doing flies first, you ensure that your pecs are fully engaged, making the subsequent presses more effective for muscle growth.
Dumbbell Bench Press: Following the flies, move on to the dumbbell bench press. With your pecs already fatigued, this compound movement will require more effort from your chest, leading to greater muscle recruitment and growth. The dumbbells also allow for a greater range of motion, which can help in further engaging the pecs.
Dips: After the dumbbell bench press, perform dips. Dips are an excellent bodyweight exercise that targets the lower chest and triceps. With your chest already pre-exhausted, you'll feel a more intense burn in your pecs, aiding in hypertrophy.
Cable Tricep Pushdowns: Finally, finish with cable tricep pushdowns. By the time you reach this exercise, your triceps will be fatigued from the pressing movements. This isolation exercise will ensure that the triceps are fully exhausted, contributing to muscle growth.
This exercise order is particularly helpful for people who struggle to engage their pecs during pressing movements. By fatiguing the pecs first, you force them to work harder during the subsequent exercises, leading to massive growth.
How to Build Strength
If your primary goal is to build strength, the exercise order changes. Here, you want to prioritize compound movements that allow you to lift the most weight while your muscles are fresh. For the same four exercises, the order should be:
Dumbbell Bench Press: Start with the dumbbell bench press. Since your muscles are fresh, you’ll be able to lift the most weight and focus on building strength in your chest and triceps. The dumbbell bench press is a compound movement that recruits multiple muscle groups, making it ideal for strength building.
Dips: After the bench press, move on to dips. Dips are another compound movement that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders. Performing them second allows you to continue lifting heavy and focusing on building strength.
Cable Chest Flies: Following the compound exercises, move on to cable chest flies. By this point, your chest muscles will be fatigued, and the flies will serve as a great isolation movement to fully exhaust the pecs.
Cable Tricep Pushdowns: Finally, finish with cable tricep pushdowns. This isolation exercise will ensure that your triceps are fully exhausted, supporting overall strength development.
In this order, the focus is on maximizing the amount of weight you can lift during the compound movements, which is essential for building strength. The isolation exercises are performed last to fully fatigue the muscles.
WILDCARD - What If I Want to Build My Bench Press?
If your primary goal is to improve your bench press, the exercise order should be adjusted to prioritize movements that directly contribute to this lift. The recommended order is:
Dips: Start with dips. While dips are not the same as a bench press, they have a significant impact on the bench press by targeting the lower chest and triceps. Performing dips first will pre-exhaust these muscles, making the bench press more challenging and effective.
Dumbbell Bench Press: Following dips, move on to the dumbbell bench press. By now, your triceps and chest will be fatigued, requiring them to work harder during the press. This will directly translate to improvements in your barbell bench press.
Cable Chest Flies: After the bench press, perform cable chest flies. This exercise will continue to target the chest, ensuring that it is fully exhausted by the end of the workout.
Cable Tricep Pushdowns: Finally, finish with cable tricep pushdowns. This exercise will fully exhaust the triceps, which are crucial for a strong bench press.
This exercise order prioritizes movements that have the most carryover to the bench press, ensuring that you maximize your strength and performance in this specific lift.
Conclusion
Exercise order is not something to be taken lightly. Whether your goal is to build size, strength, or improve a specific lift like the bench press, the sequence in which you perform exercises can make a significant difference in your results. By understanding your goals and tailoring your workouts accordingly, you can maximize your performance and achieve the results you desire.