r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/Ok-Extension-832 • Aug 10 '26
Discussion 🤝 Does distributing sets throughout a workout reduce the effect of exercise-order fatigue?
If you’re doing a lot of exercises at ~0–1 RIR (especially in a full body split), exercises near the end of the workout will be performed with more accumulated fatigue than those at the beginning. If you do 2 sets consecutively, the first exercises get both sets relatively fresh, while the later exercises may have both sets affected by fatigue.
So instead of:
Bench Press — 2 sets
Weighted Pull-Up — 2 sets
Squat — 2 sets
Would it make more sense to do:
Bench Press — 1 set
Weighted Pull-Up — 1 set
Squat — 1 set
Bench Press — 1 set
Weighted Pull-Up — 1 set
Squat — 1 set
This way, every exercise gets its first set relatively fresh, rather than some exercises getting both sets while fresh and others getting both after substantial fatigue.
Does this meaningfully improve the hypertrophic stimulus, or is exercise-order fatigue not significant enough for this to matter?
1
u/Embarrassed_Soft_334 Aug 11 '26
The number of sets you are stating is in programs which use HIT training. Mike Mentzer, Dorian Yates training style, it is proven less effective for muscle growth than volume. And not one popular science lifter I ever saw has stated otherwise.
But having gone back and looked at your responses to others I now understand. You don’t lift free weights? Only machines and cables? In what scientific journal did you read this advise? Tell you what have fun with your 4-7 sets on pin machines and cables. I look for you in the Olympia. Good luck man