Exercise order
Exercise order is the sequence in which exercises are performed within a workout. Because earlier work is usually done with less accumulated fatigue, order can affect repetition performance, technique, load, and the quality of practice for each movement.
The most useful general rule is to place the highest-priority work early. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that strength gains tended to be greatest for exercises performed near the beginning of a session, whether those exercises were multi-joint or single-joint. The same analysis did not find a meaningful overall difference in muscle hypertrophy between multi-joint-first and single-joint-first sequences. This supports ordering exercises by the training goal rather than automatically putting every compound exercise before every isolation exercise.
For a strength goal, the relevant main lift normally comes before work that would fatigue the same muscles. Exercises requiring speed, coordination, or precise technique also generally benefit from being performed while fresh. For hypertrophy, put a lagging or otherwise prioritized muscle early if later fatigue reduces the effort or repetitions you can give it. Less important accessory work can follow.
There are deliberate exceptions. Pre-fatigue places an isolation movement before a compound movement, and a superset alternates exercises to save time or create a specific fatigue pattern. Rehabilitation instructions, equipment availability, crowded gyms, and the need to warm up progressively may also change the sequence. These are programming choices, not proof that one universal order is best.
Keep the order reasonably consistent when comparing performance across workouts. Moving an exercise from first to fifth can lower its repetitions or load even when fitness has not declined. If you change the sequence, note it in the training record and interpret the next few sessions in that context. Exercise selection determines which movements belong in the session; order determines which of them receives your freshest effort.