Exercise Order And Selection Of Resistance Training On Muscle Hypertrophy: Meta-analysis And Network Meta-analysis

Varying the exercise order of a resistance training (RT) program is one method that might be attributable to muscle hypertrophy (MH) for the prevention of muscle atrophy despite being limited by inconsistent evidence. The benefits of selecting the optimal exercise order of an RT program in maximizing MH for specific muscle groups are uncertain. Multiple exercise orders of RT for MH have not been compared and ranked from existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs). PURPOSE: We performed meta-analysis (MA) and network meta-analysis (NMA) that synthesized the comparative effectiveness of exercise orders on upper and lower limbs MH regionally. METHODS: Search for relevant RCTs within existing systematic reviews was conducted in four electronic databases from their inception until February 2023. RCTs that recruited healthy adults between 18 years and older were included. We selected RT exercises for MH on the upper limb and lower limb. RESULTS: Eight RCTs were included for data synthesis. Among adults with minimal RT experience, exercise order did not demonstrate an effect on lower limb lean soft tissue MH from MA. However, NMA demonstrated exercise order (bench press → lat pull down → seated cable row → bicep curls) as the most effective RT exercise order for bicep brachii MH. CONCLUSION: Lifters and coaches might utilize this exercise order by performing multi-joint exercises followed by single-joint exercises in biceps RT routine. Inexperienced lifters and coaches might pay attention to the lifting techniques in training legs rather than changing the exercise order for an RT routine excessively.