When performing strength training, in my opinion, YES, it does.

The most complex lifts using the most weight require the most energy so you probably want to do those first, and then as you get further into a workout, as your energy starts to drop, you can perform more of the lower-skill or supported exercises.

But, of course, some people are different and feel better after 15 mins into a workout. In that situation, you don’t want to do anything too taxing at the start of the session. So choose isolation work or core work that will not directly affect your big compound lifts. 

Ultimately the most important thing is identifying your most extensive exercises and prioritising them. For example, having a back squat at the end of a workout is an ineffective way to organise your session.

Also, I like to try and ensure I don’t program too many big compounds throughout a session. If you train 3 or 4 times a week, that means, realistically, you can get maybe 2-3 big complex lifts in each. Any more could turn into poor-quality work. 

So the other aspect of exercise order is organising all your sessions to complement one another and not just thinking about an individual training day.

If you have a question for me, please feel free to join in my weekly Q&As which I host on my Instagram channel. 

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