Stamina or endurance is your body's ability to sustain significant physical stress over a prolonged period of time. Both muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance influence your overall level of stamina. Exercises that promote both cardiovascular fitness as well as muscular strength are the most effective means of increasing your stamina and endurance.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is an effective means of increasing your stamina because aerobic activities require you to sustain an elevated heart rate for a prolonged period of time. During aerobic activities, your heart must increase the rate at which it delivers oxygenated blood to your muscles and organs to sustain your body through prolonged stress. The American Heart Association recommends sustaining your heart rate in your target heart rate zone for at least 20 minutes a day at least four days of the week for health benefits like weight management. Increase the intervals and intensity of your aerobic workout according to your current level of fitness. As your aerobic workouts build, your increase your cardiovascular fitness so that your heart can more efficiently pump oxygenated blood through your body. Aerobic activities like jogging and cycling are convenient options for aerobic activity because you can monitor your heart rate throughout the exercise.
Circuit Training
Though aerobic exercises are most often suggested for endurance training, building your muscular endurance through strength training exercises is equally important to building stamina. Even if you have a strong cardiovascular system, lacking the muscle strength to support exercise will leave you fatigued and weak. Get the best of both worlds with a circuit training routine that combines aerobic activity and strength training exercises. A circuit routine includes nine to 12 strength training exercises separated by 30 to 90 second bursts of aerobic activity. During a circuit training routine, you move through a series of strength exercises like bench presses, push-ups, squats and lateral pull-downs, performing one to two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions of each move. In between strength exercises, perform cardio activities like jumping jacks, jogging or jump roping to keep your heart rate up for cardiovascular health.
Yoga
Though yoga is often touted as an exercise routine for relaxation and flexibility, certain types of yoga that raise your heart rate and focus on breathing can increase your lung capacity. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine endorses yoga as a way to increase lung capacity and improve overall fitness. Effective breathing contributes to the efficient transfer of oxygenated blood to your muscles during strenuous activity. Bikram yoga, for example, utilizes fluid movement and strength poses for 60- to 90-minute sessions that take place in rooms heated to 105 degrees and kept at 40-percent humidity; the increased heat stimulates blood flow to support your muscles through the challenging routine. Controlled breathing is one of the most essential elements of a Bikram yoga session.
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