Build endurance gradually through consistent training, recovery, sleep, nutrition, intensity control, and attention to signs that need medical assessment.
This material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or psychotherapeutic advice. If you are experiencing an acute psychological condition or need professional support, please contact a doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist, or crisis service.
What is endurance
Endurance is the ability to work for a long time without decreasing intensity. For example, running for a long time or swinging kettlebells without getting tired.
Endurance training improves peak oxygen consumption and increases blood volume and capillary density in working muscles. Thanks to these changes, the frequency of heart contractions decreases - it no longer needs to beat as often to provide the body with the necessary level of O₂.
As you exercise, your muscles store more glycogen, a form of glucose that is used as fuel during activity. And the number of enzymes necessary to obtain energy from oxygen and it also increases.
The main indicator of endurance is the maximum oxygen consumption - BOD, or Vo2max. It is measured either in liters of absorbed O₂ per minute (l/min), or in milliliters per 1 kg of body weight per minute - ml / (kg min).
BMD depends on how efficiently the heart pumps blood to the muscles and how quickly they can release oxygen from it to produce energy. The higher this indicator, the better the condition of your cardiovascular system and the higher your endurance.
For example, in those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, BMD is about 30 ml/(kg×min), in active people it is about 40 ml/(kg×min), and in trained athletes it can exceed 50 ml/(kg× min) min).
Why develop stamina
It makes sense to do this, even if your sport involves lifting a heavy weight, and all the activity at work is a walk to the cooler and back to the computer.
The development of endurance will help:
- Support the health of the cardiovascular system. One study found that BMD levels are directly related to heart health — and much more so than the total amount of physical activity per day. In other words, it is not enough to be healthy to just move - you also need to be persistent.
- Reduce the risk of death from any cause. One cohort study estimated that a 1 mL/(kg×min) increase in BMD reduced the risk of death from any cause by 9%. In another, they concluded that with the help of sports, it will not be possible to increase the life expectancy determined by genetics, but at the same time it will help to maintain health until old age.
- It is better to bear the load in ordinary life. You will be able to climb the stairs without shortness of breath, catch the bus or carry a tired child in your arms for a long time. In other words, any household tasks will not make you suffer and complain about life after thirty.
What kind of activity to choose for the development of endurance
Perhaps the easiest and cheapest way to develop endurance is running. Beginners can start by alternating it with fast walking, gradually increasing the amount of running.
Also, any other cycle cardio is good for developing endurance, including exercise on a bicycle ergometer, elliptical or rowing machines. Such a load allows you to easily adjust the volume and intensity of training and monitor your progress.
If you do not like cyclic cardio or want to work out at home, but do not have the opportunity to buy an exercise machine, endurance can be developed with the help of sets of exercises with your own weight. For example, perform a series of burpees, jumping jacks, squats and other movements that do not require equipment and get the heart rate up.
They will help your body get used to the loads and pump up the cardiovascular system, but at the same time it will be more difficult to regulate the intensity of the training.
How to exercise to develop endurance faster
The intensity of training is of great importance for the development of endurance. It can be determined by the heart rate at which the class takes place.
As a rule, the intensity is indicated as a percentage of the maximum heart rate (HRmax). To calculate this figure, you need to subtract your age from 220. For example, for a 30-year-old person, the HRmax will be 190 beats/min.
By intensity, training can be conditionally divided into:
- lungs - 50-63% of HRmax, about 120 bpm;
- medium - 64-76% of HRmax, about 130-140 bpm;
- heavy - 77-93% of HRmax, about 150-160 beats/min;
- very heavy - 94% or more of HRmax, 170-190 beats/min.
Even experienced athletes spend most of their training at a low heart rate - with light and medium intensity. And for beginners, this is the best opportunity to gradually get used to the loads, enjoy the exercises and not get injured in the first weeks of classes.
At the same time, for fast progress, it is also worth adding heavy training. One study found that low-intensity fitness programs increased BMD by an average of 0.4 L/minute over 20 weeks of regular exercise, and not in all participants.
However, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or their combination with prolonged, calm exercise gives the best results. In 6-13 weeks, they increase BMD on average by 0.5 l/min, and sometimes by 0.85 l/min.
Try an 80/20 load ratio, where 80% of the workouts are moderate and 20% are very hard.
This format is used by many athletes: it allows you to progress quickly and at the same time not injure yourself.
For example, you decide to run for three hours a week. From this time, 36 minutes (20%) should be spent at a pulse of 170-190 bpm, and the remaining 144 - at a pulse of about 130-140 bpm.
That is, you will have somewhere between two calm sessions - a steady run or a combination of running and walking at a low heart rate, and two intense interval training sessions with alternating hard work and periods of restorative activity. For example, six intervals of alternating three-minute fast running and five-minute lunges.
If you're going to build endurance with home exercise, you can also adjust the intensity based on your heart rate or how you feel.
For example, for long, calm workouts, choose light cardio and bodyweight movements that keep your heart rate under 130-140 bpm and allow you to carry on a conversation without getting out of breath.
For intensive classes, you can use interval circular complexes, in which you need to work vigorously for 30-40 seconds and rest until the end of a minute, or perform as many circles as you can in a certain time.
Adaptation needs both load and recovery
Endurance develops through repeated manageable load followed by enough recovery. Sudden increases in volume or intensity are more likely to add fatigue and injury risk than accelerate progress. Change one variable at a time, keep easier days, and track sleep, pain, mood, and recovery as well as pace. Chest pain, fainting, unusual breathlessness, or persistent deterioration requires medical assessment.
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