Exercise & Fitness At The Gym

Why Exercise Order Matters: A 5-Step Guide to Better Workouts Exercise order can have a significant impact on the results of your workout. The key is understanding which exercises you should prioritize so that you can make the most of your time and energy. In this article, we will explore why exercise order matters and how to organize your training week for maximum gains. Disclaimer: Although we are doctors and personal trainers, we are not your doctors. The content on this site is for informational purposes only and should not substitute the advice from your healthcare professional. All kinds of exercise and dietary activities are potentially dangerous, and those who do not seek counsel from the appropriate health care authority assume the liability of any damage or injury which may occur. Please read our full Disclaimer for more information. Also, this post may contain affiliate links: meaning we may receive a commission if you use them. Okay, let’s get started. Does Exercise Order Matter? Yes – exercise order matters a lot. How you organize your workout can make a huge difference in your fitness gains. In general, the best advice is to do the most difficult exercises at the start of your workout and the easier exercises later. For example, compound (multi-joint) exercises that train large muscle groups should be the first exercises in a workout, as they require more energy than isolation (single-joint) exercises. However, depending on your goals, this might not be the best exercise order for you. Keep reading to learn more. The Ideal Exercise Sequence Here is a quick and dirty guide to an ideal order of exercise you might consider: 1. Barbell Compound exercises first (squats, bench presses, deadlifts) 2a. Dumbbell Compound exercises (dumbbell press, lunges) 2b. Bodyweight Compound exercises (pull-ups, dips) 3. Dumbbell or Machine Isolation exercises (lateral raises, tricep extensions) 4. Ab Exercises 5. Stretch or Mobility work As you can see, compound, aka multi-joint exercises, take priority. These exercises involve multiple muscle groups, use more energy, and can stimulate greater growth. Secondly, barbell exercises are the most demanding and should come before other movements. They are also the most difficult as they allow you to use heavier weights than dumbbells or machines. Once you have completed the barbell exercises, you can focus on the dumbbell or bodyweight compound exercises. Next, you can move on to isolation exercises. These single-joint movements target one muscle group at a time and use lighter weights. Finally, feel free to stretch at the end of your workout to help cool down. That said, remember that these are just general rules. What If You Are Doing More Than One Exercise From Each Category? What if your workout calls for three dumbbell compound movements on the same day? Which one should you do first? The guiding principle is: Train larger muscle groups first before smaller muscle groups! For example, squats train the quadriceps, adductors, spinal erectors, and glutes. Compare that to the shoulder press, which uses the deltoids and triceps. Another example is the biceps. Biceps are a tiny muscle group compared to the larger back muscles. So, if you are doing both biceps curls and bent-over rows in your workout, do the bent-over row as the first exercise. How To Organize Your Training Week (Weekly Workout Order) Once you have your ideal exercise sequence down, it’s time to organize your training week. To be perfectly honest, there is no ideal way to organize your week. The most important thing is to make sure you divide your exercises in a way to give each muscle group enough time to recover. I.e., give each muscle group ~48 hours of rest before working it again. Personally, I like to follow an upper/lower workout split divided into four weekly workouts. Here’s how a typical upper/lower split looks: Day 1 Upper Body Day 2 Lower Body Day 3 Rest Day Day 4 Upper Body Day 5 Lower Body Day 6 Rest Day Day 7 Rest Day However, you can also use a full-body split: Day 1 Full Body Training Day 2 Rest Day Day 3 Full Body Training Day 4 Rest Day Day 5 Full Body Training Day 6 Rest Day Day 7 Rest Day Lastly, you can also organize your workout into a push-pull-legs split: Day 1Push Day Day 2 Pull Day Day 3 Leg Day Day 4 Push Day Day 5 Pull Day Day 6 Leg Day Day 7 Rest Day I cover several examples of all of these weight training splits here. How To Choose Which Exercises To Prioritize First When it comes to choosing exercises, there are a few factors to consider: Training Goal: Why are you training? Are you trying to get stronger, build muscle, or improve athletic performance? Depending on your goal, you may prioritize specific exercises over others. Muscle Groups: What muscle groups do you want to target? If you’re trying to build a particular muscle group, start with exercises that target it. Intensity: How intense do you want to go? High-intensity exercises require more energy, so they should be done first. Time: How much time do you have available for the workout? If your time is limited, prioritize compound exercises over isolation, as they give you the most bang for your buck. Now let’s go into each of these in more detail. The Ideal Exercise Order If Strength Is Your Goal If your goal is to increase strength, do the specific compound exercises you want to improve first. Common examples include: – Squats – Deadlifts – Bench press – Pull ups/chin ups In addition, some compound exercises are more difficult than others. For instance, the squat involves more focus and coordination than a bench press. So if you were doing both in the same workout, start with squats. Here is an example full-body workout with an ideal exercise sequence for strength training: Squats 3 x 8 reps Bench Press 3 x 6 reps Pull-ups 3 x 8 reps Abs 3 x 12 reps Now, what if you want to avoid using compound exercises?

The Top Posterior Chain Exercises For Total Body Strength This post goes over the best posterior chain exercises of all time. The posterior chain comprises the glutes, hamstrings, lower back muscles, and spinal erectors. After reading this post, you will learn  the best posterior chain exercises to target each muscle group,  how to execute them correctly,  and why a strong posterior chain matters for core and posture strength.  Let’s get started. Quick Overview The posterior chain is responsible for providing stability and strength to your spine. These muscles assist in keeping you upright and balanced during your daily activities.  This chain of muscles can quickly become weak and underdeveloped if you are not performing the right exercises. Common exercises for strengthening the posterior chain include hip hinge movements like the deadlift, good morning, and hip thrust. What Exercises Target The Posterior Chain? Posterior chain exercises are any movement that engages the muscles of your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and spinal erectors. These include compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, and bent-over rows, as well as isolation movements like hamstring curls, glute bridges, and pull-throughs. The one thing that all of these exercises have in common is that they are all hip hinge movements. Let’s go over them in more detail. The Best Lower Body Posterior Chain Exercises Good morning Good mornings are one of my favorite exercises for targeting the entire posterior chain in one go. This movement involves hinging forward at the hips and lowering your torso toward the ground without bending your knees. This exercise is best with a barbell on your back, but you can also do it with lighter weights such as kettlebells or dumbbells. Use caution when doing this exercise, as it can put a lot of strain on the lower back if you do it incorrectly. *Placing the bar in your hands instead of your upper back turns this into a Romanian Deadlift. Deadlift The main traditional exercise for working your posterior chain is the deadlift. This exercise targets all the major muscle groups of the back, such as the latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, and glutes. In addition, since it requires lifting a heavy weight from the ground, deadlifts help you develop power, which is critical for sports performance and day-to-day activities. Proper form is crucial when performing a deadlift, especially when using a barbell. If you cannot keep your lumbar spine in a neutral position, you should use a lighter weight or switch to a kettlebell version of the exercise. Hip Dominant Squat Squats are one of the best exercises to strengthen your posterior chain, particularly your glutes and lower back muscles. The key is to perform a hip-dominant back squat. In other words, your hips should move back like sitting in a chair while keeping your knees behind your toes. You will also need a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance. Begin with a manageable weight before progressing to heavier loads and increasing difficulty. Keep your feet flat on the floor, your chest up, and your spine neutral while descending. Hip Thrust One lesser-known posterior chain exercise is the hip thrust. Hip thrusts use a barbell across your hips from a seated position (with your upper back resting on a bench or box). The goal is to lift the barbell towards the ceiling using explosive power from your glutes. Studies show that hip extension exercises like hip thrusts are the best way to activate the gluteus maximus and hamstrings. There are other variations besides the barbell hip thrust, such as bodyweight versions, banded, dumbbell, As always, starting with a light load is ideal as you get comfortable with the movement. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔 (@whitecoattrainer) Pull Through Pull throughs are a great exercise that targets the glutes and hamstrings while also engaging the core muscles. To do this exercise, you will need a band or a cable machine that you can anchor to a low surface. Then you will grab the cable/band between your legs and face away from it. Next, hinge forward at your hips while maintaining a straight back. This movement is similar to a Romanian deadlift. Control this exercise to really emphasize tension in the hamstrings. Kettlebell Swing Kettlebell swings are a great way to increase explosiveness and power in the hips while training the posterior chain muscles. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, holding a kettlebell in your outstretched hands with an overhand grip. The swing should start with the kettlebell between your legs as you hinge your hips. From this position, drive your hips forward, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement to propel the kettlebell forward. You must use controlled momentum to reduce the risk of injury. 45 Degree Back Raises The back raise is a fantastic exercise to include in your posterior chain workouts. It does require the use of a 45-degree back extension bench, but most gyms have one of these available. To perform the back raise, anchor yourself on the bench with your feet secured and your abs tight. Then, engage your core and lower your torso toward the floor without changing your spinal alignment. At the bottom, you should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and calves. Pause at the bottom and then lift your torso back up to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top. Hip Dominant Unilateral Exercises Unilateral leg exercises are another great way to target and strengthen the posterior chain muscles. These single leg exercises train one side of the body at a time, challenging the core stabilizers and glute region. Examples include: Lunges (using a wider step where your knee doesn’t pass your toes) Step-ups (using a variation in which your knee doesn’t pass your toes) Split squats (wide stance) Hip hinges, (such as single-leg Romanian deadlifts) These exercises also add an additional challenge of balance and stability when compared to their bilateral counterparts. Honorable Mentions Here are a few other effective exercises for