Muscular endurance and muscular strength are both valuable to athletic performance, and to daily life for that matter, but they are two totally different things. Having muscular strength enables you to lift heavy objects for a short time frame. Having muscular endurance enables you to move light objects repetitively for an extended period of time, like stacking hay bales in your friend's barn. To build muscular endurance, leave the heavy dumbbells to the power lifters.
Step 1
Perform conventional weight training, but use light weights. The key thing is to move light to moderate weights through a full range of motion numerous times and to work all of your major muscle groups. Do exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, triceps extensions, biceps curls and squats. Aim for 15 to 25 repetitions with each set, or time your sets for a variation. Aim for 30 to 45 seconds if you go this route.
Step 2
Rest for short periods of time between your sets. During games, you often have long periods of work with short rest breaks mixed in. Train your body the same way by taking 30- to 45-second rest breaks in between your sets.
Step 3
Incorporate body weight exercises into your muscular endurance plan. This creates a sport-specific situation which applies to sports like football, soccer, lacrosse, wrestling and mixed martial arts. Perform exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, dips, crunches, lunges, squats, burpees and the bear crawl, which is walking on your hands and feet across the room. Incorporate medicine ball exercises into your routine as well, such as chest passes, sit-up passes, chops, overhead throws, slams and back-to-back passes with a partner.
Step 4
Partake in cardiovascular training. To carry out repetitive muscle contractions, you must also have good lung capacity. Sports like football and soccer also take a lot of muscular endurance in the legs. Run for these types of sports, or do another form of cardio that is specific to your sport, such as rowing, swimming, or elliptical training if you are a cross country skier. Aim for 30 to 45 minutes of running three times a week, and mix in bursts of high-intensity effort to mimic a sport situation.
Step 5
Execute dynamic stretches before all of your workouts to get your body acclimated to movement. Dynamic stretches are performed in motion and they loosen up connective tissue and reduce your chances of getting a pulled muscle during activity. Perform stretches like side and forward leg swings, arm crossovers, arm circles, shoulder rotations, forward bends, trunk twists, knee lifts and ankle bounces.
Tips and Warnings
- Perform muscular endurance workouts three days a week on the alternating days of your cardio workouts. Aim for four to five sets with your exercises.
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