Do you guys….

[bigzzz]

Still start with compounds lifts?

The older I get the less I seem to do it. I guess it is because I have more pains and try to save my joints. Used to start with heavy pressing/squatting etc. now I start with a fly and leg extension or something.

If so, do you notice less gains because of doing ‘the easy shit’ first?

 

[cage99]

Never started with compound lifts… Well maybe way back when I was in school still. After that I always worked isolating movements first to really pump the muscle/joints full of blood.

Cage

 

[Fleezy]

I don’t see it as ‘easy shit’ tbh

More like priming the muscles, getting them full of blood, warming up the joints. Etc.

I feel that it makes the heavy movement better - In that it feels better on my joints, and I feel it more in my muscle

E.G. doing quad extensions and ham curls before hack squats

If I go straight into hack squats, it’s all knees

 

[Alzadosghost]

I start with whatever hurts my cold joints the least. Usually it’s single arm stuff rather than compound. I find that doing one arm at a time allows me the freedom to manipulate the exercise into the least evasive movement. Compound stuff seems to lock me into an uncomfortable position a lot of the time and they are less brutal when im good and warmed up.

 

[bigzzz]

I don’t see it as ‘easy shit’ tbh

More like priming the muscles, getting them full of blood, warming up the joints. Etc.

I feel that it makes the heavy movement better - In that it feels better on my joints, and I feel it more in my muscle

E.G. doing quad extensions and ham curls before hack squats

If I go straight into hack squats, it’s all knees

I see where you are coming from and I do the same. Those extensions and curls for example do take away a lot of power for the compound movement though.

 

[totalrecomp]

At this point I would have to do so many light warm-up sets of say: any chest press before approaching any weight that would be challenging at 1-15 reps that the "fatigue" accrued would be the same.

I still do a hammer press or DB incline as my first chest movement on "chest emphasis day" but I still start with reverse pecdeck, hammer or db side laterals, and front raises. These are all done 20-30 reps/set 2-4 sets per exercise with 15-30 seconds of rest after each "giant set."

Does that decrease my top set weight? Maybe, but not by much and it allows me to actually do relatively heavier sets with far less occurrences of "tweaks" and injuries in my shoulders. If I use 5-10% less weight, if that, I just don't care.

 

[Brocksamson2.0]

I like to do a movement that gets blood into the muscle and joints warm first before going into the much heavier lifts
Although ill start with deadlifts on Pull day
Quad day ill do temp leg press first then move into pendulum squats

 

[luki7788]

I used to always start with basic compound movements and now that I'm older I start everything with isolated ones

 

[m87r]

Only "compound" movement I start with is smithmachine incline press.

 

[bbxtreme]

I think a lot of guys confuse “pre-exhaust” with “fatigue”. IMO if done properly doing a chest fly FST style or high rep leg extensions before squats can and should amplify your ability to target the muscle with the compound movement.

I use pre-exhaust methods more as warm ups now so I have blood in the muscle and to “exhaust” stabilizing muscles to try and prevent against an injury and to use the targeted muscle more on my compound movements with working sets.

The goal isn’t to leave it all on the table with leg extensions or flys for example, just to set the tone to maximize your main compounding movement IMO.

 

[Mufasa123]

Caveat - not a bodybuilder so background has been more PL/OL/S&C.

I start everything with compounds and always have. It's the bulk of everything I do. Workout progresses to maybe a few, selected with purpose, isolation or single joint movements at the end. Body is a functional system, I train it as a system deviating only with reason and purpose.

 

[fisther69]

I’ve done powerlifting type shit my whole life..just recently(last few months)started doing bodybuilding because I can’t risk anymore injuries.

Starting with isolation to pre-exhaust is a huge change for me..but super effective