According to a dictionary definition, to have stamina means to have the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort. In sporting terms, stamina can best be described as staying power. A high level of stamina is needed to be successful in endurance sports such as long distance cycling, running or triathlons, as having staying power really means having the ability to stay strong for the duration of the event.
Stamina in Action
According to the BBC Sports Academy website, all sports require a degree of stamina. Sports that involve prolonged periods of physical effort like running, cycling and swimming are commonly associated with stamina and endurance, but sports like golf, snooker and darts require prolonged periods of mental effort, and it takes stamina to be able to maintain concentration. The fitter you are physically, the easier it is to remain focused mentally. This means stamina is important in all sports to prevent physical and mental fatigue.
Training for Stamina
Endurance activities can also be termed aerobic activities, meaning your body uses oxygen as its main energy supply. Improving your aerobic fitness allows your body to supply oxygen to the working muscles more efficiently. As your heart muscles become stronger and your lung capacity increases, you are able to speed up the supply of oxygen to your muscles, and you become able to keep going for longer.
Everyday Stamina
Stamina applies to everyday life as well as to sports. If you have a physically demanding job or a lifestyle that keeps you constantly on the go, it's physical stamina that gets you through your day. The same can be said of a mentally demanding job or of studying for exams, as it's mental stamina that allows you to concentrate for long periods of time.
Research on Stamina
Research scientists at Oxford University in Great Britain have found that a fatty diet can affect the physical and mental stamina of rats. Head of research Dr. Andrew Murray, now at Cambridge University, says of the findings, “After just nine days, the rats on the high-fat diet were only able to run 50 percent as far on a treadmill as those that remained on the low-fat feed.” A similar study is now under way to test the effects on humans.
Extreme Stamina
Considered to be one of the toughest tests of stamina in sport, the Tour De France is also one of the world's best-known cycle races. The race route covers a total distance of 3,642 kilometers over 23 days and includes 10 mountain stages, although four of them are given the classification of only being "medium mountain" stages.
Member Comments