## 1 Introduction  
The aging population poses a significant economic burden due to potential functional dependency and long-term care requirements [1]. Additionally, older individuals who have experienced adverse life events, disability, and physical ailments are at an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms [2]. The age-related disuse of the muscular system leads to functional impairments, heightened morbidity, and a loss of autonomy and independence [3]. Physical activity, functional abilities, and fitness have been identified as crucial factors in improving and maintaining the quality of life and autonomy of older individuals [4].  
Training sessions incorporating both resistance and aerobic exercises have been shown to prevent the decline of motor and neuromuscular function [5; 6]. Resistance exercise enhances muscle strength and mass, thereby minimizing the risk of sarcopenia and frailty in older adults [7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16]. On the other hand, aerobic exercise stimulates cardiorespiratory and muscle oxidative capacity [17]. Recognizing the potential benefits of each exercise type, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends multicomponent training (MCT) as the most suitable exercise approach for older individuals, combining aerobic, strength, flexibility, and balance exercises to provide multi-modal stimuli [18]. Given the versatility of MCT, different exercise order stimuli can be implemented within an exercise periodization. This approach, based on the principle of adaptation, is expected to yield various outcomes depending on the training and exercise types employed. Current evidence on MCT suggests improvements in multiple body systems among older individuals, including enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness, regulation of metabolic profiles, improved functional and cognitive performance, and increased quality of life. MCT has also demonstrated efficacy as a non-pharmacological strategy with respect to enhancing the activities of daily living (ADLs) and physical functional performance in older adults with dementia [19; 20]. Furthermore, MCT is effective in mitigating the onset of sarcopenia and the progression toward physical frailty [16]. In an experimental and controlled study, [PERSON] et al. [21] found that performing aerobic exercise after high-intensity resistance exercise was more effective in reducing arterial stiffness in older men. In terms of strength adaptations, [PERSON] et al. [22] demonstrated that resistance training prior to aerobic exercise was the most effective exercise order for increasing muscle strength in older men. However, aside from the studies conducted by [PERSON] et al. [22] and [PERSON] et al. [21], we did not find additional literature addressing the impact of exercise order on various physical outcomes in older individuals.  
This knowledge gap limits the understanding of the effects of different exercise orders within MCT on the physical adaptations of older individuals. Therefore, investigating the effects of different MCT exercise orders is highly relevant in applied practice as it provides valuable insights to coaches who can tailor their periodization based on individual responsiveness profiles. Given the current state of knowledge, this study aims to evaluate the effects of exercise order within a 32-week MCT program on physically active older women. We hypothesize that the order of aerobic and resistance training in MCT sessions may have differing impacts on muscle strength in older individuals. However, due to the scarcity of evidence on this topic, we cannot definitively predict the exact adaptations that different exercise orders within MCT may elicit.