Body stamina measures the ability to exercise or do a physical activity for an extended time frame without losing energy. For example, a marathoner needs to have a high amount of stamina to stay at a consistent pace throughout a race of more than 26 miles. In daily life, a higher stamina can come in handy with jobs like chopping wood and throwing hay bales into a wagon. The best way to increase your stamina is through the right exercise techniques.
Cardio Training
Step 1
Select a type of cardio that you enjoy and perform a light warm-up. Take running for example. Walk slowly when you first start and gradually increase your pace until you are jogging lightly.
Step 2
Increase your pace to a point that you are breathing heavy and starting to sweat. This doesn't have to be an all-out sprint. Run at a pace that is challenging, but not too challenging.
Step 3
Remain at your pace for 20 minutes and perform a light cool-down. Do your cool-down the same way you did your warm-up, except gradually decrease your speed instead of increase it. Stop after five minutes.
Step 4
Repeat your workout on three alternating days for a week. Increase your time by five minutes the following week and continue to do this in consecutive weeks until you are able to run for 60 minutes with relative ease. Run at a faster pace at this point and start to mix intervals into your routines. This is simply mixing bursts of intense activity in with intervals of lighter activity according to the MayoClinic.com.
Circuit Training
Step 1
Perform weight training exercises that target your entire body and do them in the form of a circuit. Blend body weight exercises in with free weight exercises. Push-ups, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps dips, biceps curls, lunges and bicycle crunches are examples.
Step 2
Execute the exercises back-to-back. Do each one for 45 seconds and rest for 45 seconds in between. Take another 45-second rest break after you finish the circuit and repeat the whole series one more time. Perform this workout three days a week on the alternating days of your cardio.
Step 3
Increase your circuits. Add one more circuit to your workouts every two weeks until you are doing four rounds.
Step 4
Reduce your rest breaks once you can do four circuits. Knock 15 seconds off of your rest breaks every two weeks until you are able to do your exercises back to back with no rest at all. For example, rest for 30 seconds in two weeks, 15 seconds two weeks later and 0 seconds two weeks after that.
Tips and Warnings
- Running is only one example of cardio you can do to build up your stamina. Anything you do that involves your arms and legs is satisfactory. By blending circuit training with cardiovascular training, you will boost your stamina, muscle endurance and aerobic capacity all at the same time.
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