Here’s the thing with compound exercises. By using more than one muscle group, you’re able to pack on the most heavy metal. So far, so good. More weight can equal more mass. But you may also fail to target the right body part, and that can be a big problem. If, for example, the weak link in your bench press is your triceps, which tap out before your pecs have been fully stressed, benching won’t do much to expand your chest. Thankfully, there’s a solution.
Let’s return to our chest example. If you do pec-deck flyes, which isolate the pecs, before bench presses, which work the pecs along with the anterior deltoids and triceps, your pecs will be preexhausted (or, more accurately, pre-fatigued) when you start benching. Therefore, during the benching, your chest will give out before your delts or triceps.
That brings us to the controversy. Google “pre-exhaust science” and you’ll find many so-called experts who are convinced research has proven pre-exhaust is counterproductive.
A study in 2003 and another in 2007 both showed that muscle activation in the pre-exhausted muscle was reduced during the compound exercise when compared with post-exhaustion (doing the compound exercise first). In other words, because of the first exercise, the targeted area works less during the second exercise.
The 2007 study even focused on pec-deck flyes and bench presses, as in our example. The conclusion of both studies was that this reduction in muscle activation was a reason to avoid pre-exhaust.
Good results, wrong conclusion. In fact, the reduction in muscle activation proves the effectiveness of pre-exhaust.
The whole point of doing the isolation exercise first is to fatigue the targeted body part. Of course, that area isn’t going to be capable of carrying as much of the workload during the compound exercise and thus won’t be as activated. But that’s good, because it means it’ll fail first.
Think of it this way. If those same studies had shown pre-exhaust did not reduce muscle activation in the targeted area during the compound exercise, that would argue for the ineffectiveness of the technique.
WEAKEST LINK
Bodybuilders know from empirical evidence that pre-exhaust works. Not only does it increase workout intensity, but it also helps you hit the target.
If you pump up an area first, it comes into focus during the compound exercise. In our sample routine, by doing pushdowns before dips, and rope extensions before close-grip bench presses, you can be assured that you’re feeling your triceps working during the two compound lifts. That said, the effectiveness of this technique is not dependent on a feeling.
You need to push the isolation exercises hard. Go to failure or near failure. Never think of the isolation sets as a warmup or pump-up. You’re trying to tire that muscle, not just flush it with blood.
The weakest link fails first. In the case of pre-exhaust, that’s a good thing. By temporarily tiring a muscle with individualized toil, you can be assured it’ll be the weakling during the subsequent team activity. Sure, that’s going to rob strength from the team, but the targeted muscle will be worked to the max, tapping out before other muscles can butt in and do too much.
When used correctly pre-exhaust proves the weakest link can be the hardest worker and, in turn, the fastest grower.
PRE-EXHAUST BASICS
Do an isolation exercise before a compound lift. The former should target the muscle(s) you want to emphasize during the latter.
Push all sets to failure or near failure in the 10- to 15-rep range.
Pre-exhausting will reduce the amount of weight you use in the compound exercise.
You can pre-exhaust more than once during a workout, as in our sample triceps routine.
PRE-EXHAUST TIP SHEET
Tense the targeted area during the compound exercise to guard against other muscles doing too much.
To up intensity, do pre-exhaust supersets. Immediately follow the isolation exercise with the compound lift.
Because it’s difficult to target only your back with deadlifts, try deadlifting after other back exercises.
You can do all isolation exercises, such as three types of curls, before ending with a compound lift, like rack pullups.
