Exercise – August 2026: When Should You Make Exercise Harder? A Guide to Safe Progression
- 13 hours ago
- 8 min read
Author: Jamie Pickett, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Health Facilitator, & Founder of My Movement Medicine.
Free: 4 minute read
Premium: 9 minute read
Category: Exercise, Heart Health, Exercise, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Members Health Guide
Introduction
Exercise should not stay exactly the same forever. As fitness, strength, balance and confidence improve, a session that once felt challenging may begin to feel easier.
The question is what to change next: a heavier weight, a higher step, a harder exercise option, a higher Borg RPE target, or simply better movement quality?
Progression is an important part of exercise prescription, but progression does not mean making everything harder at once.
The right progression is the smallest change that gives your body a useful new challenge without losing control, technique or recovery.
Why exercise needs to progress
The body adapts to repeated exercise. A workload that initially feels demanding may become easier after several weeks. That is part of becoming fitter.
Exercise programmes can be progressed through changes in frequency, intensity, time or type — often described as the FITT principle.
For cardiac rehabilitation, ACPICR recommends exercise that is tailored to the individual, provides an effective training dose and includes aerobic, strength, balance and flexibility work.
Progression is not the same as pushing harder
Maintain safe technique
Stay within an appropriate Borg RPE range
Use the talk test appropriately
Recover between stations
Complete the session without concerning symptoms
Recover reasonably later that day and the following day
If increasing difficulty causes technique to deteriorate, makes you hold your breath, pushes effort far beyond the intended target or causes prolonged fatigue afterwards, the progression may be too large.
How My Movement Medicine uses Borg RPE
My Movement Medicine uses the Borg RPE 6–20 scale throughout group sessions.
Warm-up: begin around RPE 6 and gradually build towards approximately RPE 10–11.
Main circuit: usually work between RPE 11–14, depending on the individual and how they are feeling that day.
Cool-down: gradually reduce effort back into single figures and, where possible, towards the resting level around RPE 6.
This closely matches BHF cardiac rehabilitation guidance, which uses approximately RPE 6–7 before exercise, up to 10–11 by the end of the warm-up, 11–14 during the conditioning phase, then 11 and below during cool-down.
The most important rule: listen to how you feel today
Your correct exercise level is not necessarily the same every week. Sleep, stress, heat, illness, medication changes, hydration, pain and normal day-to-day variation can all affect how exercise feels.
One week you may comfortably work around RPE 13–14. On another day, RPE 11–12 may be the appropriate target.
Progress also means learning when not to progress.
Five ways to progress during an MMM session
1. Increase the step height
10 cm — basic step
15 cm — one additional layer
20 cm — two additional layers
25 cm — three additional layers
If the current step height consistently feels controlled and appropriate, moving up by one level may be useful. Higher is not automatically better if it worsens balance, technique, knee comfort or RPE.
2. Choose the next exercise option
MMM stations normally include three or four difficulty options.
A side-tap station might progress through:
Side tap using just the feet
Side tap with a one-handed lateral raise
Side tap with a two-handed lateral raise and higher arm movement
Jumping jack or star jump
The hardest visible option is not automatically the best option. Choose the level that lets you move well and stay within your intended effort range.
3. Increase the cardiovascular RPE target
If a cardiovascular station repeatedly feels easier than intended, a slightly higher target may be appropriate. Someone comfortably working at RPE 11–12 may gradually aim towards 12–13 when suitable.
That may involve a little more pace, resistance, range of movement or step height.
4. Increase the active-recovery RPE target
As fitness improves, you may be able to work at a slightly higher controlled RPE during active-recovery stations while still being sufficiently recovered for the next cardiovascular station.
5. Choose a heavier weight
MMM has dumbbells from 1 kg through to 8 kg.
Participants are encouraged to choose two sets where possible: one lighter and one heavier option. A common selection is a 2 kg pair and a 3 kg pair, although the correct load is individual.
Use the heavier pair where the movement is controlled and the lighter pair for smaller muscle groups, more difficult movements or lower-energy days.
Other forms of progression that matter
Increase range of movement
Improve movement control
Reduce support during appropriate balance work
Increase repetitions or working time
Increase cardiovascular resistance rather than speed alone
Improve technique and reduce compensation
Increase independence in choosing your own exercise level, weight and RPE
How do you know you are ready to progress?
The exercise feels consistently easier than when you began
It sits below your intended RPE range
You can complete it with good technique
You can breathe normally without straining
You have no concerning symptoms
You recover well between stations
You are not unusually fatigued later or the following day
Look for a pattern of comfortable, repeatable performance rather than one unusually good session.
Progress one thing at a time
Do not simultaneously raise the step, choose the hardest exercise variation, use heavier weights, increase pace and target a higher RPE.
Choose one meaningful change, see how your body responds, then decide whether to maintain, progress again or reduce the challenge.
A simple MMM decision rule
Too easy → Progress
About right → Maintain
Too hard → Adapt
If a station is intended to be around RPE 12–13 and you repeatedly finish at RPE 9–10 with excellent control, a small progression may be appropriate. If it pushes you towards RPE 15–16 when your intended range is lower, adapt — even if someone beside you is using the harder option.
When group progression is not enough
MMM group sessions are already personalised through exercise options, step heights, weights and individual RPE targets.
From October 2026, My Movement Medicine is introducing gym-based one-to-one Clinical Exercise Physiology sessions at The Armoury in Hampstead.
Individual exercise prescription
Review of symptoms, medication and exercise history
Personal cardiovascular RPE and heart-rate targets where appropriate
Resistance-training load selection
Use of gym-based cardiovascular and resistance equipment
Strength, balance and mobility programming
Progression towards independent gym exercise
Exercise testing and re-testing, if desired by the client
Personalisation happens in both settings. One-to-one sessions simply allow the entire session, testing and progression plan to be built around one person.
Continue with the Members’ Exercise Progression Guide
The MMM Exercise Progression Ladder
A Progress / Maintain / Adapt decision system
Cardiovascular progression
Resistance-training progression
Step-height progression
Balance and movement progression
How often to make changes
How to use next-day recovery
What to do after a bad day or missed week
A four-week progression programme
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