Building Muscular Endurance for Beginners
Many of us, when starting out on our fitness journey, sometimes feel that our stamina and endurance are lacking and we’re unable to exercise as much as we expect. But this is by no means a sign that you should not continue. Muscular endurance is your body’s ability to perform tasks and exercise without fatigue. And it can only be built brick by brick by being consistent and practising the right exercises.
In this blog, let us help you grow your muscular endurance so that you can increase your stamina and be able to find energy to exercise for longer.
Understanding Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance technically refers to your muscles’ ability to perform repeated contractions over an extended period. Unlike raw muscle strength, which measures the maximum force a muscle can generate, muscular endurance is related to how long your muscles can endure a load. Imagine lifting a heavy brick. How many bricks you can lift shows you your muscle power, while the duration you can hold even one brick shows you your muscular endurance.
The Benefits of Building Muscle Endurance
Before we get into the process of improving muscular endurance, let us quickly have a look at its benefits.
– Improvement in performing daily activities
– Enhanced athletic performance
– Calorie burn and eventual weight loss
– Prevention of injuries
Building Muscular Endurance: A Step-By-Step Guide
Here’s how you can start developing your muscular endurance in a step-by-step manner.
Start with Bodyweight Exercises
If you’re new to exercise, bodyweight exercises are an excellent place to begin. These exercises utilise your own body weight for resistance, making them accessible for all fitness levels. They require no additional equipment and can even be done at home. Some examples of excellent bodyweight exercises are push-ups, squats, lunges and planks. Start with a comfortable number of repetitions and sets that challenge you without causing too much fatigue or discomfort.
Gradually Increase Intensity
Building endurance is all about increasing your load gradually. If you keep lifting the same weight, your endurance will not improve. As your strength improves, incrementally increase the difficulty of your exercises. You can do this by adding repetitions, sets, or progressing to more advanced variations of bodyweight exercises.
Add Resistance Training
Once you’ve built a basic level of endurance with bodyweight exercises, start incorporating resistance training. This can be done using resistance bands, dumbbells, or machines at the gym. Start with lighter weights and progressively increase them as you grow stronger.
Focus on Compound Movements
Compound exercises involve multiple muscle groups simultaneously. They are highly effective for building overall muscular endurance and are a valuable addition to your routine.
High Repetitions, Lower Weight
To target muscular endurance specifically, aim for higher repetitions with a lower weight or resistance level. This will challenge your muscles over an extended period, improving your endurance. Do not fall into the trap of going for bigger weights initially. First, build your endurance and then go to bigger weights.
Mix Cardio and Strength Training
Cardiovascular exercise, such as running, swimming, or cycling, can also help improve muscular endurance. Combining cardio with strength training in your fitness routine can offer a balanced approach to overall endurance.
Rest and Recovery
Set aside a couple of days for rest and recovery since this gives time for your muscles to repair themselves and adapt. This will also prevent injury and overtraining.
Ensure Proper Nutrition
Endurance is also a product of your energy levels. If you’re low on energy, you simply won’t be able to sustain longer activities. A balanced diet plays a significant role in building muscular endurance. Ensure you’re getting enough nutrients, especially protein, to support muscle recovery and growth.
Drink Enough Water
Water plays a crucial role in muscle contraction and relaxation. Inadequate water intake can lead to cramps and hamper your muscle endurance.
Follow A Consistent Workout Schedule
Being consistent in your workout routine will help you reach your endurance goals faster. As with anything else, repetitions over a period of time will eventually give you excellent rewards for your hard work.
In this way, you can start building your muscular endurance and perform prolonged physical activities without giving way. If you want to start enhancing your workout endurance and stamina, download the FITPASS app and find the best gym workout near you.
FAQ
How do you improve muscle endurance?
Muscle endurance can be improved by engaging in strength training using bodyweight or weightlifting workouts consistently and gradually increasing the resistance.
What is muscular endurance and what is an example of it?
Muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to contract and relax repeatedly over a period of time without being fatigued. For example, your muscle endurance will determine how many repetitions of an exercise you can do without breaking form.
Why is muscular endurance important?
Muscular endurance is important because it enables you to perform prolonged physical activities like exercise or playing sports without your muscles getting tired.
