With a rack, a bench and a set of dumbbells, the order in which exercises are performed is one of the few free variables in a home workout. Advice usually says large multi-joint lifts should come first, but what does the research actually show? A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis in the European Journal of Sport Science, by Nunes and colleagues, pooled studies on exercise order and strength and muscle size. This article explains what it found, what a randomised trial in older women added and what the evidence does not settle. It is general information about training, not medical advice.
What the review set out to answer
The authors aimed to review studies on the effects of exercise order on muscular strength and hypertrophy, pool the results using a random-effects meta-analysis with Hedges’ g as the effect size, and provide recommendations for prescribing exercise order. They searched four databases, included studies that measured dynamic muscular strength or muscle hypertrophy, and appraised quality with the TESTEX checklist. Eleven studies of good-to-excellent methodological quality were included. The comparison was between sessions that began with multi-joint exercises such as presses and squats and moved to single-joint exercises such as curls and extensions (MJ-to-SJ), and the reverse (SJ-to-MJ).
Strength: the first exercise gains most
When all strength tests were combined, across both multi-joint and single-joint exercises, there was no difference between the orders (effect size −0.11, p = 0.306). The differences appeared when strength gains were looked at exercise by exercise. Strength gains in multi-joint exercises were greater when the session started with multi-joint exercises (effect size 0.32, p = 0.034), while strength gains in single-joint exercises were greater when the session started with single-joint exercises (effect size −0.58, p = 0.032). The authors conclude that increases in muscular strength are largest in the exercises performed at the beginning of a session. In other words, the order matters most for the specific lifts a person most wants to improve.
Muscle size: no clear effect of order
For hypertrophy, combining site-specific and indirect measures, the meta-analysis found no significant effect of exercise order (effect size 0.03, p = 0.862). The authors conclude that both MJ-to-SJ and SJ-to-MJ orders may produce similar results for muscle growth. The wording “may” matters: this is a pooled estimate from eleven studies, not a guarantee for every person or programme.
A trial in older women
A 2020 randomised controlled trial in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, by Tomeleri and colleagues, tested the question in 44 older women. They were assigned to a non-exercise control group or to one of two 12-week programmes performed three times a week, with eight exercises of three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, in either multi-joint-to-single-joint or single-joint-to-multi-joint order. Both training groups increased strength (16.4% and 12.7% respectively) and lean soft tissue mass (7.5% and 6.1%), and the authors report that the increases were similar and that the results suggest both approaches are similarly effective in older women. This is one trial in one population, and it does not by itself say anything about younger lifters.
Applying it with home equipment
The review suggests a straightforward planning rule: put the exercise that matters most to the goal first, whether or not it is a multi-joint lift. A lifter chasing a heavier squat or press gets the best return by doing it while fresh; a session built around one weak point might place that exercise first instead. Because the muscle-growth results were similar in either order, the layout of a small home gym can often decide the order. Our guides to rest intervals between sets and training frequency cover other variables in the same programme.
What the evidence does not settle
The findings summarised here concern strength and muscle size measures; they do not cover injury risk or how order interacts with fatigue in a real-world home session. The review pooled eleven studies and the trial had 44 participants. Findings should be read as showing a tendency for the first exercise to gain most, not a rule for every situation.
Frequently asked questions
Should big lifts always come first? The review found that strength in multi-joint lifts improved more when they came first, but that strength in single-joint lifts improved more when those came first, so the answer depends on which lift is the priority.
Does order change muscle growth? The meta-analysis found no significant effect of exercise order on hypertrophy.
Does this apply to older adults? One randomised trial in older women found similar strength and lean mass gains with either order.
The bottom line
An 11-study meta-analysis found that strength gains were largest in whichever exercises were performed first in a session, and that muscle growth was similar for both orders. For a home lifter, that means placing the most important lift at the start and letting equipment layout decide the rest.
Sources
- Nunes JP et al., “What influence does resistance exercise order have on muscular strength gains and muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis,” European Journal of Sport Science, 2021
- Tomeleri CM et al., “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, 2020