How To Build Your Endurance And Stamina

Wondering how to build your endurance and stamina?

Whether you're looking to shred some pounds, wanting to amplify your workouts, or just staying more active in general, here are several simple tips to get you going!

5 Simple Ways To Build Your Endurance

1. Cardio + Strength = Endurance

Contrary to popular belief, you aren’t going to boost your endurance and stamina by focusing on cardio – you need to improve your strength as well.

If you'll think about it, the more muscle you have working, the more your cardiovascular system is being challenged.

Another common pitfall to avoid is keeping your cardio and strength workouts separated. Instead, combine them into one session.

2. Decrease Rest Periods

Most people take about 60 to 90 seconds between sets for recovery.

That’s a good idea in general, but not when you’re trying to boost your endurance and stamina.

Instead, keep rotating between exercises until you’re sweating, breathing heavily, and your muscles are burning.

If you can still do one more rep, then you’re not ready for a break yet – and that includes between sets. Save it for your rest days.

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The idea is to push yourself to your limit and then take a minimal break.

As time goes by, you’ll find you’re able to do more in less time, because your endurance and strength are simultaneously boosted.

While studies suggest that decreasing your rest period does help in building your endurance, the outcome is not significant enough to demonstrate the benefits of utilizing short rest intervals.

3. Faster, Harder, Stronger

What you want to do instead is boost your metabolism. Whether you’re using gym weights or your own body weight for strength training, do so at a rapid pace.

Not only is this going to help you build strength and push yourself further without needing to take a break as often, but it’ll significantly boost your endurance.

4. Focus on Compound Exercises

Another way many common workouts (like bicep curls) work against boosting your endurance and stamina is by isolating movement around your joints.

Not only that, but it puts undue stress on those joints – which can cause unwanted pain.

Instead, use compound workouts – exercises that use more than one joint at a time. A few good examples include pull-ups, push-ups, squats, step-ups, and even swimming.

5. Hybrid Exercises and Explosive Movements

If you want to boost your endurance and stamina, a great way to do so is by using hybrid exercises.

These are exercises that help you incorporate compound moves while targeting different muscle groups at the same time.

For example, instead of regular squats, add an overhead press (also known as a “thruster”). You can even go the extra mile by combining a get-up squat with jumping pull-ups and/or push-ups.

Doing hybrid exercises with explosive movements is great for boosting your endurance and stamina because they force you to work more muscles at the same time.

And as you already learned, the more muscles you’re working out simultaneously, the more your cardiovascular system is being challenged.

As a bonus example, try this:

Do a press-up with dumbbells in your hands
Go straight into a get-up
Do 2 lunges (1 for each leg) and bicep curls simultaneously
Squat before lowering yourself back into the press-up position
Repeat for 10 reps per set

Bonus: Routine is Your Enemy

Last, but not least: don’t allow yourself to fall into a routine.

Your body will get used to a workout pattern after about 2 weeks, so remember to switch it up. Not only will this boost your endurance and stamina, but it will help keep you motivated too.

Do you have any other tips on how to build endurance and stamina? Please let us know in the comments section below.

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