To maximize the muscle building process you want to make sure you order your exercises properly. Here is a suggested order for you to follow:
- Technical Lifts – Begin each workout with highly technical movements such as Olympic lifts – overhead squats, snatch, clean and jerk, etc. You want to perform the most technical of movements when fresh, reducing risk of injury.
- Taxing Compound Lifts – Squats, deadlifts, bench press. These types of taxing exercises should come next. Again, the point is to be as fresh as possible so you can utilize the best form and greatest amount of weight.
- Compound or Machine Movements – Now that the hardest and most technical work has been done, you want to next work any remaining compound or taxing machine movements such as rows, dips, or machine presses, etc.
- Isolation Exercises – These are the lightest exercises in your training day, and can include dumbbell isolation lifts, cable movements and machine exercises such as a pec deck.
Here is an example that utilizes the above protocol for a back training day:
- Power Cleans
- Deadlift
- Dumbbell Rows
- Pull Ups
- Straight Arm Lat Pull Down
