This technique, often discussed in fitness circles, involves pre-exhausting a muscle group with isolation exercises before immediately performing a compound exercise involving the same muscles. For example, one might perform several sets of dumbbell flyes to fatigue the chest muscles before moving directly to bench press. This approach aims to maximize muscle fiber recruitment and potentially stimulate greater hypertrophy.
Advocates suggest this strategy can lead to enhanced muscle growth and strength gains by pushing the targeted muscles to work harder under already fatigued conditions. Historically, bodybuilders have employed similar methods to overcome training plateaus and maximize muscle stimulation. The perceived benefits stem from the idea that pre-exhaustion allows individuals to effectively target specific muscle groups that might otherwise be limited by the strength of synergistic muscles in compound movements.