Fitness Spotlight: How to Build and Maintain your Stamina!
Photo by Spencer Dahl on Unsplash
We’ve all heard the words “Stamina” and “Endurance” in the fitness world. These are important terms that you definitely need to know about whether you’re trying to lose weight, train for a marathon, or just take on a new challenge to switch up your workout routine!
First, let’s start off with what exactly stamina is. By definition, stamina is the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort. Endurance and stamina are essentially the same thing – whatever you decide to call it, these qualities allow you to endure seemingly unbearable workouts and push yourself to your personal physical limits without giving up! We all can benefit from a higher level of stamina. It’s particularly helpful for working out, but stamina has great benefits for your everyday routine, too. It’s important to know just how you can achieve an optimal endurance/stamina level for your body. Here are some tips:
Increase the intensity of your workouts.
Yes, that breezy stroll may seem nice, but you’re not going to achieve much if you don’t push your body to work harder than a simple stroll in the park. If you normally walk on a treadmill at 3.4 MPH, try increasing it 4.0MPH. Eventually, what used to be your normal walking pace will start to increase. The same applies for lifting weights: If 10lb weights usually give your muscles a good burn, try 12lb weights – or even 15. You will feel a greater burn in your muscles, and you’ll feel your heart being to pump faster.
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Consider how often you exercise and the length of your workout.
Your exercise routine shouldn’t consist of going all-out only one day a week! Currently, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends three to five workouts each week. This should include a combination of cardio and strength training.
Reduce your recovery time between sets.
To build muscle endurance, limit your recovery time between sets to about 30 to 90 seconds. Less resistance, more repetitions, and resting for 30 seconds or less between exercises is the optimal formula for building stamina.
Don’t forget to rest!
Rest and recovery are vital parts of the fitness process. The rules of rest don’t apply as much during your actual workout, but primarily after you’re finished. Yes, there is such a thing as “overdoing it!”. Working out too often or at too high of an intensity won’t help if your muscles and body if they can’t get the right amount of R & R. Rest is extremely important, so don’t let it be overlooked in your fitness regimen.
Natural Options for Muscle Recovery
Working out is hard work! Whether you get up early, hit the gym during lunch, or pound the pavement before or after dinner, exercise takes time and dedication. That hard work also comes with significant rewards and health benefits. Just like there is a right way to exercise, there is also a right way to recover. After you are done sweating out toxins, burning fat, building muscle and strengthening bones, the body needs to refuel to heal torn muscle fibers and regenerate energy. Proteins contain amino acids, which repair and rebuild the structure and biochemistry of the body. When it comes to repairing and maintaining muscle, whey protein is the way to go.
Muscle recovery supplements and vitamins are very important for a quick recovery after you exercise. A faster recovery rate can help minimize dehydration and injuries post-workout. Muscle recovery supplements help you recuperate quickly, while protecting you from further injury when you work out next. It is also necessary to nourish and buffer the muscles to improve your exercise routine, as well as protect immunity by neutralizing the damaging free radicals that are created during exercise. These harmful free radicals suppress immune function and can lead to a variety of illnesses and injuries.
Do you have any tips that have helped you build up stamina and endurance? Let us know what works for you!
