Exercise order, or exercise sequence, refers to the arrangement of exercises in a workout session to optimize energy, performance, and training outcomes. Proper exercise order is crucial for maximizing energy use, ensuring safety, and achieving specific fitness goals, such as strength gains or muscle hypertrophy.
Exercise order depends on the goal. Strength routines prioritize heavy squats or bench presses, followed by compound movements, technical lifts, accessory exercises, and core work. Hypertrophy routines begin with compound exercises for large muscle groups, proceed to moderately technical movements, accessory compounds, isolation exercises, and conclude with high-rep metabolic stress movements.
Exercise sequences adapt to workout splits, including full-body, upper-lower, and push-pull-legs routines.
The nine key steps on how to order exercises in a workout are listed below.
- Start With Goal-Focused Exercises: Begin with exercises directly aligned with primary fitness goals, such as improving strength or muscle mass.
- Prioritize Higher-Intensity Exercises: Focus on heavy, energy-demanding lifts before lower-intensity exercises.
- Perform Compound Exercises Before Isolation Exercises: Execute multi-joint movements first for optimal strength and hypertrophy outcomes.
- Begin With More Technical Exercises: Start with lifts requiring precision and coordination, such as Olympic lifts.
- Use Free Weight Exercises Before Machine-Based Exercises: Engage stabilizing muscles with free weights before using machines.
- Alternate Opposing Muscle Exercises: Pair agonist and antagonist exercises for efficiency and balance.
- Group Exercises That Use the Same Type of Equipment Together: Streamline workouts by minimizing equipment changes.
- Complete Resistance Training Before Cardio: Preserve strength and focus for weightlifting before engaging in aerobic activities.
- Save Ab Exercises for the End of Your Workout: Maintain core stability for earlier movements and avoid premature fatigue.
1. Start With Goal-Focused Exercises
Start with goal-focused exercises that align with primary fitness objectives, such as building strength, increasing muscle mass, or improving athletic performance. Examples include compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, which are effective for strength and hypertrophy goals.
Research supports the importance of exercise order. Studies like “Exercise Order in Resistance Training” by Simão et al. (2012) demonstrate that starting with high-priority exercises enhances strength and hypertrophy. Similarly, the study “Influence of Exercise Order on Maximum Strength and Muscle Volume in Nonlinear Periodized Resistance Training” by J. Spineti et al. (2010) concludes that if an exercise is critical to training goals, it should be performed first in the session, regardless of whether it targets large or small muscle groups. These exercises activate multiple muscle groups and efficiently drive measurable progress.
Performing goal-focused exercises at the start of a workout session ensures peak energy levels are utilized effectively, maximizing performance and adaptation as fatigue remains minimal.
2. Prioritize Higher-Intensity Exercises Before Lower-Intensity Exercises
Prioritize higher-intensity exercises before lower-intensity exercises to direct energy and focus toward movements demanding maximum effort and load.
Exercise intensity refers to the load, effort, and energy expenditure required to perform an activity. Higher-intensity exercises, such as heavy squats, deadlifts, or sprint intervals, involve greater loads, engaging large muscle groups and consuming more energy. Performing these exercises first maximizes energy availability, and enhances focus.
Exercises targeting large muscle groups, such as squats or deadlifts, should precede those for smaller muscle groups to promote efficient energy use and optimize overall workout outcomes. In contrast, lower-intensity exercises like bodyweight movements or steady-state cardio require less energy and effort, typically targeting smaller muscle groups or emphasizing endurance.
3. Perform Compound Exercises Before Isolation Exercises
Perform compound exercises before isolation exercises to ensure optimal energy and strength are available for movements requiring greater effort and coordination.
Compound exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups, involve multiple joints and muscle groups. These movements build overall strength, improve functional performance, and stimulate higher energy expenditure.
Prioritizing compound exercises allows for maximum performance in movements that contribute the most to overall strength and muscle growth. Performing these first ensures that energy levels and focus are not diminished by fatigue from smaller, less demanding movements. Compound movements performed early in a session optimize strength and hypertrophy outcomes, as they require greater neuromuscular coordination and energy.
Research highlights that exercise order significantly affects performance and adaptations. The study “Exercise Order in Resistance Training” by Simão et al. (2012). emphasizes that in terms of chronic adaptations, greater strength increases were evident in untrained subjects for the first exercise of a given sequence, while strength increases were inhibited for the last exercise in the sequence.
4. Begin With More Technical Exercises Before Simpler Exercises
Begin with more technical exercises that require precise technique, coordination, and neuromuscular control, including Olympic lifts like snatches, clean and jerks, or movements like kettlebell swings.
These exercises necessitate high levels of concentration and control to be executed safely and effectively. Prioritizing such exercises at the start of a workout ensures peak energy levels and mental alertness, reducing the risk of injury while promoting better skill acquisition.
In contrast, simpler exercises, such as dumbbell curls or machine-based movements, have fewer technical demands and are easier to perform. Beginning with simpler exercises, however, may lead to fatigue that compromises form and increases the risk of injury during complex movements. To maximize coordination and focus, starting with technical exercises before simpler ones is essential.
5. Use Free Weight Exercises Before Machine-Based Exercises
Use free weight exercises before machine-based exercises to maximize muscle engagement and coordination during a workout. Free weight exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses, require balance, stabilization, and the engagement of multiple muscle groups.
Performing free weight exercises first targets multiple muscle groups simultaneously enhances functional strength and improves balance and coordination. Starting with free weight movements ensures optimal energy and focus for higher-coordination exercises, while machine-based exercises, like leg presses or chest presses, provide guided movements to isolate specific muscles with reduced fatigue-related risks.
Beginning with machine-based exercises, however, can fatigue stabilizing muscles, reducing the effectiveness and safety of free weight movements. Using free weights before machines maximizes muscle engagement and coordination throughout a workout.
6. Alternate Opposing Muscle Exercises (Agonist vs. Antagonist)
Alternate opposing muscle exercises (agonist vs. antagonist) to improve workout efficiency and balance between muscle groups.
Agonist muscles serve as the primary movers in an exercise, while antagonist muscles oppose their action. For instance, during a bicep curl, the biceps act as the agonist and the triceps as the antagonist.
Alternating exercises targeting these opposing muscle groups, such as performing a set of bench presses for the chest followed by bent-over rows for the back, allows one group to recover while the other is engaged. This approach reduces rest time, enhances efficiency, promotes balanced strength development, and minimizes the risk of muscular imbalances.
Examples include pairing push exercises like push-ups with pull exercises like pull-ups or alternating leg extensions for the quadriceps with leg curls for the hamstrings.
7. Group Exercises That Use the Same Type of Equipment Together
Group exercises that use the same equipment, such as barbells, dumbbells, or machines, in consecutive sets to streamline workout flow and reduce downtime.
For example, performing barbell squats followed by barbell overhead presses ensures efficient use of the barbell without needing to switch equipment. Similarly, using a barbell for deadlifts and bent-over rows, pairing dumbbell bench presses with dumbbell lateral raises, or combining leg press and calf raises on the same machine minimizes transitions and saves time.
Grouping exercises by equipment reduces unnecessary interruptions, maintains workout intensity, and improves organization in busy gym settings by avoiding delays caused by waiting for equipment.
8. Complete Resistance Training Exercises Before Cardio
Complete resistance training exercises before cardio to preserve strength and energy for weightlifting while maximizing overall workout effectiveness.
Resistance training involves exercises that use external loads, such as weights or resistance bands, to build strength, muscle mass, and endurance. Performing resistance training first ensures that energy and focus are directed toward strength-based movements, which demand greater effort and coordination.
In contrast, cardio focuses on aerobic activity to improve cardiovascular health and endurance, but performing it before resistance training can deplete energy stores, reducing performance and potentially compromising form during weightlifting.
Starting a workout with barbell squats, deadlifts, or pull-ups, followed by cardio activities like running, cycling, or rowing, ensures that strength development is prioritized while still allowing time for cardiovascular benefits.
9. Save Ab Exercises for the End of Your Workout
Save ab exercises for the end of your workout to maintain core stability and energy for compound movements earlier in the session.
Ab exercises target the muscles of the core, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transversus abdominus, and play a crucial role in improving core strength and stability. Performing these exercises at the end of a workout preserves core strength for compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, or overhead presses, which rely heavily on a stable core for proper execution and injury prevention. Fatiguing the core too early in a session can compromise performance and stability during these key exercises.
Examples of ab exercises include planks, crunches, and hanging leg raises. Finishing a workout with exercises like planks, cable crunches, or ab rollouts after completing strength training ensures that the core is effectively trained without taking away from earlier movements.
Why Is Exercise Order Important?
Reasons why exercise order is important are listed below.
- Energy Optimization: Performing demanding exercises like squats or deadlifts early ensures maximum energy and focus for these movements.
- Maximized Strength Gains: Starting with compound or goal-specific exercises enhances strength development and neuromuscular adaptations.
- Injury Prevention: Proper sequencing, such as doing technical exercises first, minimizes fatigue-related form breakdown and reduces injury risk.
- Workout Efficiency: Grouping similar exercises or using equipment strategically saves time and maintains workout intensity.
- Balanced Development: Alternating opposing muscle groups (agonist vs. antagonist) promotes balanced muscle strength and reduces imbalances.
What Is the Ideal Exercise Order for Strength Training?
The ideal exercise order for strength training involves sequencing exercises to maximize performance, energy use, and strength gains.
The recommended exercise order for strength training is presented below.
- Goal-Specific Exercises: Start with movements targeting specific training goals, such as improving strength in a particular lift (e.g., squat, bench press, or deadlift).
- Compound Movements: Perform multi-joint exercises like bench presses or squats to engage multiple muscle groups and maximize strength development.
- Technical Exercises: Include movements like Olympic lifts or kettlebell swings that require precision and coordination.
- Free Weight Exercises: Use exercises involving stabilization and balance, such as dumbbell presses, dumbbell rows, or lunges.
- Isolation Movements: Add single-joint exercises, like bicep curls or tricep extensions, for targeted muscle development.
- Core Exercises: Finish with ab exercises like planks or leg raises to improve core stability and avoid compromising stability during earlier lifts.
An example of a workout for increasing bench press strength is shown in the table below.
| Exercise Type | Exercise Example | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval | Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goal-Specific Exercise | Bench Press | 5 | 3-5 | 4-5 minutes | 80-90% |
| Compound Movement | Incline Dumbbell Press | 4 | 6-8 | 2-3 minures | 65-75% |
| Technical Exercise | Paused Bench Press | 3 | 3 | 3 minutes | 75-85% |
| Free Weight Accessory | Dumbbell Rows | 3 | 8-10 | 2 minutes | 60-70% |
| Isolation Movement | Tricep Pushdowns | 3 | 10-12 | 2 minutes | 50-60% |
This workout plan incorporates optimal rest intervals and intensity levels to promote strength development, focus, and recovery between sets. The heavier, goal-specific lifts are performed at higher intensities with longer rest, while accessory and isolation exercises are lighter and use shorter rest periods.
What Is the Ideal Exercise Order for Hypertrophy?
The ideal exercise order for hypertrophy focuses on structuring exercises to maximize muscle engagement, fatigue, and muscle growth in specific muscle groups.
The recommended exercise order for hypertrophy is presented below.
- Compound Movements: Begin with multi-joint exercises like bench presses, squats, and pull-ups to target large muscle groups and maximize muscle fiber recruitment.
- Moderately Technical Exercises: Follow with movements like incline presses, lunges, or barbell rows that require coordination and precision.
- Accessory Compound Exercises: Incorporate smaller compound movements, such as dumbbell presses, leg presses, or seated cable rows, to focus on specific areas.
- Isolation Movements: Use single-joint exercises, like lateral raises, tricep extensions, or leg extensions, to target individual muscles.
- Finishing Exercises: Conclude with higher-rep movements, such as pushdowns, chest flys, and calf raises, to induce metabolic stress and maximize hypertrophy.
An example of an upper-body hypertrophy workout plan is shown in the table below.
| Exercise Type | Exercise Example | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval | Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 minutes | Bench Press | 4 | 8-10 | 3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Moderately Technical Movement | Barbell Row | 4 | 8-10 | 3 minures | 65-75% |
| Accessory Compound Movement | Dumbbell Incline Press | 3 | 10-12 | 3 minutes | 60-70% |
| Isolation Movement | Lateral Raises | 3 | 12-15 | 2 minutes | 50-60% |
| Finishing Exercise | Biceps Curls | 3 | 15-20 | 2 minutes | 40-50% |
| Finishing Exercise | Tricep Pushdowns | 3 | 15-20 | 2 minutes | 40-50% |
This plan strategically emphasizes large muscle groups first, then progresses to targeted accessory and isolation exercises, ending with high-rep finishing movements to maximize hypertrophy through fatigue and metabolic stress.
What Is the Best Order to Work Out Muscle Groups?
The recommended order to work out muscle groups is listed below.
- Large Muscle Groups: Begin with exercises targeting major muscle groups, such as the chest, back, and legs. These muscles require the most energy and engage multiple joints.
- Smaller Supporting Muscles: Focus on secondary muscles like the shoulders, biceps, and triceps, which assist during compound movements and benefit from pre-fatigue.
- Core Muscles: Optionally, conclude with exercises for the core, such as planks or leg raises, to avoid compromising stability during earlier lifts.
Which Muscle Groups Should Be Worked Out Together?
Muscle groups should be worked out together based on complementary movements and recovery needs. Pairing related or opposing muscles ensures efficient workouts and balanced development.
Traditional muscle group pairings are listed below.
- Chest and Triceps: These muscles work together during pushing movements like bench presses and push-ups.
- Back and Biceps: Both are engaged during pulling exercises like rows and pull-ups.
- Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, and Calves): Lower-body exercises like squats and deadlifts target these groups collectively.
- Shoulders and Abs: Often paired for efficient upper-body and core-focused sessions.
Alternative muscle group pairing options are listed below.
- Push and Pull (e.g., Chest and Back): Alternating opposing muscle groups improves recovery and balance within a session.
- Upper Body and Lower Body: Combining exercises like squats with pull-ups creates a full-body workout.
- Agonist-Antagonist (e.g., Biceps and Triceps): Alternating between opposing muscle groups enhances recovery and increases efficiency.
What Is the Ideal Exercise Order for Different Workout Splits?
The exercise order in a workout split depends on the structure of the routine, prioritizing exercises that align with the split’s focus. The split determines which muscle groups or movements are emphasized each day, affecting how exercises are sequenced for optimal performance and recovery.
Recommended exercise order for common workout splits is listed below.
- Full Body Workout Order: A full-body workout engages all major muscle groups in a single session, starting with energy-intensive compound lifts like squats and bench presses, followed by accessory and core exercises.
- Push Day Exercise Order: A push day targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps with a focus on movements like bench presses and overhead presses, progressing to accessory exercises such as lateral raises and tricep pushdowns.
- Pull Day Exercise Order: A pull day focuses on the back, biceps, and rear deltoids with compound exercises like deadlifts and pull-ups, followed by isolation movements like face pulls and bicep curls.
- Leg Day Exercise Order: A leg day workout emphasizes the lower body, starting with compound lifts like squats and Romanian deadlifts and progressing to accessory and isolation exercises such as hamstring curls and calf raises.
- Upper Body Day Exercise Order: An upper body workout targets the chest, back, shoulders, and arms with primary lifts like bench presses and pull-ups, followed by accessory movements such as dumbbell presses and tricep pushdowns.
Full Body Workout Order
A full-body workout targets all major muscle groups in a single session, combining compound and isolation exercises to build strength, endurance, and balance across the entire body.
An example of a full-body workout and exercise order is shown in the table below.
| Exercise Example | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval | Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squats | 4 | 6-8 | 3-4 minutes | 75-85% |
| Bench Press | 4 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Barbell Rows | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 10-12 | 2 minutes | 60-70% |
| Plank Holds | 3 | 30-60 sec | 2 minutes | Bodyweight or Weighted |
Push Day Exercise Order
A push-day workout focuses on exercises targeting the pushing muscles of the upper body, including the chest, shoulders, and triceps. These exercises involve movements that push the weight away from the body, such as presses and extensions.
An example of a push-day workout and exercise order is shown in the table below.
| Exercise Example | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval | Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 4 | 6-8 | 3-4 minutes | 75-85% |
| Overhead Press | 4 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Dips (Weighted or Bodyweight) | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Lateral Raises | 3 | 12-15 | 2 minutes | 50-60% |
| Tricep Pushdowns | 3 | 15-20 | 2 minutes | 40-50% |
Pull Day Exercise Order
A pull day workout focuses on exercises targeting the pulling muscles of the upper body, including the back, biceps, and rear deltoids. These exercises involve pulling weight toward the body, such as rows and pull-ups.
An example of a pull day workout and exercise order is shown in the table below.
| Exercise Example | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval | Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deadlifts | 4 | 4-6 | 4 minutes | 80-90% |
| Pull-Ups (Weighted or Bodyweight) | 3 | 6-8 | 2-3 minutes | 75-85% |
| Barbell Rows | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Face Pulls | 3 | 12-15 | 2 minutes | 50-60% |
| Bicep Curls | 3 | 15-20 | 2 minutes | 40-50% |
Leg Day Exercise Order
A leg day workout focuses on exercises targeting the muscles of the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
An example of a leg day workout and exercise order is shown in the table below.
| Exercise Example | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval | Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squats | 4 | 6-8 | 4 minutes | 75-85% |
| Romanian Deadlifts | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10-12 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Hamstring Curls | 3 | 12-15 | 2 minutes | 50-60% |
| Calf Raises | 3 | 15-20 | 2 minutes | 40-50% |
Upper Body Day Exercise Order
An upper body workout targets the major muscle groups of the upper body, including the chest, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps.
An example of a leg day workout and exercise order is shown in the table below.
| Exercise Example | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval | Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 4 | 6-8 | 4 minutes | 75-85% |
| Pull-Ups (Weighted or Bodyweight) | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Overhead Press | 3 | 8-10 | 2-3 minutes | 65-75% |
| Dumbbell Incline Press | 3 | 10-12 | 2 minutes | 60-70% |
| Tricep Pushdowns | 3 | 15-20 | 2 minutes | 40-50% |
| Bicep Curls | 3 | 15-20 | 2 minutes | 40-50% |
How to Organize and Track Exercise Order Using Workout Templates?
Workout templates are pre-designed formats that outline exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, and progression strategies to guide and track workouts systematically.
Follow the steps below to organize and track exercise order.
- Choose the Right Template: Select a workout template that suits your workout style, such as full-body, push/pull/legs, or upper/lower splits.
- Input Exercise Order: Organize exercises based on your workout goals, starting with goal-specific or compound movements, followed by accessory and isolation exercises.
- Specify Details: Add sets, reps, rest periods, and weight to each exercise.
- Track Progress: Update the template after each session with weights used, completed reps, or personal notes to monitor progress and adjust as needed.
- Use Digital Features: If using templates like those in Google Sheets, Excel, and Notion, leverage features like drop-down menus, and auto-calculations to streamline tracking and analysis.
At GF Workout Zone, you can access a variety of workout templates in formats like Google Sheets, Excel, Notion, and PDF. Templates are customizable for all fitness levels and goals, offering structured plans to organize and track workouts effectively.