Progressing exercises 

If a person’s muscle strength has improved on re-assessment and they are performing their previous exercises with correct technique, muscle strengthening exercises should be progressed according to the new grade of muscle strength. If exercises are not progressed, improvements in strength will be slower. 

These are some ways that you can progress exercises:

• Progressing from passive to active-assisted exercises
• Progressing from active-assisted to active exercises
• Progressing from gravity-eliminated active exercises to against gravity active exercises 
• Making exercises more functional - requiring multiple movements at once or more like everyday activities 
• Increasing resistance Increasing total exercise dosage
• Change the exercises or make exercises more functional

Precautions when progressing exercises 

Progressing exercises too quickly can lead to injury. Consider these points when progressing exercises: 

• Person should be performing current exercises with correct technique, progressing exercises too quickly can lead to poor technique and injury or re-injury 
• Any progression in exercises will require more energy use by muscles, meaning more recovery may be required 
• If decreasing rest time between exercise sets, be aware of exertion levels and exercise intensity. Use the modified BORG scale to monitor rate of perceived exertion. Rest time in between sets generally shouldn’t be decreased below 45 seconds 
• Increasing resistance will put a higher load on muscles. Generally, try not to increase resistance by more than 10% per week. This means that if someone was doing an exercise with a 2kg weight last week, they should not do the same exercise with more than 2.2kg this week (10% increase).