Research
Neural
Starting an exercise session with multi-joint (MJ) exercises leads to greater strength gains in MJ exercises compared to starting with single-joint (SJ) exercises (ES = 0.32; p = 0.034).
Practitioners should prioritize MJ exercises at the beginning of training sessions for optimal strength gains.
StrongSupportsmedium confidence
there was a difference between the MJ‐to‐SJ and SJ‐to‐MJ orders for strength gains in the MJ exercises, favouring starting the exercise session with MJ exercises (ES = 0.32; p = 0.034)
Why this rating
Based on a meta-analysis of studies with good-to-excellent methodological quality.
Source
What influence does resistance exercise order have on muscular strength gains and muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta‐analysis
João Pedro Nunes et al. · European Journal of Sport Science · 2020
DOI 10.1080/17461391.2020.1733672
Meta-analysisCited 93×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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