Muscular endurance is the ability to perform a movement for a specific muscle or muscle group over a prolonged period of time until fatigue occurs. Exercises that improve muscular endurance training incorporate light to moderate resistance for a high number of repetitions, or involve body weight exercises, such as calisthenics. For the best results, you should train each of your muscular groups at least once a week to quickly improve your overall muscular endurance.
Step 1
Select a variety of exercises to perform for each main muscle group, including body weight and weight-training exercise. Bodyweight exercises might include pushups, pullups, dips, lunges, bench step-ups, wall sits, situps, crunches, leg lifts and planks. Weight-training exercises might include barbell squats, deadlifts, lat pulldowns, biceps curls, dumbbell chest presses, cable press downs, lateral raises, leg curls, leg extensions and weighted decline crunches.
Step 2
Choose a weight for your weight training exercises in which muscle fatigue occurs after between two to three sets of 12 and 15 repetitions. Increase the load if you can perform more than 15 repetitions in a set, and decrease the load if you cannot complete at least 12 repetitions. Muscular endurance is improved when rest periods are short or even eliminated. Keep rest periods between sets under 30 seconds and gradually decrease your rest periods over time to increase your muscular endurance quickly. The weight used should be between 60 and 70 percent of your one repetition maximum. Keep the repetition range for body weight exercises between 12 and 15 reps per set, or perform to failure. For exercises such as wall sits and planks, hold the position for as long as possible.
Step 3
Include supersets in your strength-training routines to improve your muscular endurance quickly. A superset involves performing one exercise, then immediately performing a different exercise of the same or different muscle group without resting between exercises. An example might involve performing 12 to 15 reps of barbell squats and then immediately performing wall sits for one minute. You can also perform more than one exercise in your super set, such as a combination of dumbbell chest presses, triceps dips and pushups.
Step 4
Make your workout a circuit training routine in which you complete all of the planned exercises for one set each, moving quickly between each exercise. Circuit training improves muscular endurance because rest periods are extremely short or eliminated. After completing each exercise in your routine, rest for one minute and repeat the routine one or two more times.
Step 5
Train at least four times a week to improve muscular endurance, including performing both body weight and weight training exercises in your program. Combine body weight and weight training exercises in the same workout or alternate between a body weight routine and weight training routine. A sample training schedule might involve completing a circuit-training body-weight routine on Monday and a total body weight training routine that includes supersets on Tuesday. On Thursday, perform the same body weight exercises as on Monday; however, perform each exercise one at a time, increasing the repetitions or duration. On Friday, complete a total-body circuit weight-training routine.
Tips and Warnings
- Log each of your workouts to show the exercises completed, number of repetitions and sets, and the length of your rest periods. Aim to improve each training session, such as performing one or two extra pushups each week.
- Always check with your medical provider before beginning any new exercise program.
References
- BrianMac Sports Coach: Weight Training
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2000
- Sports Fitness Advisor: Muscular Endurance Training
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