July 13, 2026
Structure your strength training with intention
Progress from high-load, multi-joint movements to targeted isolation work to optimise neural output, volume accumulation, and muscle growth.
The order in which you train should not be randomised. It should factor in which energy systems are recruited first, how your nervous system is primed, and ultimately, what kind of adaptation you intend to achieve. Structure your session correctly and each phase should facilitate the next. Get it wrong, and you arrive at your most important movements already depleted.
The principle is straightforward: begin where the demand is highest, and progress toward more targeted work. Your central nervous system (CNS) is most responsive at the start of a session, so this is your prime window for movements that require the most coordination, load, and neural output.
The principle is straightforward: begin where the demand is highest, and progress toward more targeted work. Your central nervous system (CNS) is most responsive at the start of a session, so this is your prime window for movements that require the most coordination, load, and neural output.
Start with compound and complex movements
Compound movements, such as squat, lunge, hinge, press and pull movements which require large muscle groups across multiple joints simultaneously is the starting point. Often applied is a strength or overloaded situation. This would be mostly recognised with barbell or dumbbell exercises, which can performed in the Technogym Universe functional training solution. These exercises drive the greatest hormonal response, the highest mechanical tension, and the most significant CNS adaptations. Performed first, they prime the entire system for everything that follows.
For strength, load compound lifts at 80–90% 1RM, for 3–6 reps with 3–5 minutes rest. This high-tension stimulus drives myofibrillar hypertrophy, the structural thickening of muscle fibres along-side improved motor unit recruitment and force output.
For strength, load compound lifts at 80–90% 1RM, for 3–6 reps with 3–5 minutes rest. This high-tension stimulus drives myofibrillar hypertrophy, the structural thickening of muscle fibres along-side improved motor unit recruitment and force output.
For power, which is the rate in which force is applied, it is suggested to drop training load from 80-90% to 50–75% 1RM and move with maximal intent or also known as speed of execution. This trains rate of force development (RFD): the ability to express force rapidly, a fundamental marker in any athletic context.
On the other hand it has been shown that starting with isolation exercises before moving into these compound/complex movements wastes the CNS and pre-fatigues specific muscles before they're needed to perform in a more skilled way. For example set of leg curls does not prepare the posterior chain for a heavy deadlift, but a heavy deadlift absolutely activates everything that follows.
That said, there is a place for isolation exercises, on the likes of the Technogym Pure Strength line, though it would be most commonly recommended to place these movements after the core compound movements have been performed.
On the other hand it has been shown that starting with isolation exercises before moving into these compound/complex movements wastes the CNS and pre-fatigues specific muscles before they're needed to perform in a more skilled way. For example set of leg curls does not prepare the posterior chain for a heavy deadlift, but a heavy deadlift absolutely activates everything that follows.
That said, there is a place for isolation exercises, on the likes of the Technogym Pure Strength line, though it would be most commonly recommended to place these movements after the core compound movements have been performed.
Progress into secondary and supplementary work
Once primary compound exercises have been completed, load decreases and specificity toward target muscle groups can increases.
Secondary exercises, often less complex (less joints used) and more stable in comparison to the compound movements, such as Romanian deadlifts, split squats, dumbbell rows and seated chest press would follow from the initial lifts. Though, they can all be performed with free weights, still demand stabilisation and sit in the 3–4 sets of 6–10 reps at 70–80% 1RM range, it is clear that the total complexity will reduce as will the total load, yet effort of application will still remain maximal. Often calculated with a metric called PRE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).
This is where training volume accumulates and the shift begins from myofibrillar hypertrophy toward sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, also known as “the pump’, increasing in the fluid and energy-storing components within the muscle cell.
Secondary exercises, often less complex (less joints used) and more stable in comparison to the compound movements, such as Romanian deadlifts, split squats, dumbbell rows and seated chest press would follow from the initial lifts. Though, they can all be performed with free weights, still demand stabilisation and sit in the 3–4 sets of 6–10 reps at 70–80% 1RM range, it is clear that the total complexity will reduce as will the total load, yet effort of application will still remain maximal. Often calculated with a metric called PRE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).
This is where training volume accumulates and the shift begins from myofibrillar hypertrophy toward sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, also known as “the pump’, increasing in the fluid and energy-storing components within the muscle cell.
At this point supplementary cable and machine work follows. Typically 3 sets of 10–15 reps at 65–75% 1RM. The constant tension of cable and machine systems provides a distinct stimulus. Maintaining an efficient load through the full range of motion. With a huge reduction in complexity, and an increase in stability and isolation, this can also allow for shortened rest periods (60–90 seconds) amplify metabolic stress as well as mechanical tension, a key driver of sarcoplasmic adaptation.
Finishing with isolation machines
Isolation machines such as leg extensions, curls, lateral raises, bicep curls etc. all of which can be found in the Technogym Pure Strength range target a single muscle group across a single joint. They have the lowest form of complexity, the highest form of safety and they are the primary tool for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. The most common sweet spot to get the most of these exercises is to perform 3–4 sets of 12–20 reps at 60–70% 1RM with short rest. Especially if following the training structure above. But their application isn't limited to only bodybuilding volume work.
When a specific muscle group is a limiting factor in a compound movement, such as weak triceps capping bench press lockout, or lagging glute medius contributing to knee valgus in a squat, isolation machines can be loaded for strength purposes too. 3–5 sets of 5–8 reps at high relative intensity. The guided range of motion allows the target muscle to work to true failure safely, creating genuine myofibrillar adaptation without the systemic fatigue of the CNS via the prior execution of compound movements.
When a specific muscle group is a limiting factor in a compound movement, such as weak triceps capping bench press lockout, or lagging glute medius contributing to knee valgus in a squat, isolation machines can be loaded for strength purposes too. 3–5 sets of 5–8 reps at high relative intensity. The guided range of motion allows the target muscle to work to true failure safely, creating genuine myofibrillar adaptation without the systemic fatigue of the CNS via the prior execution of compound movements.
Workout flow: lower body example
Adapt the exercise selection to any muscle group or session purpose, the phase logic holds constant. Compound first. Complex second. Secondaries, and isolation to close. Every phase serves the next.
Conclusion
The Lancet study compellingly demonstrates that small increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can meaningfully reduce mortality risk, particularly among the least active individuals. Every step does indeed count, and even modest changes can have population-wide implications. However, correct interpretation requires acknowledging that the benefits observed are linked to moderate-to-vigorous intensity, non-zero baseline activity levels, and high-risk populations. Importantly, translating this evidence into sustained population impact requires coordinated, multi-setting strategies that create supportive environments and enable individuals to progressively engage in structured, higher-quality physical activity. The final message, therefore, should be both inclusive and aspirational: start by moving more—every step matters—but aim to exercise better. To achieve the greatest improvements in longevity and health, individuals should be encouraged to progress toward ‘precision exercise programmes’ that combine aerobic and resistance training, transforming small behavioural changes into lifelong health investments.
- WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour, 2020 – Comprehensive synthesis of decades of evidence
- Ekelund et al. Deaths potentially averted by small changes in physical activity and sedentary time: an individual participant data meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Lancet, January 24, 2026.
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