Exercise difficulty

The difficulty of an exercise refers to its intensity, which is the level of effort required to perform the exercise. In strength training, this is the amount of force exerted by your muscles. In flexibility training, this is the depth of the stretch. In cardiovascular exercises, this is proportional to the heart rate and oxygen consumption.

More generally, the difficulty also represents the amount of training it takes to be able to perform an exercise. Most people start at a Beginner or Novice level and stabilize at an Intermediate or Advanced level after training consistently for a few years. Reaching the Elite level requires serious dedication for many years.

To assign a difficulty level to an exercise, you can compare it to similar exercises or use the reference table: