Research

Mixed

Pre-exhaustion resistance training (single-joint immediately before multi-joint) does not produce superior muscle hypertrophy or strength gains compared to traditional resistance training and may result in slightly lower hypertrophy due to reduced volume load.

If your goal is maximum muscle growth, stick to traditional resistance training (performing all sets of one exercise before moving to the next). While pre-exhaustion (doing a single-joint exercise right before a compound one) is time-efficient and viable for strength and endurance, it likely results in slightly less muscle growth because you lift less total weight (volume load) on the compound movements due to fatigue. Do not sacrifice volume load on compound lifts for the sake of pre-fatiguing muscles if hypertrophy is your primary goal.

GoodRefutesMEDIUM confidence
In conclusion, TRAD would seem to be a better option than PreEX for those seeking to optimize muscle hypertrophy. Measures of strength, power and local muscular endurance were relatively similar between conditions, suggesting that PreEx is a viable alternative to TRAD for these outcomes.
Tom Hermann et al. · 2025

Why this rating

Longitudinal, randomized controlled trial with resistance-trained participants, though the between-group difference for hypertrophy was statistically uncertain (Bayes factor supported null).

Source

Front-Loading Fatigue: Does the pre-exhaustion method influence resistance training-induced muscular adaptations?

Tom Hermann et al. · 2025

DOI 10.51224/srxiv.564

preprint · n=48
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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