Both orders of complex training improved fitness measures in 25 male university athletes

What the research found

Saini and colleagues report a randomized parallel-group trial in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (1 November 2026; volume 40, issue 11, pages 1364-1373; Epub 10 June 2026; DOI 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005555; PMID 42269172). Twenty-five male university athletes trained for 6 weeks. Twelve did a ballistic move before resistance work. Thirteen did resistance work first. There was no group that skipped training. Both orders improved countermovement-jump and squat-jump measures, maximal dynamic and isometric strength, horizontal muscle power, and intermittent endurance, and the time effect also covered linear sprint times and change-of-direction speed. A time-by-group interaction appeared only for the 1-repetition-maximum squat (p = 0.017). After covariance adjustment for pre-training scores, the groups did not separate (p 0.058 to 0.981) except countermovement-jump absolute peak force (p = 0.034; Hedges g 0.61), which favored resistance work first. The authors conclude the two orders were similarly effective. The abstract does not print a mean age. PubMed indexes the record as young adults, so the age tag is under 40 on that index term. Not medical advice.

Evidence level: Clinical trial. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.

Read the original at PubMed