Does the order of exercises matter?

When completing a resistance training session, it is typically best for the sequencing to first focus on large muscles and complex exercises and then progress down to smaller muscle groups and isolated exercises.

Your bigger muscle groups are your hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, back, and chest.

If you exercise your small muscles first, you limit your ability to overload your large muscles, due to fatigue of the smaller, supportive muscles. Because working a muscle to fatigue is important in building mass, working your smaller shoulder muscles first can hinder your progress in building your chest muscles.

Goals over design.

Ultimately, your workouts should be in-line with your overall goals. If your goal calls for specific work with a targeted muscle group that does not follow the larger to smaller model or requires some variation, the help of a personal trainer may be just what you are looking for! 

Learn more!