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1. 8/22/2018 7 Ways to Boost Your Endurance and Stamina
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HEALTH & FITNESS
7 Ways to Boost Your
Endurance and
Stamina
It’s no wonder people are looking to boost their endurance and stamina. With the
newfound rise of obstacle course races endurance and stamina are in demand like never
before. The thing is, “people tend to focus on cardio activities like running or cycling,”
says Will Torres, a New York-based personal trainer and founder of the personal training
studio, Willspace. But that’s only a small part of the endurance-building equation. “You
also need to improve your strength,” notes Torres.
Corey Jenkins / Getty Images
by Lindsay Silberman
7
7 Ways to Boost Your Endurance and Stamina

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When you build your leg muscles, Torres explains, you’ll better able to propel yourself
further in every step you take while running. “The added muscle also helps absorb the
impact that would otherwise put stress on your joints,” he adds. If you’re looking to take
on a Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, or any other endurance race, take a look through
Torres’ sneak tactics. You’re probably not doing these seven training techniques—but
once you do, you’ll signi cantly boost your endurance and stamina.
1. Combine strength days with cardio days.
It’s a simple equation: the more muscle you can get working, the more it will challenge
your heart and your cardiovascular system. Instead of building cardio-only workouts (the
pitfall that’ll prevent you from building endurance) make sure to weave strength days
into your training. “Most people reserve one day for strength and another day for cardio.
Try combining the two instead,” says Torres. “Use a bench press, immediately followed
by pull-ups, then run a mile as fast as you can… and repeat.” Another good
example: Jump rope for a minute, followed by squats, an overhead press, and nally sit
ups. Repeat.
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7 Ways to Boost Your Endurance and Stamina

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2. Reduce your amount of rest between sets.
Men typically give themselves between 30 and 90 seconds of recovery time in between
sets, but if your goal is greater endurance, be prepared to sacri ce break time. “By the
end of your sets, your muscles should be burning—you should be breathing heavily and
sweating,” says Torres. “Only take a break if you physically can not continue.” Torres
suggests selecting a series of movements like 10 pullups, 10 squats, 10 pushups, 10
situps. Do three rounds of the series back to back, taking as minimal a break as possible.
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3. Do fast-paced, high-intensity lifting.
“When you use weights at an extremely rapid pace, it will not only improve your
strength, but also carry over to improve your endurance activity,” says Torres. “It’s one of
the best ways to ignite your metabolism. When people do an excessive amount of
endurance-only training, they actually slow down their metabolism because it starts to
eat away at your muscle tissue.”
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4. Choose compound movements over isolation.
Compound moves that require using more than one joint—like squats, step-ups, push-
ups and pull-ups—will improve your endurance more so than exercises in isolation.
“Isolated exercises like bicep curls and leg lifts aren’t going to stimulate you enough to
increase your stamina,” he says.
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5. Remember: Routine is the enemy.
Switching up your workout is essential to building endurance and stamina. According to
Torres, the human body gets used to a workout after two weeks. So if you’re always
running, start doing Muay Thai instead. Or if you’re an avid cyclist, change it up by
running stairs. “You need to move the muscles in a different way so that you don’t
develop overuse. Plus, it becomes more motivating,” he says. “It’s important to keep the
mind guessing.”
5 / 7Charles Knox / Getty Images
6. Go for hybrid exercises.
A squat with an added overhead press (a “thruster”), jumping pullups, and lunges with
biceps curls are all great hybrids: exercises that take two separate movements and
combine them. “The more muscles you can get working in a movement, the more it will
stimulate your heart muscles, which in turn improves your stamina.”
6 / 7milan2099 / Getty Images
Cardio workouts Training Tips
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7 Ways to Boost Your Endurance and Stamina