Stamina is your ability to perform physical activity over a period of time. Also known as endurance, this type of fitness applies to both muscles and your cardio-respiratory system. You can train both types of stamina by exercising at a lower intensity for a longer period of time. Knowing how to improve muscular endurance and cardio stamina will help you build more complete fitness.
Step 1
Use 30 to 50 percent of the maximum weight you can lift to create muscular endurance workouts. Perform eight to 10 repetitions of an exercise, for three to five sets, depending on the length of your workout.
Step 2
Begin cardiovascular exercise at a pace you can maintain for your entire workout. Brisk walking is an example of an exercise you can do to start building and improving your cardio stamina. If you work so hard that you fatigue within a few minutes, you won't build stamina. The American Heart Association recommends this intensity of exercise five times per week, for 30 minutes or longer, to improve heart health.
Step 3
Create a circuit-training workout to build muscular endurance. Using the weights, reps and sets described above, perform dumbbell workouts such as biceps curls and triceps extensions, or use body-weight exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups. You can use weight machines, resistance bands or barbells as well.
Step 4
Raise the intensity of your cardio workouts to increase your heart rate. After you have been working out for one or two weeks at your moderately intense pace, begin to raise your intensity so you are breathing harder and sweating more. You should be able to talk while you exercise, or you are working too hard. You can jog, swim, jump rope, cycle, skate or use an exercise machine to create this type of aerobic workout. The AHA recommends this intensity for your workouts, three times per week for 20 minutes, as an alternative to the slower exercise routine previously described.
Step 5
Alternate slower and faster exercise if you are not yet ready to complete an entire workout at an aerobic heart rate. If you are jogging, you can run for five minutes, then walk for five minutes as you build your stamina.
Tips and Warnings
- The key to building stamina is duration, not intensity. Work at a pace that lets you keep going, even if you are not completely exhausted at the end of your workout.
- Always consult a physician or fitness professional when beginning a cardiovascular exercise program.
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