To stay healthy, people should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week.
If that number makes you cringe, you’re not alone! Only about 53% of Americans meet the goal of 150 minutes of cardio.
Are you winded after just a few minutes of jogging? Do you quickly lose your breath on a flight of stairs?
Learn how to increase endurance in and out of the gym by reading more below.
Strength vs. Endurance
Working out does more than increase your muscular strength. Muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance are also an integral part of physical training.
If you’re new to the gym, you may be wondering: what’s the difference? Strength refers to the power of your body. Heavyweights and challenging exercises test your strength.
Muscular endurance refers to the number of reps you can perform or the amount of time you can hold a challenging pose. If you can only perform ten push-ups before breaking form, you need to build more muscular endurance, not strength.
Building cardiovascular endurance is also essential in physical fitness. Your heart, lungs, and muscles must all work together to transport oxygen around your body. Cardiovascular endurance is a good measure of your overall health.
How to Increase Endurance
Building muscular and cardiovascular endurance takes time, but it’s important to push yourself consistently. Try these gym tips to improve your endurance.
Less Weight, More Reps
Endurance training works in nearly the opposite way as strength training. It’s essential to have a good balance of both in your fitness routine.
When weightlifting, lower your weights to about half of your maximum capacity and double your repetitions. Ego lifting will get you nowhere when it comes to building endurance. Lift lighter weights until you feel the burn; that’s endurance.
Work Faster, Not Harder
As mentioned above, the goal is not to break your weightlifting record but to perform more reps. You should also incorporate this mindset into your overall daily workout.
Cut down on your rest time between sets. When you’ve finished one move, transition quickly to your next machine or set of exercises.
Of course, you should pause to drink water when you need it, but try to keep your heart rate up throughout your whole routine.
Incorporate Cardio Intervals
Cross-training is excellent for building endurance. Instead of sticking to one type of exercise, alternative between muscular and cardio moves.
When you raise your heart rate and regular intervals, the heart stays up, even during slow movements.
Between your sets of exercises, add a five-minute jog or two-minute sprint. If you like to jog for miles, incorporate a sprint every five minutes. Aim to hit your target heart rate zone, which is about 50 – 85% of your maximum heart rate.
Keep Your Body on Its Toes
In addition to mixing up your daily routine, you should also mix up your weekly routine. Commit to working out your whole body at least twice per week, and try new cardio exercises as often as possible.
If you’re feeling bored in the gym, add one of these to your weekly routine:
- Jump rope
- Swimming
- Hopscotch
- Biking or cycling class
- Dance
More Training Tips
There are other factors to pay attention to when you want to improve your endurance and overall health. Here are some things you can do outside of the gym to improve your health and encourage physical fitness:
- Drink at least six cups of water daily
- Go to bed an hour early
- Eat more healthy carbohydrates
- Take a daily multivitamin
If you have a tough time building endurance, consider investing in high-quality SARMs from retailers like Sports Technology Labs.
Go the Distance
If you want to increase endurance, remember to push yourself harder every day and switch up your workouts. With time and practice, your body will adjust to longer times and more reps.
Did you enjoy these top tips for building endurance? Looking for more techniques to bring your fitness to the next level? Don’t miss out on our other hot articles!
