What Is the Best Exercise Order for a Full Body Workout

The Order That Makes You 20% Stronger (Without Lifting More)

The best exercise order for a full body workout is a 3-part sequence, moving from large, neurologically demanding movements down to small, single-joint movements. This simple shift from big to small can instantly increase your usable strength by up to 20% on your most important lifts. If you’ve been walking into the gym and just doing whatever machine is open first, or starting with bicep curls because they’re fun, you’re leaving massive results on the table. You feel tired halfway through, your main lifts never seem to improve, and the whole session feels chaotic. That’s not a lack of effort; it’s a lack of strategy. Your body has a finite amount of high-quality energy for each workout. Using that energy on a small muscle group like triceps first is like using your phone's full battery charge to play a simple game, leaving you with 10% battery to navigate a cross-country road trip. By flipping the order, you apply your peak power where it matters most-on the exercises that build the most muscle and burn the most calories. The rest of the workout is just details.

The Hidden Energy Drain Killing Your Workouts

Why does doing bicep curls before pull-ups sabotage your strength? It’s not just about tired arms. The real culprit is your Central Nervous System (CNS). Think of your CNS as the power grid for your body. Big, compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and the bench press are like skyscrapers-they draw a massive amount of power from the grid. Isolation exercises like lateral raises or leg extensions are like small houses; they draw very little. When you perform a heavy squat, your brain has to coordinate hundreds of muscles, stabilize your spine, and manage balance. This is incredibly taxing on the CNS. If you do this first, when your CNS is fresh, you can lift your true maximum. But if you do three or four smaller exercises first, you create low-level neurological fatigue. Each one is a small drain. By the time you get to squats, your CNS is already operating at 80% capacity. Your legs might be fresh, but the 'power grid' can't send a strong enough signal to them. This is why your 225-pound squat feels like 275 pounds at the end of a workout. You didn’t get weaker; you just mismanaged your energy. The number one mistake people make is treating all exercises as equal. They are not. A set of heavy deadlifts demands 10 times the neurological resources of a set of calf raises. Respecting this energy hierarchy is the key to unlocking consistent strength gains.

Tired of guessing? Track it.

Mofilo tracks food, workouts, and your purpose. Download today.

The 3-Step Sequence: Your Exact Full Body Blueprint

Stop guessing and follow this proven structure for every full-body session. This blueprint ensures you get the maximum return on your effort, every single time. The workout is divided into three distinct blocks, performed in this exact order.

Step 1: The Power Block (1-2 Exercises)

This is the start of your workout. Your goal here is strength and progressive overload. You will perform the most neurologically demanding compound exercise first. Your energy and focus are at their absolute peak.

• What to do: Choose ONE primary lift for the day. Alternate between a lower-body focus and an upper-body focus each session.
• Examples: Barbell Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Weighted Pull-ups, Barbell Rows.
• Sets & Reps: 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 heavy repetitions.
• Rest: 2-3 minutes between sets. You need this time for your CNS and muscles to recover for the next heavy effort.
• Example: If today's focus is lower body, your first exercise is Barbell Squats for 4 sets of 6 reps.

Step 2: The Accessory Block (2-3 Exercises)

After your main lift, you move to accessory or secondary compound movements. These are still multi-joint exercises but are less taxing than the Power Block lifts. They help build muscle mass and support your main lifts without completely frying your CNS.

• What to do: Choose 2 or 3 exercises that complement your primary lift or work opposing muscle groups.
• Examples: Dumbbell Bench Press, Lunges, Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs), Lat Pulldowns, Seated Cable Rows.
• Sets & Reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
• Rest: 60-90 seconds between sets.
• Example: After your squats, you might do Romanian Deadlifts for 3 sets of 10 and Dumbbell Bench Press for 3 sets of 12.

Step 3: The Finisher/Isolation Block (2-3 Exercises)

This is the final part of your workout. Your CNS is fatigued, and your major muscle groups have done their heavy work. Now is the time for single-joint isolation movements to target smaller muscles and for core work. These require low neurological demand and are safe to perform in a fatigued state.

• What to do: Choose 2 or 3 exercises for muscles you want to bring up, like arms, shoulders, or calves, plus one core exercise.
• Examples: Bicep Curls, Tricep Pushdowns, Lateral Raises, Face Pulls, Planks, Leg Raises.
• Sets & Reps: 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
• Rest: 30-60 seconds between sets. The goal here is metabolic stress (the 'pump').
• Example: To finish, you do Bicep Curls for 3 sets of 15, Tricep Pushdowns for 3 sets of 15, and 3 sets of a 45-second plank.

Sample Workout A (Lower Body Focus):

1. Power: Barbell Squats - 4 sets of 6 reps
2. Accessory: Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets of 10 reps
3. Accessory: Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets of 12 reps
4. Isolation: Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 15 reps
5. Isolation: Leg Raises - 3 sets to failure

Sample Workout B (Upper Body Focus):

1. Power: Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets of 6 reps
2. Accessory: Romanian Deadlifts - 3 sets of 10 reps
3. Accessory: Seated Cable Rows - 3 sets of 12 reps
4. Isolation: Bicep Curls - 3 sets of 15 reps
5. Isolation: Tricep Pushdowns - 3 sets of 15 reps

You read this far. You're serious.

Track food, workouts, and your purpose with Mofilo. Download today.

What Your First 4 Weeks Will Look and Feel Like

Adopting this new exercise order will feel different, and progress won't always be linear. Here is the honest timeline of what to expect so you don't get discouraged.

• Week 1: It Feels 'Backwards'. Your first few workouts using this structure will feel strange. You'll be amazed at how strong you feel on your first exercise (e.g., squats). But by the time you get to bicep curls, your arms might feel weaker than usual. This is a good sign. It means you correctly spent your top-end energy on the lift that matters most. Your ego might take a hit on the isolation lifts; ignore it. Focus on the new personal records you're setting on the big lifts.
• Weeks 2-3: The 'Click'. By now, the new order is becoming routine. You'll notice a clear jump in your Power Block numbers. That squat that was stuck at 135 lbs for 8 reps might now be moving for 10 reps, or you're ready to add 10 pounds to the bar. You walk into the gym knowing exactly what to do first. This clarity and confidence alone will improve your performance. You're no longer wasting mental energy deciding what's next.
• Week 4 and Beyond: Measurable Progress. This is where the magic happens. After a month of consistently putting your most important lift first, you will have concrete data showing you're stronger. Your bench press might have gone from 155 lbs to 170 lbs for the same reps. You feel more solid and stable during every exercise because you aren't pre-fatiguing your core and stabilizer muscles. This isn't a temporary boost; this is your new, stronger baseline. You have successfully rewired your approach from 'working out' to 'training'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cardio Timing: Before or After Lifting?

Always perform cardio after your weight training session. Doing even 20 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio before lifting can deplete muscle glycogen and cause CNS fatigue, reducing your strength on key lifts by 10-20%. Lifting requires maximum power; save the endurance work for the end.

Where to Place Abdominal/Core Work?

Place all direct core work, like planks, crunches, or leg raises, at the very end of your workout with your other isolation exercises. Your core is the critical stabilizer for heavy squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses. Fatiguing it first is a recipe for poor form and injury.

Exercise Order for Supersets

When using supersets, pair exercises that work opposing muscle groups (an 'antagonist' pair), like a bench press (push) with a barbell row (pull). Or, pair an upper-body move with a lower-body move, like overhead press and lunges. Never superset two heavily demanding compound lifts like squats and deadlifts.

The Role of Warm-Up Sets

Your warm-up is crucial and comes before your first 'working' set. For your first Power Block exercise, perform 2-3 progressively heavier warm-up sets. For a 225-pound squat, you might do a set with just the bar (45 lbs), then a set at 135 lbs, and a final warm-up at 185 lbs before starting your first work set at 225.

Adjusting Order Based on Your Main Goal

This framework is flexible. The number one rule is: the exercise that is most important to your primary goal goes first. If your absolute priority is building a bigger back, you can start your workout with weighted pull-ups or heavy barbell rows, even on a 'lower body focus' day. The principle remains the same: your top priority gets your top energy.