Increasing Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is an important facet of your training, and an essential element for overall athleticism, health and wellbeing. Endurance can be tested in various ways, but which is more important? Is endurance measured over a 5 minute MMA bout or an 11 hour Ironman race, is it the ability to perform 15-20 repetitions of a back squat or conversely holding a squat for 60 seconds? It is usually the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to move against a specific amount of resistance for a given period of time. So each individual sport will dictate how long that period will be. 

Having strong muscular endurance provides a number of benefits, from improved overall fitness, better performance in sports, to greater overall health and wellbeing. Muscular endurance from an injury prevention perspective is at the top of the list when it comes to which modality is the most important. ‘On the other hand, muscle endurance, as opposed to strength, has been shown to be protective for future troubles.’ (Dr. Stuart McGill 2002) 

Yes strength training and hypertrophy have their place, however endurance is needed so that smaller muscle groups can repeatedly perform over long periods of exercise and therefore stress. Fortunately, increasing muscular endurance is not an overwhelming task and can be accomplished by adding a few simple elements to your workout. Below are five tips to help you improve your muscular endurance. 

1. Range of Motion Exercises – often referred to as ROM, involve moving through a range of motion while performing an exercise with a resistive force. This type of exercise is great for improving muscular endurance as it requires muscles to work over an extended period of time in order to move through the entire range of motion. Examples of range of motion exercises include barbell back squat, hamstring curl machine and cable tricep-extensions. 

2. Interval Training – is an effective way to increase muscular endurance. It involves alternating short bursts of intense exercise with recovery periods. This type of training puts your muscles under more stress than traditional aerobic exercise and causes your muscles to work harder over a prolonged period of time. It can be painted in many ways (hill runs, sprints on a bike, hitting a heavy bag) and is known by various training modalities – fartlek, cluster training, heart rate zone training. All are aimed at increasing the workload over extended periods without reaching total fatigue.

3. Circuit Training – combines aerobic and anaerobic training to provide a total body workout that increases both cardiovascular and muscular endurance. An example of a circuit training workout could include push-ups, pull-ups, squats and crunches. Another example could involve alternating between a few exercises and doing them in rapid succession. This type of training is great for increasing work rate, full body conditioning and ultimately, increases muscular endurance. 

4. Eccentric Training – also known as time under tension training, involves the controlled lengthening of the muscle while under load. It specifically targets the extension of a joint under load, which is the downward or lengthening portion of the movement. This type of training has been shown to increase muscular endurance as it forces the muscles to work against a resistive force for a longer period of time. Examples of eccentric training include eccentric squats or pull-ups, where the trainee can lower for up to 4 seconds – greatly increasing the time under tension and the length of a set.  

5. Plyometric Exercises – plyometric exercises involve explosive movements that cause muscles to rapidly contract and relax. This type of exercise is great for increasing muscular endurance as it requires your muscles to work at higher intensity levels, which in turn results in improved muscular endurance. Examples of plyometric exercises include jump squats, plyometric push ups and box jumps. 

In conclusion, increasing muscular endurance is an achievable goal that can be accomplished by adding a few simple elements to your current workout routine. Range of motion exercises, interval training, circuit training, eccentric training, and plyometric exercises are all effective methods for increasing muscular endurance. Utilizing these exercises, as well as a well-balanced diet, will lead to improved physical performance, better overall fitness and greater overall wellbeing.