Diet Lose Weight /Exercises / Workout Advice

Programming Brief: Exercise Order

Exercise Advice

Here's a great article about exercises which talks about all the ways that exercise helps you lose weight and get in shape fast. Basically, the healthier your diet and the more calories you burn by increasing your metabolism, the more weight you'll lose. Of course, with some extra help from a real good workout program, things will go even faster. Read on for more advice on finding the best exercises for you.

One of the fundamental principles of exercise prescription, specifically resistance training, is the principle of exercise order. Which exercises do I do first? Which do I do last? Does exercise order really matter? From personal observations in the weight room, it would seem to many it doesn't matter. However, if you want an effective exercise program you must consider the order of the exercises.Multi-joint ExercisesAs a general rule you should perform complex multi-joint exercises first in your exercise routine while you are fresh. Typically, multi-joint movements require more skill and energy to perform. Such exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups.

Nothing annoys me more than seeing someone perform bicep curls until their head explodes, then go right into lat pulldowns (notice, lat pulldowns, not pull-ups…anyone who does pull-ups knows better than to work their biceps beforehand).Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Such is the case when using the pre-exhaustion technique. For example, perform a set of dumbbell flys to exhaust the pectorals then going directly to a set of bench press. In this case, however, you are pre-exhausting the larger muscle group, not the smaller muscle group.Single-joint ExercisesSince single-joint movements typically require less skill to perform and are not as taxing on the body, perform them after multi-joint exercises. Performing single-joint movements at the end of a workout session will ensure a more efficient and effective routine.

TIP: As you can tell by reading this, there's a lot of stuff to know when you're deciding whether or not to use this approach. In the meantime, be careful choosing which foods you eat, determine how much fat is in a serving portion, and balance your body's nutritional requirements so as to maximize fat reduction over total weight loss.

Of course, there will be exceptions, which should be addressed on an individual basis.Note: Agility drills & Olympic lifts have been excluded from the discussion of exercise order. However, typically agility drills & Olympic lifts, respectively, should be performed before multi-joint exercises.

Chad Anderson, CSCS operates an online fitness programming and in-home personal training service. He holds a BS degree in exercise science with a minor in nutrition and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. You can visit his website at www.afitsolutions.com.chad@afitsolutions.com

Zone Diet Information - Details of this popular weight loss system - Find out what the experts say about losing weight by eating fewer starchy foods and more meat, vegetables, and fruit.

Ten Weight Loss Tips - These ten tips will help you lose weight fast - Weight loss works faster when you cleanse your system, drink plenty of water, and increase your fiber intake.

Hoodia Diet Pill - All about the Hoodia diet pill - Weight loss advice on using Hoodia Gordonii to safely suppress your appetite.