## 1 Introduction  
Programming resistance training requires a solid understanding of the acute variables involved in training, their manipulation, and their combination to achieve the intended results [1, 2]. Training volume, load or intensity, exercise selection, frequency, rest periods between sets and exercises, movement velocity, and exercise order are critical acute variables that strength and conditioning coaches and researchers must consider when designing and monitoring resistance training programs [1, 2]. Regarding exercise order, research indicates that it is advised to prioritize larger muscle groups and multiple-joint exercises, such as the squat and bench press, at the beginning of a resistance training session [3, 4]. Exercises performed last are intimately associated with decreased performance, regardless of the muscle mass recruited within a training session [3, 4]. Furthermore, subjects tend to achieve greater strength and hypertrophy gains in exercises and muscle groups involved in the first exercise of the resistance training session [1, 3, 4]. These findings suggest that resistance exercises that best address the subject's needs and goals should be prioritized first within a training session. without disregarding other acute variables and training principles [1, 3, 4]. In order to obtain a deeper insight into the responsiveness to different resistance exercise orders, [PERSON] et al. [5] monitored mechanical power in the bench press and squat. In a crossover design, subjects randomly performed two resistance training sessions with three sets of six repetitions at 80% of their one-repetition maximum (1 RM) using the bench press followed by the squat (condition 1) and the squat followed by the bench press (condition 2). The data showed that squatting before the bench press decreased mechanical performance in the latter exercise. Conversely, no decreases in squat mechanical performance were observed when performing the bench press first. A possible explanation for these results may be related to the greater cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuromuscular demands required by the squat compared to the bench press [5,6]. Despite these novel findings, to our knowledge, there is no research regarding the effects of exercise order on squat and bench press velocity performance. From a strength and conditioning coach and researcher perspective, it is essential to analyze whether squatting first in the session affects bench press velocity performance and vice versa to refine the design of resistance training sessions according to the individual targets. Regarding velocity variables to assess and monitor strength performance, research indicates that the mean propulsive velocity (MPV) is critical when programming and monitoring resistance training [7]. The MPV only considers the propulsive phase of the lift (i.e., the portion of the concentric phase in which the barbell acceleration is higher than gravity) and avoids underestimating the strength potential when lifting low and moderate relative loads with maximal intended velocities [7,8]. Alongside the MPV, the peak velocity (PV) and time to peak velocity (TPV) assume great relevance in monitoring and testing sport-specific movements performed with maximal intended velocities, such as throws, sprints, and jumps [9, 10, 11, 12, 13]. Furthermore, researchers have also shown that the PV can be used to monitor short- and long-term squat and bench press performance [14, 15, 16]. Given the relevance of the MPV, PV, and TPV in monitoring resistance training, it is essential to analyze their response pattern to different exercise orders using the most commonly performed strength exercises, the squat and bench press. Therefore, based on these premises, we aimed to analyze the influence of exercise order using the bench press and squat as the first or second exercise of the session on the MPV, PV, and TPV.