Stamina and endurance are two of the most frequently used words in the fitness industry when talking about ‘getting in shape’. Though often used interchangeably, both words have distinct meaning.

What is Stamina?

The word stamina is best seen as an umbrella term, encompassing both our physical and mental capacity to sustain an effort. This effort could be in individual sessions, exercises, sets or could even refer to our stamina in a longer training block; our ability to keep training hard week after week. Developing stamina requires consistent training and perseverance.

What is Endurance?

Endurance can be thought of as a subsection within stamina. Endurance refers to the body’s ability to sustain prolonged physical activity. It is an integral component of overall fitness, allowing individuals to exert themselves for extended periods without experiencing excessive, debilitating fatigue. Endurance can be further categorized into cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance.

What is Cardiovascular Endurance?

This focuses on the efficiency of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system to supply oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles during continuous physical activity.

What is Muscular Endurance?

This focuses on the ability of specific muscles or muscle groups to repeatedly exert force over an extended period. Improved muscular endurance can be beneficial for enhancing strength and preventing fatigue in targeted muscles during long workouts and everyday tasks.

While both these are important for overall health and fitness, knowing how to target both cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance specifically can be difficult. To help with this, we often refer to the SAID Principle.

What is the SAID Principle?

The SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) principle is a fundamental concept in exercise science. It says that the body will adapt to the specific demands placed upon it during training. In simple terms, this principle implies that the body will adapt to the type of exercise it regularly encounters.

Therefore, you must (1) train the specific exercises you want to increase endurance in and (2) make sure the type of endurance you are focusing on is the limiting factor in the workout so that we know that it is that energy system that is primarily being overloaded.  

If you aim to enhance cardiovascular endurance, engaging in activities like running or swimming will yield the best results and training the one you want to improve is essential.

If you are looking to enhance muscular endurance, engaging in activities like high repetition resistance training exercises like squats, deadlifts, or lunges, will yield the best results and likewise, training the specific exercises regularly is essential.

Exercises to Improve Muscular Endurance

Dumbbell Lunges

Dumbbells are great for lunges because they allow you to move the weights individually to maintain balance, which would be more difficult with a barbell.

• Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body.

• Take a step forward with your right foot, lowering your body until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.

• Push through your right heel to return to the starting position.

• Repeat on the other side, alternating legs with each repetition.

Barbell Thrusters

These are a great exercise for working both your upper and lower body muscular endurance. It teaches you how to sequentially drive with the lower body to give power to the upper body, which is essential for lots of sporting movements.

• Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell resting on your upper chest, with your palms facing forward.

• Lower into a squat position by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.

• As you rise from the squat, extend your arms to explosively press the barbell overhead.

• Lower the barbell back to the starting position and repeat the movement.

Trap Bar Deadlifts

Trap Bar deadlifts are a variation of the traditional deadlift to be used for higher reps. The hexagonal shape of the bar reduces the technical requirements of the movement, thus making it easier to perform high rep schemes without too greater decrements in technique.

• Stand inside a trap bar with your feet hip-width apart.

• Bend at your hips and knees, ensuring a neutral spine and a firm grip on the handles of the trap bar.

• Push through your heels and extend your hips and knees to stand upright, lifting the trap bar with you.

• Lower the trap bar back to the starting position with control and repeat the movement.

Exercises to Improve Cardiovascular Endurance

BikeErg

The BikeErg is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that is easy to use, with very little impact on the lower body joints, making it a great introduction to cardiovascular training.

• Adjust the seat height and position on the bike to ensure proper form and comfort.

• Begin pedalling with a steady pace, focusing on a full range of motion and smooth, controlled movements.

• Vary the damper setting on the bike to challenge yourself and simulate uphill cycling.

Battle Ropes

Battle Ropes provide a dynamic and intense workout and are a great way to work your cardiovascular system without using the lower body, which can be great if you are managing training load or have a lower body injury.

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold the ends of the battle ropes in each hand.

• Begin by performing waves, creating an alternating up-and-down motion with the rope.

• Explore different variations, such as slams, circles, or side-to-side movements, to challenge different muscle groups.

Skipping Rope

Skipping is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise that enhances agility, coordination, and cardiovascular endurance. Using a Skipping Ropes is a great way to start dosing in lower body impact forces during your training, making it a great exercise if you are building up to using running in your cardiovascular training.

• Hold the handles of the skipping rope, ensuring they are at an appropriate length for your height.

• Stand with your feet together and swing the rope overhead, using your wrists and forearms to rotate it.

• Jump with a slight bounce, clearing the rope as it passes beneath your feet.

• Gradually increase the speed and intensity of your jumps, challenging yourself to maintain a steady rhythm.

While we often focus a lot of our efforts on strength training, for overall fitness, it is essential that we also work on our stamina and endurance. There are lots of ways to do this, but remember, if there is a specific exercise you want to improve, then as per the SAID principle, you need to train it!

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Tags: Exercise Type > Conditioning