There’s more to designing a workout than exercise selection. Often overlooked by exercisers who create their own programs is the matter of exercise order, which can impact fatigue, focus, efficiency, and the overall efficacy of a workout.
Some parts of a workout have their clear place in any session. For instance, a warm-up and cool-down are obvious bookends to a longer routine. But what about mobility, strength, cardio, skills practice, and core work? Where — or, rather, when — do they fit in?
Like so many things in fitness, there is no one perfect sequence to follow. Rather, there are guidelines that can help maximize your results — and decrease your risk of injury.
“When you have a workout structure — even if it’s a loose one — it’s easier to adhere to that plan and track your program so you can see your progress,” says Lee Boyce, CPT, a strength coach based in Toronto.
The following sequence is a jumping-off point for building your own workouts. Depending on your goals and schedule, some days might include all the listed components, while other sessions may include only a nonnegotiable few.
“Identify what is most important for the day, and structure your workout to support that priority,” says Mike Thomson, CPT, a Life Time run and strength coach.
Exercise Order Cheat Sheet:
- Warm-Up
- Mobility
- Skill and Power Work
- Strength or Cardio — or Both
- Core Training
- Cool-Down
1) Warm-Up
The purpose of a warm-up is to “lubricate your joints, get muscle temperature and heart rate up, practice the movement patterns you’ll be doing in the workout, and get the nervous system ready to go,” Boyce says.
No matter the focus of your training session — cardio or strength — experts generally agree that warming up is a must.
Devote the first five to 10 minutes of any session to zones 1 and 2 cardio and to dynamic stretches. This can include light cardio to raise your heart rate, like walking, jogging, cycling, or rowing, as well as dynamic movements, like walking knee hugs, leg swings, arm circles, and hip openers.
“This [effort] should not fatigue you but warm up your body to sweat. It’s like the tin man getting lubed up,” explains Thomson. (For a dynamic, full-body warm-up routine, check out “The Perfect Warm-Up.”)
2) Mobility
Targeted mobility work that focuses on further lubricating the joints and fascia is not always required, but it’s a powerful way to extend your warm-up and help you target body parts that need extra attention or will be the focus of the day’s main work.
Even five minutes of mobility exercises can significantly relieve tightness and prepare you to move with more load or intensity.
Some favorites include the seated 90/90 stretch, a hip opener that calls for sitting on the floor with the knees forming 90-degree angles, and shoulder controlled articular rotations (also known as CAR), which improve the functional range of the shoulder joint. (Find these and other exercises to improve mobility in your hips, ankles, shoulders, and elsewhere at “Mobility for Healthy Aging.”)
3) Skill and Power Work
Are you working to improve specific skills or power movements? These might include double-unders, box jumps, Turkish get-ups, handstands, Olympic lifts (barbell snatches and clean and jerks), or other movements that require a blend of mental focus and physical precision. If so, the best time to practice these, Thomson says, is early in the training session when you’re warmed up and still mentally and physically fresh and focused.
Most people will want to incorporate skill and power work after their warm-up/mobility exercises and before commencing a strength session. “This is when your muscles are fresh and your nervous system is at its most capable,” he explains.
How long you spend on this portion of your workout depends on the particular skill you’re working on; Thomson says it might take anywhere from five to 20 minutes. While there are no hard and fast rules, unloaded skills like double-unders and other jump-rope tricks may require less time per session; movements that call for progressively adding weight, like Olympic lifts, can take more time.
4) Strength or Cardio — or Both
Strength and cardio can be (but don’t need to be) done during the same session on the same day. In fact, Boyce often advises clients to split up these modalities because doing both effectively can be overwhelming; they take up a lot of time and can unnecessarily drain energy.
He finds that most people with general health and longevity goals benefit most from strength training three times a week and doing a form of cardio they enjoy twice a week. Dedicate 40 to 45 minutes to this work per training session. Even with the addition of a warm-up and cool-down, “you’ll be in and out of the gym inside an hour,” Boyce says.
If you’re planning to combine cardio and strength in one session, prioritize your goal. If you’re aiming to build strength, start with strength. If you’re training for an endurance event, like a marathon, start with your cardio routine. “Whatever is most important to you should be done first,” says Thomson.
If you’re aiming to build strength, start with strength. If you’re training for an endurance event, like a marathon, start with your cardio routine. “Whatever is most important to you should be done first,” says Thomson.
If you’re not training for a specific goal or event — say, your goal is to improve both strength and endurance, or you’re trying to increase muscle mass or change your body composition — lifting first maximizes your efforts and manages fatigue.
“You want to do strength when your system hasn’t been compromised or fatigued by anything else,” says Boyce. This helps ensure that you maintain your intensity and good form.
5) Core Training
The sequencing of core exercises depends on the broader context of your workout. Core work can be grouped with strength moves as accessory exercises: biceps curls paired with side planks, for example, or a circuit of step-ups, lunges, and plank shoulder taps.
Many core exercises can fatigue the abdominal, hip, and pelvic muscles to the point of compromising stability for heavier lifting and endurance efforts. With that in mind, exercises like hanging leg raises, plank variations, Pallof presses, dead bugs, and bird dogs are a great way to finish your workout.
Alternatively, you can do a standalone core workout on a day separate from your main strength and cardio.(For a standing ab workout that’s designed to build a strong, functional core, head to “The Standing Ab Workout.”)
6) Cool-Down
Just as a warm-up is important for gradually increasing blood flow and activating the nervous system, a cool-down can help you return to a resting state. If you’re tempted to skip it, don’t. All it takes is five minutes to begin integrating your hard work and start the recovery process, says Boyce.
Thomson agrees: “Your best recovery begins with a cool-down.”
Begin with light cardio to lower an elevated heart rate. Do some long-hold static stretches. If you like foam rolling, this is a good time to do it. Close out with a short meditation to further slow down your breathing and calm your nervous system.
“Gentle cardio, static stretching, and deep breathing is the recipe for optimizing recovery,” Thomson says. (Find a four-move cool-down flow at “4 Cool-Down Exercises.”)
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Very good suggestions. However I need 90 minutes to feel great. Just like I need a 90-minute massage once a month to feel great.