Firstly, what does P.E. stand for?

P.E., in this context, stands for Pre and Post Exhaust, and we will be enjoying a combination of Pre Exhaust and Post Exhaust training!

Pre-exhaust stems from the 1970s; a fitness entrepreneur named Arthur Jones created a method (1) based on the hypothesis that, because compound movements require more than one muscle/muscle group to perform the movement, it may not necessarily be the target muscle that is the limiting factor to end the set. This might be easier to imagine if we think of a back squat and we are trying to target the quads; if the lower back is the limiting factor stopping the set before the quads reach close to failure, then performing a set of leg extensions before that squat may help with the squat set finishing once the quads then force the set over due to being ‘pre-exhausted’ and not the lower back.

And ‘post-exhaust’ is this flipped on its head… squats, then leg extensions if relating to the above example!

This is a training method you have come across COUNTLESS times if training with me, and even if you have even performed supersets on the same muscle group, there will be an element of pre or post-exhaustion taking place!

What is the P.E. program?

The P.E. program, like the Intent, IRON, Beastmode and EPIC programs, is geared towards hypertrophy training, with the intent to increase the amount of skeletal muscle primarily by creating mechanical tension as the main driver, with metabolic stress and muscle damage having a potential role.

It is a 10-week program based on 5 workouts per week. Each workout will be split into one of the following muscle groups:

• Glutes & hamstrings
• Back, biceps & rear delts
• Quads only
• Shoulders, chest & triceps
• Lower body

Each workout will be approximately 40-45 minutes in duration. This will exclude the intro at the beginning, where I provide an overview of the workout and the cool down.

How does the P.E. program differ to previous programs?

The program will involve 5 weeks of a pre-exhaust method within each workout, followed by 5 weeks of post-exhaust. Most of the workouts will involve supersets with no specific rest in between sets. There may be sets that have specific rest periods, but this is more to allow for extra time to get into position or to remove the band, etc.

The split will be alternating between the upper and lower body; however, within those splits, there will be days geared more towards the lower body posterior, such as glutes and hamstrings, whereas other days are more quads. The same will apply to the upper body, with the posterior targeting the back and biceps with pulling and the chest, triceps and delts with pushing.

We will alternate between 3 lower body sessions and two upper body sessions, with the following week being 2 lower body sessions and 3 upper body sessions!

Equipment needed and optional additions

As a bare minimum, dumbbells, a glute band and a mat are needed. This is the same as all other programs and series.

There will be no requirement for extra equipment over previous programs, but it might be a good idea to consider some of the optional pieces of equipment not only for the P.E. program but also if you are looking to invest in your home workout kit!

• Barbell
• A comfortable, tall back dining chair or upright bench for overhead shoulder pressing movements
• Yoga block(s)
• Push-up bars
• Dip bars
• Wrist straps
• Wedges
• Hip thrust barbell pad
• Stability ball or even an investment into a heavier dumbbell or pair of dumbbells!

However, this list is not exhaustive! This is just a list of equipment that I will be using during some workouts, but you can incorporate many other pieces: kettlebells, landmine set up, cables, TRX, plates, even machines!

If you don’t have access to a stable chair for Bulgarian lunges, you could use another surface or, failing that, regular lunges.

If you don’t have access to a bench or soft fabric chair for hip thrust set up, bridges are excellent where you then just need your mat.

You can perform overhead shoulder pressing movements standing.

On the other hand, if you have an adjustable bench, you can perform chest press and flyes on the bench to increase the range of movement, where I perform just on the mat!

Similar to the Intent program, I am using a stability ball to help isolate the hamstrings. This is solely for the hamstrings (there will be no abdominal or upper body work on the ball). However, a stability ball is NOT essential. In previous programs, we performed a ‘hamstring lift’, which is similar to a glute bridge but with the feet further away from the glutes to place more demand on the hamstrings. Another alternative is the use of sliders. All 3 options are great! You can simply perform whichever alternative you prefer as displayed on the screen.

If you are relatively new to using the stability ball for rollouts, take it slow; expect there to be a learning curve, but, thankfully, a steep learning curve… it won’t take long to build confidence with it.

What weights will Caroline be using?

The weights I will be using will range from 4kg / 8.8lb dumbbells to a 68kg / 150lb barbell.

Typically, the lighter weights, such as 4kg or 5kg, will be for my lateral raises and rear delt flyes. Heavier weights include 1 x 30kg or 40kg for squats, 2 x 20kg for lunges and 48kg, 58kg or less common 68kg barbell for hip thrusts and bridges.

I will detail the weights I use during the introduction, where I talk and give an overview of the structure and tips for the workout.

If I am using two dumbbells, it will typically indicate the weight PER dumbbell.

Also, in the description box below the workout, you will see the weights I use in written format in kg and lbs.

Remember, this is simply for a guide and context. So, if you usually go slightly heavier or lighter than me, it may help you select the weights you might want at hand!

What if I can lift heavier weights for movements but don’t have access to heavier weights?

Contrary to what you might think (perform more reps and, therefore, move at a faster pace). Whilst this is something you could do, if the weight you have allows you to perform a large number of reps each time at a slightly faster pace, it may be better to go in the opposite direction:

• Slow it down! Can you slow down the lowering even more?
• Pause in the lengthened position, i.e. at the bottom of the squat.
• Ensure you are moving the joint through its full range of motion (ROM)

Look for ways to increase your ROM, i.e. yoga blocks for lunges, bench for chest press as opposed to lying on the mat, elevate the heels to hit the quads more or place the end of feet on a wedge during RDLs!

Think about your alignment. Can you stand taller during the lunges? Can you keep the upper arms more steady during skullcrushers?

There are many ways to apply more tension to the target muscle aside from the number on the weight!

Applying tension to the target muscle(s)

As with all resistance training to build muscle, the intention is that the intended muscle(s) are the limiting factor.

Resistance training will always have an element of cardiovascular training, particularly if the intensity is there! There will be elevations in heart rate. However, the muscles will often be the limiting factor as opposed to being out of breath.

We are aiming for localised muscular failure, not cardiovascular failure!

It can be a great idea to record the weights you are using as you may consider repeating this 10-week program and progressively overloading with heavier weights for some of the movements 2nd time around and, in particular, those initial compound movements. This is particularly relevant if you are new to training, as you will likely increase the weight you can lift earlier than you might think! However, I would suggest not recording what weight you use and comparing workout to workout within the program; one week, we might perform bodyweight lunges before your weighted lunges, which will impact either your load or reps, but also the next week, the lunges could be more towards the end of the workout which again, will impact load and/or reps.

Some exercises appear more susceptible to progressive overload than others, so we shouldn’t expect linear progress across all muscles. In fact, over time, I have reduced the weight I reach for the likes of lateral raises as I find I recruit less of my traps and can control the lowering portion better… and I haven’t noticed a reduction in my muscle in the shoulders, in fact, they have continued to develop as I believe I can apply more tension solely to the sides of the shoulders with this weight reduction. Another reason is that I don’t feel the need to progressively overload solely by the weight I lift.

In regards to rest periods, many of these workouts will involve supersets; hence, regularly, there will largely be no specific rest periods between movements. However, I just want to highlight the importance of not rushing to get into position. It is extremely important to ensure you feel stable and present before you lower and lift any weight in any movement.

The first 5 weeks of pre-exhaust

This is traditionally referred to as two exercises that target the same muscles being performed with little or no rest one after another, usually an isolation exercise before a compound movement. Simple examples of this are a leg extension before squats or dumbbell flyes before a chest press; due to the squat and chest press involving multiple muscles, by targeting the quads/chest in isolation first, there is the potential for those muscles to be maximally fatigued during the compound movement and/or being the limiting factor approaching failure as opposed to other muscles. Straight away, if you imagine yourself doing this, there are some pros and some cons of this depending on your intent and performance goals/markers and the way in which you enjoy training:

1. You will almost certainly need to reduce the weight you are using for the compound movement or the number of reps. This will impact your tracking of weight used if log booking. And you simply might not be the kind of person who wants to have to reduce their weight or reps. You might prefer to stick to straight sets, focusing on increasing weight or load, etc, over time to track your progress.
2. It is a training method you wouldn’t want to incorporate if specifically strength training unless included for a specific time period to complement the prior reason of not being able to lift as much weight.
3. Also, this isn’t perhaps the best idea for those new to lifting, as practising those key compound movements should take priority, and fatiguing before a lift likely isn’t the best idea!
4. The science overall doesn’t say it is necessarily any better than regular straight sets. It’s not magical! It doesn’t appear superior, but it also doesn’t appear inferior either!
5. Compounds are traditionally performed first, and isolations, if any, are performed towards the end of a workout, but we are turning this more traditional style of training on its head at points.

So why exactly do it then?

What are the pros or benefits that could be considered for implementing such training methods?

1. The first ‘con’, as detailed above, relates to needing to reduce the weight or reps, and for me, this is an absolute win-win! There is less actual load and less stress on my joints, and it is perfect for training at home, particularly if I have limited access to weights!
2. Potential for increased muscle recruitment; I don’t need to say it as you will feel it!
3. It is not magical… neither are drop sets, supersets of any kind, complexes, etc. These are all just ways in which we can add variety and diversity to our training! Much like 12 reps is a great rep number to hit, but we don’t have to stick to 12 all of the time!
4. It can reinstall the mindset of muscle growth and differentiate between strength training and not getting carried away with strength goals if hypertrophy is your goal. Hypertrophy is all about applying tension to the intended muscles, and this can be done using a wide range of reps. The increased load lifted will come naturally over time, but it perhaps shouldn’t be the goal of building muscle or necessarily a predictor of progress.
5. If on a time crunch, this method of supersetting, and supersets in general, can be a great tool to create a lot of tension in a shorter time and potentially less warm-up time.
6. It can promote a closer proximity to failure, something that many people simply do not approach often enough. Pre-exhaust was something I incorporated regularly with clients once they learned the fundamental movement patterns. It could be a safe way to approach failure and explore what it feels like in a safe way without a heavy load.
7. It can promote improved mind-to-muscle connection. Again, like aforementioned, in particular, pre-exhaust was something I regularly incorporated with clients once they learned the fundamental movement patterns to help connect with the muscles they intended to target safely.
8. We also have the potential to explore if we have any biased muscles during movements. It is possible to perform chest press, but it is the triceps or the front of the delts that do a lot of the work, so working closer to failure can help draw attention to where exactly the fatigue is beginning first.
9. Pre-exhaust can be an excellent tool if you are coming back from an injury and not wanting to load up on the weights!
10. Not to mention… it adds variety, which is FUN, as you will experience over the next 10 weeks!

What does the research say?

I will keep this section short, but I will reference here (3-8) some of the available literature on this topic should you wish for a deeper dive! Based on my readings and interpretations of the data, as mentioned above, it appears on par with straight sets, as are drop sets, cluster sets etc. as different studies show slightly different outcomes depending on the protocol for the study. Even when it comes to the incorporation of pre-exhaust as studies include no specific rest, whereas others include rest between the isolation and compound, differences in explaining why people use this method of training, time of detraining, the strengthen levels, training age and actual age of the participants, sample size, was EMG utilised as a predictor or inference for hypertrophy (not reliable for motor unit recruitment), the level of, if any, nutritional control, duration etc!

As mentioned above, it doesn’t appear superior to straight sets, but it also doesn’t appear inferior either… similar to many different styles and methods of training!

Some studies conclude superior or similar outcomes, whereas others conclude it impacts the performance of the compound exercise; however, I would expect this to a degree. Depending on how you look at it when a conclusion says that the pre-exhaust exercise led to decreased activity of that isolation muscle during the compound exercise, perhaps that is what we want! It may also be the case that by fatiguing a certain muscle before a compound movement, we then allow a more ‘even playing field’ for more muscles to be in closer proximity to failure.

And to be honest, if it means I can use it occasionally (or primarily for several weeks as per the P.E. program), add more variety to my training AND reduce the actual load I lift (less overall load overtime on my joints), but still gain similar gains to straight sets, then it’s a yes from me!

Straight sets, supersets, tri-sets, giant sets… we have the flexibility to explore all of these!

I would highly recommend reading the article ‘The basics of scientific research’ to help understand how we can interpret different research, to what degree it plays out in actual real life and what considerations we should think about!

 

Exercise order

What about isolation exercises before compounds? The order of exercises appears to be of less importance for muscle growth than it is for strength training, so we can certainly explore different orderings. A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis (2) concluded how, when it comes to prioritising strength, the exercises completed at the beginning of the workout will bring the largest improvements, but highlighted that ‘for muscle hypertrophy, our meta-analysis indicated that both multi-joint to single-joint and single-joint to-multi-joint exercise orders may produce similar results’.

The last 5 weeks of post-exhaust

Think pre-exhaust but the opposite way around! A compound exercise followed by an isolation with a small amount of rest! Again, something you have likely done many times… bent over row to bicep curl! It is extremely common, even if one is unaware of its implementation.

You will generally be more ‘fresh’ as the compound movement is first. Hence, you might notice that in the latter 5 weeks of the program, I lift slightly heavier ‘on average’ for the compounds compared to the first 5 weeks when I was performing pre-exhaust!

These 10 weeks will be our ‘OWN’ version of P.E. training. We don’t need to have access to specialist isolation machines such as a leg extension or cables to perform pre-and post-exhaust elements! We are going to utilise this training concept as our inspiration and use it to our advantage to have a serious amount of fun over the next 10 weeks!

Are there finishers within the P.E. program?

If you have trained with me for a while, you will likely know that I’m going to say yes, absolutely!

These will generally be of short duration and often involve partials, isometrics, body weight or some variation of a previous exercise within the workout.

Are there any ‘cardio-specific’ or ‘ab-specific’ exercises or sessions in the P.E. program?

Resistance training will always have an element of cardiovascular training, particularly if the intensity is there! There will be elevations in heart rate. However, the muscles will often be the limiting factor as opposed to being out of breath.

We commonly call on our abdominal muscles and core to be able to perform many lifts… even to sit upright! But I know personally I love an ab-specific routine occasionally within my schedule or a workout.

There will be a new ‘constant cardio’ workout that is only 10 minutes in duration and a new 15-minute ab-specific routine that will be released alongside Day 1 of the P.E. program that you can complete any time you wish; post-workout or even on your rest days away from the weights!

Scheduling P.E. in your CGX calendar

Head here for a step-by-step guide on adding a program to your CGX calendar: How can I schedule a workout or program?

Is there a printable calendar?

We get it – sometimes it's easier to have a physical copy to stick on your fridge to track your progress. Not to worry, we've got you covered!

We have two versions of the P.E. calendar available for download: one in full colour, perfect for digital use, and one in black and white, which is great for printing and saves on ink. Click on the links below to get started and choose the version that suits you best. Happy printing!

• P.E. program calendar (colour version)
• P.E. program calendar (black and white version)

Why can’t I access all 50 workouts of the P.E. program?

During the initial launch of the P.E. program, each workout will be released on the day relating to the calendar. Once made available, it will always be there to complete any time that suits you!

It means that upon initial launch, many of us can complete the program together and work through the workouts on the same days! But there is no wrong or right way to work through this program! 3 workouts per week, 4 or 5… we all have different schedules, priorities and even extra activities outside of lifting!

What other considerations are important to maximise output?

Progressive overload

Over time, if all training is correct, you WILL become stronger. However, with hypertrophy, we do not ‘necessarily’ need to aim for ONLY the goal of increasing the load, as we are aiming for the stimulus, primarily by applying tension to the target muscle. You can check out the multiple articles within the ’Training’ filter to explore this topic more!

Effort

This is one of the greatest variables between individuals and something we have control over to a large degree. How close we should train to failure is a continued debate in the hypertrophic realm, and even the research is not definitive. One thing we do know is that the closer we train to train, the greater the number of muscle fibres are stimulated. However, there appears to be a balance between this and the ability to recover between sets. However, I have found that many people train for years and underestimate how close to failure they train in most sets.

Focusing on your ROM, tempo and mind-to-muscle connection with the last few reps feeling very challenging to where the ‘bar speed’ (we could think of this as the speed at which we can curl the dumbbell upwards) should slow down that little bit in most sets is a simple way to know that we are training close to failure….those reps matter! When we train, we can think of it as increasing our tolerance to that feeling of discomfort and being able to maintain technique integrity when the going gets tough!

With those moderate to higher reps, as we approach failure, we will experience metabolic stress…the pump! This appears, along with tension and damage, to potentially help promote muscle growth to varying ratios depending on the context.

We all can acknowledge when we train with intent, there still can be a big difference in effort, which is dependent even on external factors such as sleep, recovery, nutrition and/or stress. We accept that there will be days when we won’t always have the BEST workout ever, but we also know that this is completely normal!

Mind to Muscle Connection

I am a big proponent of the mind-to-muscle connection… however in my experience, the fact we are implementing pre and post-exhaust, I have to think almost less about it as it simply is easier to gain that connection! Maximising tension and activation of the intended muscles can be heightened through actually visualising the muscles lengthening during the eccentric portions (think lowering a dumbbell during a curl) to then the shortening of the muscles during the concentric phase (think curling the dumbbell upwards)! And one of the best ways to improve that connection is to slow it down…or even reduce the weight lifted.

But it is important to not overthink this… often it can be a skill that comes with experience. We can all experience this to varying degrees, and even more so during some exercises than others. It has been shown to not be essential for everyone to build muscle, so focusing on the best range of movement you can move through at the joint and level of control throughout is of the greatest importance, particularly for beginners who are learning movement patterns.

Our muscles do not know the KG (or LB) written on the dumbbells, but the muscles DO know tension. Highlighting the importance of mind-to-muscle connection during certain exercises, particularly the more isolation exercises, usually leads to a lighter load being required and, therefore, less force on the passive connective tissues, which can be good news for our joints! And the more experienced of a lifter, perhaps this mind-to-muscle connection becomes more important as it can help us gain more from each rep as opposed to necessarily having to increase the load or reps further… and less stress on our joints!

It is important to highlight here that the mind-to-muscle connection tends to apply more to some exercises and movement patterns than others, such as regular squats and chest presses. With these large compound movements, multiple muscle groups are involved, and the focus is less on mind-to-muscle connection due to the intended muscles simply having to work in response to these exercises, which is more so as the load increases. Compared to hip thrusts, heel elevated squats or tricep push-ups, we can apply focus to the intended muscles being placed under tension and being essentially the limiting factor.

Range of Motion (ROM)

We can move through the joint to varying degrees, depending on our mobility, strength, and anthropometry.

Throughout this 10-week program, as always, I will aim for uniform ROM once I complete the first few reps where I gauge this ROM. Following that, I will aim to standardise how low I descend during a squat, for example, and the tempo at which I move. I will aim not to deviate at any point, and if I do suspect I will deviate during the next rep, I will usually pause to reset.

It is important to not strain in order to reach a certain depth or push through any aggravation at the joint. You do not need to squat ‘ass to grass’ to build your lower body, nor touch your chest to the floor during push-ups to work out your chest or front delts! However, aiming for the muscle to be trained at the stretch position that you can do with each rep is one key way to optimise hypertrophy, particularly in many of the lower body exercises such as squats, so I would encourage you to always train the muscle using YOUR full ROM.

We all perform exercises slightly differently!

Find what stance feels best for you during squats, perform a shoulder press within a range of movement that doesn’t cause aggravation, slow the eccentric even more or place hands under hips for leg lowers…I implore you to always make these workouts your own and what feels best for your body, so how you perform that set might look different than how I do!

Plus, there is no best exercise for any muscle that is the same for all of us! Find the exercises that work best for you, and you can perform that alternative if preferred!

Keep an eye on your recovery

Depending on how well you recover, it may mean changing the days on which you train, such as having more rest days or even different loads for the same exercises across the week. Prioritising sleep is the number one in my book. Lack of sleep can have a huge impact not only on your training but also on your nutrition and overall mood!

And we actually build that muscle when we are away from those dumbbells!

Have realistic expectations!

This is only 10 weeks! Unless you are new to training or, if not completely new, but are new to training with the intensity, technique and control to apply tension to the intended muscle(s), you certainly can build muscle at a faster rate, but if you are more experienced, you likely have noticed the rate of muscle growth slows down!

Remember, it’s only 10 weeks!

If you are worried about gaining too much muscle in 10 weeks, I can confirm it is EXTREMELY hard and a slow process to build muscle! I consider myself an experienced lifter, yet I am not ‘huge’… in fact, in a loose t-shirt, you might wonder if I even lift! This is actually also the case for many men who are experienced, natural lifters, and even natural bodybuilders… with their tops off, they have visible and impressive muscle growth yet are not what we consider ‘huge’ when compared to bodybuilders who supplement with PEDs.

If lifting weights makes women ‘huge’, I must be failing miserably at lifting!

It’s always good to remember that this is for life, and if you do see someone with a good amount of muscle, it is because they likely put in the consistent work for many years! And nearly always, this involves the fundamentals that we all know, yet sometimes we can become distracted by those new shiny protocols or promises marketed to us every day!

I am so excited to share this with you! I am excited to hear which portion you prefer… the first 5 weeks of pre-exhaust or the last 5 weeks of post-exhaust!

And one final note from me… remember that during those days when you are finding it challenging to begin the session, we all feel like that sometimes! During those sets, when it is uncomfortable, trust me, I’ll be with you too! And when you lie on the mat feeling fatigued but strong and smiling, so happy that we did it, I, too, will be right there with you!

Whether it is the 2-week Drop It series, 10 weeks of Iron straight sets, 4 sets plus a staple as in Beastmode, low, medium and higher volume days in Intent or this P.E. program, it isn’t lost on me that you join me in my home. I continue to be honoured that you join me, and I hope you enjoy the next 10 weeks growing, learning, smiling and inspiring others.

Cx

 

References

1. http://www.arthurjonesexercise.com/Bulletin1/37.PDF
2. Nunes JP, Grgic J, Cunha PM, Ribeiro AS, Schoenfeld BJ, de Salles BF, Cyrino ES. What influence does resistance exercise order have on muscular strength gains and muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Sport Sci. 2021 Feb;21(2):149-157. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2020.1733672. Epub 2020 Feb 28. PMID: 32077380.
3. Vilaça-Alves J, Geraldes L, Fernandes HM, Vaz L, Farjalla R, Saavedra F, Reis VM. Effects of pre-exhausting the biceps brachii muscle on the performance of the front lat pull-down exercise using different handgrip positions. J Hum Kinet. 2014 Oct 10;42:157-63. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2014-0070. PMID: 25414749; PMCID: PMC4234755.
4. Gentil P, Oliveira E, de Araújo Rocha Júnior V, do Carmo J, Bottaro M. Effects of exercise order on upper-body muscle activation and exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2007 Nov;21(4):1082-6. doi: 10.1519/R-21216.1. PMID: 18076251.
5. Aguiar AF, Buzzachera CF, Pereira RM, Sanches VC, Januário RB, da Silva RA, Rabelo LM, de Oliveira Gil AW. A single set of exhaustive exercises before resistance training improves muscular performance in young men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2015 Jul;115(7):1589-99. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3150-8. Epub 2015 Mar 10. PMID: 25753776.
6. Brennecke A, Guimarães TM, Leone R, Cadarci M, Mochizuki L, Simão R, Amadio AC, Serrão JC. Neuromuscular activity during bench press exercise performed with and without the preexhaustion method. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Oct;23(7):1933-40. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181b73b8f. PMID: 19855317.
7. Gołaś A, Maszczyk A, Pietraszewski P, Stastny P, Tufano JJ, Zając A. Effects of Pre-exhaustion on the Patterns of Muscular Activity in the Flat Bench Press. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Jul;31(7):1919-1924. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001755. PMID: 27984499.
8. Trindade TB, Prestes J, Neto LO, Medeiros RMV, Tibana RA, de Sousa NMF, Santana EE, Cabral BGAT, Stone WJ, Dantas PMS. Effects of Pre-exhaustion Versus Traditional Resistance Training on Training Volume, Maximal Strength, and Quadriceps Hypertrophy. Front Physiol. 2019 Nov 19;10:1424. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01424. PMID: 31824336; PMCID: PMC6882301.