What is the correct order for gym workouts?

The most practical training sequence for most ordinary bodybuilders is actually to put dynamic activation first, then do strength training, then arrange aerobic or functional training according to needs, and finally do static stretching. However, there is really no 100% universal standard answer. The core must follow your training goals. If you imitate other people's procedures, it will be easy to get stuck.

A while ago, I took care of a young man born in 2000 who wanted to build muscle. He went to the gym for two consecutive weeks and ran for 40 minutes before doing chest presses. He even shook the empty bar, and his shoulders were sore for several days. This is the complete opposite of the point - building muscle requires you to press weight when glycogen is the most abundant and when concentration is the most concentrated, and to put aerobic energy before strength. Glycogen is depleted, and movement deformation is a trivial matter. If you don't do it well, you can easily injure your joints.

When it comes to this, someone will definitely mention that many bloggers on the Internet say that it is faster to lose fat by doing aerobic first and then strength. Is this a lie? In fact, no, this is the most controversial point of disagreement in the fitness circle. If your core goal is to remove fat, and your endurance is good, such as those who often run half marathons, it is absolutely fine to do 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobics as a warm-up. Several friends around me who practice triathlons When friends go to the gym to build up strength, they first ride a spinning bike for 20 minutes, then squat and deadlift, which does not affect their performance at all. However, we ordinary bodybuilders usually sit for long periods of time and have average cardiopulmonary function. If we do aerobic exercise for half an hour first, our legs will become soft, and subsequent exercises will be ineffective. There is really no need to learn hard.

Don’t think that activation is just a show. Last time I did shoulder training, the brother next to me started doing lateral raises with 10kg dumbbells. After 5 sets, he held his arms and complained of pain. Later, it was found that the supraspinatus was slightly strained. It was because he did not activate the rotator cuff in advance. It doesn’t need to be too complicated. Just move the parts in advance for whatever you’re doing today. For shoulder training, use an elastic band to do a few sets of shoulder external rotation. For leg training, do a few sets of non-weighted squats + hip circles. You can do it in 5 minutes. It’s much more effective than standing there shaking your arms and legs.

In fact, strength training has an invisible sequence. After practicing for a long time, everyone defaults to doing compound movements first, and then isolation movements. For example, on the day of back training, finish pull-ups and deadlifts first, so that the major muscles of the back are mobilized, and then do high pull-downs and seated rows to find a sense of strength.

If you want to build muscle after strength training, just slowly climb the slope for 10 minutes. Don't run for too long to lose muscle. If you are aiming for weight loss, you can do aerobic exercise for 30 to 40 minutes, and control your heart rate at 60% to 70% of (220-age). You don't have to be breathless and speechless. After completing all the exercises, walk slowly for 2 minutes and wait for your heart rate to drop. Then stretch the parts you practiced today. 30 seconds to 1 minute is enough for each part. Don't press your legs desperately for ten minutes. On the contrary, it is easy to stretch the muscles too loosely, and you will not be able to increase your explosive power in the next training.

If there is anything that you must absolutely abide by, that is, don’t hit a heavy weight as soon as you enter the gym, and don’t just pick up your bag and leave immediately after training. The rest should be done as you go, whatever suits you is right.